Thursday 25 July 2013

Buddleja


We didn't choose this Buddleja - it chose us.  We all know it as the Butterfly Bush but apparently it was called the Bombsite Bush during the war years as it has an invasive nature and it sprang up on any waste ground.  In fact it is banned in some USA states because it is classified as a noxious weed!

Well, five years ago part of the hawthorne hedge was removed from the field side of our lane and this Buddleja was definitely NOT there then ... but I'm very glad it is here now.  It's right outside our window and gives hours of entertainment this time of year. 









In the half hour I spent watching Peacock butterflies were chasing the Small Tortoiseshells; Small Whites were dancing round and unsettling Large Whites; a Red Admiral (or Admirable as they used to be called) paid a brief visit while a Comma posed for ages in the sunshine.

The flowers not covered in butterflies were covered in bees.

This particular shrub is a Buddleja davidii.  It was named after Father Armand David (1826 - 1900), a missionary Catholic priest, zoologist and botanist who worked in China.  It was Armand David who first discovered the Giant Panda together with 200 other wild animals and 807 birds many of which had never been described in scientific journals before. He discovered 52 new species of Rhododendrons and 40 new Primulae.


If I had chosen to grow a Buddleja I would have planted a darker purple, a red one or a white one.
This shrub has grown to 15 feet in just four years and it has spread to about the same width so I'm glad it is on the lane and not in the garden!

7 comments:

  1. Yes there are sometimes seedlings of Buddleja. I have a very dark violet one and a pink one. On various spots in the garden I have now white and lilac Buddlejas which are seedlings. Also the Buddleja on the last picture of my post of today is a seedling.
    Thank you for your story.

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    1. Now the Buddleja in your photo is the colour I would have chosen: so much darker than this one. Your garden is beautiful and packed with colour.

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  2. At least you can rely on the Buddleia to draw in the butterflies - I know the plants can be a nuisance with their free seeds but they are lovely. Shame they look so awful when the flower heads go brown.

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    1. It's also drawing in an audience. We rarely get anyone walking down the lane because it doesn't go anywhere but today two young girls appeared and spent half an hour persuading the butterflies to land on their fingers! Amazing!

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  3. Buddleia is commonly called butterfly bush in the States and while some do revile it for its tendency to self-seed, it is also much loved for its ability to attract butterflies. I love them! Your photos are beautiful. I love this post and have put you in my Blogger Spotlight. :o)

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    1. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! You just made my day! :)))

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  4. I just found you through Casa Mariposa. Those butterfly photos are so beautiful! What a joy to be able to watch (and photograph) them. Unfortunately, Buddleja is classified as a class B noxious weed here in Whatcom County, WA. So while we're discouraged from using it, we can still buy it if we wish. So I might have to get just one (or two). I mean if the butterflies enjoy the flowers, wouldn't that make them part of a habitat garden?

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