When we were first being shown around our cottage by our potential landlord, Robert, he pointed out a large buddleia bush (a Buddleia davidii) in one corner of the garden and asked us not to cut it down. Apparently the last tenants had been a touch over-enthusiastic with the trimmers and Robert was a big fan of this particular buddleia. We assured him there was no way at all that we would be hacking it down. Why, you ask? Because those in the know - er, know that the buddleia’s alternative name is ‘the butterfly bush’ and Jo and I both love butterflies…

Back in June when we first saw our buddleia it wasn’t yet flowering. A combination of a warm but wet six weeks seems to have given the thing a huge shot in the arm and it has turned the far corner of the garden into a buddleia mini-forest. It now dwarfs our greenhouse, and if it grows much larger overflying aircraft will be able to use it as a navigation aid. Whatever’s in the soil in these parts seems to be very potent indeed, and I reckon in another week or so we’ll be able to climb up it to bring down the eggs of the Golden Goose to see our way through this particularly nasty recession…

It’s out of control, I tell you, out of control…

Okay, I’m exaggerating ever so slightly, but the thing is huge, highly perfumed, and an absolute magnet for insects. I’ve not been home very much since we moved in (which I’m not happy about, but those bills need paying) so I’ve not been able to spend much more than a couple of hours or so searching its long, lilac flower clusters but so far I’ve already seen Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Brimstone, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Large and Small Whites, and Comma on it. Nothing very unusual, but compared with what we saw in the garden where we used to live it’s like we’re suddenly living in the epicentre of ‘butterfly world’ - and numbers probably won’t peak for another month or so!

Much as I adore Peacocks and Commas (striking creatures no matter which area of natural history you gravitate towards), perhaps the most interesting of these has been the Painted Ladies. 2009 has seen the largest immigration of this continental visitor in many years and millions crossed the English Channel from northern Africa in May. The emergence of the offspring of this huge influx appears to be happening about now, as small numbers of very fresh Painted Ladies have suddenly appeared again. Given how many adults arrived there may well be very substantial numbers on the wing in a few weeks time - and hopefully some of them will be slurping from our buddleia while I go completely nuts with my camera…

 

 

 

Painted Ladies Vanessa cardui

 

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

 

Peacock Inachis io

 

Small Tortoiseshell Nymphalis urticae

 

Comma Polygonia c-album

For those unfamiliar with Buddleia davidii the most widely cultivated species of buddleia - there are many - it’s native to central/south west China where it was discovered by the French Missionary and Naturalist, Pere David, in the late 19th century. It was named after the Reverend Adam Buddle who was a botanist and a rector in Essex, England, and it thrives in the British climate where it is widely naturalised in many areas (and where you’ll see it flowering happily in secondary, disturbed habitat such as wasteland or along riverbanks).

It’s extremely easy to grow (though it does need pruning back annually) and starts flowering around the end of June and continues to flower into September.

All photographs copyright Charlie Moores