How To Grow Buddleja, The Butterfly Bush

Grow a buddleja and you’ll be helping butterflies too, says Anne Swithinbank

ENJOYING the flutter of butterflies on a warm summer’s day should be an easy pleasure, but surveys by Butterfly Conservation tell a different story.

Over the past 40 years there has been a 70 per cent drop in the range of butterflies we’re most likely to see and a 57 per cent fall in their numbers.

Loss of habitat is partly to blame, and we can make our gardens more butterfly friendly by allowing a few weeds as food plants for caterpillars and growing nectarrich flowers for the colourful adults.