It's National Pollinator Week! Tried and True, the White Butterfly Bush

I know its not fashionable these days to extol the virtues of Butterfly bushes. Many people see these as invasive. I have not found that to be the case here. I will confess that this one came from my mother's compost pile at least fifteen years ago. I haven't had seedlings pop up in the yard very often nor I have seen this occur at our local park where butterfly bushes have been planted. Our weather seems to have such extremes that I suspect it keeps them under control. I also dead head more often to extend the bloom period. The buds on the bush opened several days ago and no pollinators. Today, happily that has changed. I love the scent, beauty and of course the nectar it offers for so many different pollinators. I haven't seen any humming bird moths on it yet, but they will be here.

Red-spotted purple image 1

Red-spotted purple image 2- Note that part of the wing is missing, likely due to a predator.

Red-spotted purple image 3- This gives you a better view of the blue on his wings.

Silver-spotted Skipper - These are plentiful in my garden.

Honey bee- Look to the right of the foreground blossom.

Cabbage White- These are plentiful here, but I rarely see them alight for very long. They are pretty frenetic.

Common Sootywing- You can just make out his white spots.

I hope you are enjoying your pollinators too!