Butterfly Bush

Im always watching my neighbor's butterfly bush next door. His is a large bush but not very tall. Its filled with yellow and orange flowers. This type of bush is called a "Lantana".

Every summer I see many butterflies and hummingbirds feast on the fragrant flowers it produces.

Well, guess what? Another neighbor, that lives behind me, brought me a cutting of his butterfly bush after hearing me mention how much I'd love to have one. The one he brought me was not like the one I see next door. This one is tall and produces purple cone shaped flowers. This type of bush is called a Buddleia "Purple Haze".

He brought it to me by surprise around February. It was just two stickily looking twigs with a root attached to the bottom. I stuck it in the ground without much confidence that it would grow. I cant even keep a cactus alive. I was sure it would not survive a few more cold weeks, and frost. But it did.

It looked naked and leafless for a couple months, but by May, it was full of blooms. The butterflies didn't really start coming around until June. Now I can look out the window and see several butterflies and humming birds swarming the plant in my very own yard.

 This butterfly posed for me.

See the humming bird? I didn't need to put the humming bird feeder out this year.

Its funny how at night, they butterflies will hang under the leafs like little bats hanging from a tree.

I asked my sister to send me a picture of her butterfly bush.  Her butterfly bush is like mine but in white. Then name for this type of bush is also a Buddleia  called a 'White Profusion'.

After seeing a lot of bees swarm this one, she finally sees butterflies. She was so excited. She loves butterflies while im more partial to hummingbirds.

With each of these plants, butterflies will feast off of the flowers until August before the flowers finally all die out and return next year with many new blooms.