Buddleia - the beautiful butterfly bush

For good reason Buddleia is often called 'butterfly bush'. Its beautiful fragrant flowers offer rich stores of nectar that prove irresistible to red admiral, brimstone, comma, tortoiseshell, white and peacock butterflies, especially if it is planted in the sun. Butterflies and bumblebees are also honing in on marjoram, lavender, golden rod and hemp agrimony. Hoverflies and honeybees, meanwhile, are feasting on the sweetly scented native plant, meadowsweet.

A number of night-scented flowers are out this month, including evening primrose and night-scented stock. These will attract night-flying moths to their nectar and if you venture out at dusk you might see bats flying in hot pursuit of the moths.

This is a good time to divide autumn crocus and to cover ripening fruit if it is intended only for human consumption. Spring-flowering wild flower meadows should be cut now and it is a good time to do any severe pruning or coppicing of beech.