- Your questions answered.

Feeding bees and butterflies

Can you identify these two plants? The one on the left looks like a butterfly bush or buddleia, but it flowers in September. Other buddleias in my garden are a darker colour and flower in late summer. This bush is not eaten by the weevil which was introduced to reduce the number of buddleia pest plants. I was told the flower on the right is a native plant. It grows into a small tree if not pruned back. It blooms in winter and spring.

ASTRID MODROW, AUCKLAND

The first plant is indeed a buddleia, Buddleja salviifolia,

and is resistant to the buddleia weevil.

Unlike the pest species Buddleja davidii which flowers in summer, Buddleja salviifolia flowers in late winter or early spring.

The shrub with the bright pink flowers is Fuchsia arborescens but is often mistakenly referred to as our native tree fuchsia, Fuchsia excorticata. Fuchsia arborescens

comes from the cloud forests of central America. It grows into a small evergreen tree, and you will find flowers on it most times of the year – but especially in early spring.

Both of these plants are particularly useful because there is very little for our pollinators around in early spring and that is why we sell them at our regular cuttings sales. Check out our website (nzbutterflies.org.nz) to see the prices and how to sign up.

In fact, my recommendation is to sign up for our e-newsletter (which is free) so that you’re kept informed of our cuttings and plant sales and other activities.

Jacqui Knight, Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand Trust. nzbutterflies.org.nz