The Butterfly Bush Debate

Pollinator Planting Dilemma: Replace The Butterfly Bush With Native Alternatives

Pollinator gardens are all the rage, and one of the most popular plants gardeners add to their landscape is the Butterfly Bush. Buddleja davidii is a showy shrub with spikes of fragrant purple, pink, or white blooms that draw bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds by the dozens. I have several of them in my yard, and each midsummer and fall my Butterfly Bushes host butterflies. However, Butterfly Bush planting may not be the best idea. Butterfly Bush is not a native North American plant, and while it is a beautiful nectar source, it is not a larval host plant like many native plants are. If you’re trying to make a more significant, more biodiverse impact on your pollinator garden, Butterfly Bush might not be the answer. Consider these native alternatives to the Butterfly Bush for your landscape instead.

Choosing The Butterfly Bush

I get it; the Butterfly Bush is a popular plant for a reason. The smell is intoxicating, and the long flower spikes are beautiful. Butterfly Bush has been sold to gardeners as a low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plant, plus the tag says it attracts pollinators. Butterflies, yes. I see butterflies on them. However, adult butterflies don’t do the population; you need to be providing food sources for caterpillars, too. Butterfly Bush only supports a part of the pollinator life cycle, which is one of the main reasons you should skip it. The Butterfly Bush is the only foliage caterpillars don’t eat.

Native Plants 101

Native plants are defined as plants that grow wild to a given location. In ecological terms, that means the plants have evolved along with native insects and animals and birds over thousands or even millions of years. That is an extremely long time to develop such intricate relationships with all the animals and insects with which native plants share habitat. So when gardeners look for plants to support pollinators, they often feel like they can buy any old flowers. Butterfly Bush has nectar, so it’s just like any other plant. It’s not, though.

The best way to support native butterflies, bees, and other pollinators in your landscape is to use native plants, and the reason is simple. Those pollinators expect to find native plants. An ecosystem is a carefully balanced system of all the plants and animals with which those plants and animals have co-evolved and worked in perfect harmony for centuries. When you put in non-native plants like Butterfly Bush, you are throwing a wrench in the machine. Butterfly Bush is actually an invasive species in many parts of the country.

Native Plant Butterfly Bush Alternatives

OK, no more Butterfly Bush in my garden, you say. Darn. Here are some native plants that are not only just as beautiful but so much better for pollinators.

1. Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)

Joe Pye Weed is a stately, fragrant, and tall native plant and a monarch butterfly favorite. Joe Pye Weed blooms in late summer, right when very little else is blooming, so it’s an excellent nectar source.

2. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Asclepias spp are also known as Milkweed, and they are so vital to monarchs that you should have a few plants in your butterfly garden if you can. Swamp Milkweed is just as attractive to people as it is to pollinators.

3. New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

Another late-season bloomer, the New England Aster is a big and showy plant that offers critical nectar for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators when they are migrating in the fall.

4. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Buttonbush is a tough shrub with globe-shaped flowers that bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all love. It also tolerates wet soils better than many other native plants.

5. Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)

Blazing Star is a native plant that is equally as attractive as the Butterfly Bush and offers pollinators nectar and habitat. Plus, it’s more ecologically friendly than the Butterfly Bush.

Native Plants At TN Nursery

TN Nursery has great options for those looking for native plants for their landscapes. Add TN Nursery Milkweed Plant Collection to your garden to provide your monarchs a complete larval and adult habitat. If you want pollinator plants with a little more oomph and drama in your yard, you can’t go wrong with Blazing Star Liatris. These native plants are not only beautiful, they are essential to the survival of native insects and birds.

Pollinator Friendly Native Plants Aren’t Just For Pollinators

Pollinator-friendly gardens are all well and good, but why are native plants so much better than non-native plants when we’re talking about gardening with integrity? The simple fact is, native plants are part of an extremely fine-tuned ecosystem. Non-native plants like the Butterfly Bush might provide some of the resources pollinators need but won’t offer the whole picture. Native plants, on the other hand, do everything the animals and insects with which they co-evolved expect to find.

The native ecosystem is a delicate balance, which is why when people want to encourage and support native insects and wildlife in their yards, non-natives are just not as effective. Non-native plants often need more water, fertilizers, and pesticides to survive, so they are just a poor choice all around. Native gardens are more environmentally responsible, easier to care for, and far more attractive to the whole range of wildlife and insects native to your area. With climate change and habitat loss on ecosystems, there has never been a more critical time to garden with ecological integrity.

Native Plants Help Pollinators Thrive

The native or non-native decision comes down to more than a few individual insects and butterflies. It’s an ecosystem. Planting non-native plants can make that ecosystem more susceptible to pests and disease, which is why using native plants is so important. Native plants are an essential foundation for healthy gardens and wildlife. Every time you choose to use a native plant instead of a non-native one, you are doing your small part to support the entire ecosystem in your area. Don’t underestimate the importance of that.

The Bigger Picture

Every time you choose a native plant over a flashy non-native plant like the Butterfly Bush, you are helping to restore habitat. As well as being more water-wise, native gardens are easier to maintain and often require no fertilizers or pesticides. The benefits extend far beyond aesthetics.

We are at a critical time ecologically, with climate change and habitat loss having significant and sometimes devastating effects on animal and insect populations. What you plant in your garden can help, and it starts with something as simple as swapping one plant for a native one. It’s not hard; the Butterfly Bush alternatives listed above and at TN Nursery are not only as beautiful as their non-native counterparts, but they are also far more responsible choices.

Final Thoughts

In the war for pollinator support, native plants are always going to win, and for excellent reasons. Butterfly Bush is just one plant in one section of a pollinator’s life cycle. Without support from larval host plants and other native plant parts, native pollinators just can’t do what they need to do to keep their populations healthy. We have all the power in the world to make a difference. Choose native plants for your landscapes whenever you can, and garden with integrity.