Butterfly-bush - Buddleja davidii

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Alternative names
Buddleia
Description

A familiar garden shrub with long, drooping, purple flowers.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Roadsides, waste ground and walls.

When to see it

In flower during May, July, August and September.

Life History

Deciduous perennial.

UK Status

Established as a wild plant throughout Britain but more frequent in the south.

VC55 Status

Fairly frequent and probably increasing in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 17 of the 617 tetrads.

  • Peter Smith
    Welford Road, Leicester
    10 August 2012
  • Graham Calow
    Witherley
    15 July 2015
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    01 September 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Near High Cross
    11 July 2016
  • Steve Mathers
    GUC (Lboro south to Bridge 32)
    29 July 2016
  • Steve Mathers
    River Soar (Watermead Way to S Abbey Park)
    24 August 2016

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species data profile ?

Species profile

Common names
Butterfly-bush, Buddleia
Species group:
Trees, Shrubs & Climbers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Lamiales
Family:
Scrophulariaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
229
First record:
19/05/2008 (Calow, Graham)
Last record:
09/01/2026 (Pugh, Dylan)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records

  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    19 May 2008
  • Graham Calow
    Stoney Stanton, Highgate Lodge Farm
    01 May 2019
  • Graham Calow
    Stanton Lakes
    05 July 2013
  • Saharima Roenisch
    Evington Park
    26 July 2017
  • Alan Semper
    Melton, pub carpark
    04 October 2012
  • Alan Semper
    Melton, pub carpark
    04 October 2012
  • Saharima Roenisch
    Leicester, Belgrave
    10 July 2019
  • Saharima Roenisch
    Humberstone Park, Leicester
    30 January 2018
    entrance to the site
  • Steve Mathers
    Grand Union Canal (A6 north to Belgrave))
    24 August 2016
  • David Gould
    Croft Hill, Leics
    17 July 2014
  • Saharima Roenisch
    Spinney Hill Park
    26 April 2017
  • Saharima Roenisch
    Evington Footway
    01 July 2017
  • Craig Mabbett
    clump hill fields broughton astley
    12 October 2014
Photo of the association

Aphis gossypii

Thie aphid Aphis gossypii is highly polyphagous feeding on a wide range of plants.  It does not usually host alternate, reproducing all year round on its chosen host. The body length of adult Aphis gossypii apterae ranges from 0.9 to 1.8 mm. Wingless females of Aphis gossypii are usually blackish green or dark green mottled with lighter. In hot conditions or when crowded they are smaller, and these dwarf forms are a very pale The cauda is variable in colour from quite pale to dusky to quite dark but it is usually paler than the siphunculi.

Photo of the association

Amauromyza (Cephalomyza) verbasci

The larva of the Agromyzid fly Amauromyza verbasci causes a blotch mine on the upper surfaces of the leaves of Mullein, Common Figwort and Butterfly-bush. The mine is pale initially but turns brown later. Frass in sizeable dispersed grains.