Buddleia, commonly known as Butterfly Bush, is an attractive garden plant known for its bright purple flowers popular with many forms of wildlife. However, Buddleia davidii commonly colonises open ground and is often found on wasteland and frequently seen around industrial sites and railway lines.
Native to the warmer climates in the New World, and common in the Old World and Africa, Buddleia is not native to Europe and was introduced from China as an ornamental garden plant, for its distinctive purple flowers.
Buddleia, a shade intolerant species, thrives in full sunlight and well-drained soil and can inhabit some challenging environments such as cracks in masonry and alongside railways. Flowerheads produce an estimated 40,000 lightweight, winged seeds that are water and wind dispersed and can remain dormant for 3 to 5 years. Once established, Buddleia is tough to eradicate, plants can re-grow from damaged root-stock, and cut stems can regenerate to new plants if not disposed of responsibly.
Buddleia plants can produce thousands of seeds and develop into dense shrubbery. Individual plants grow rapidly becoming large shrubs in a short period of time. Buddleia can damage hard-standing and built structures, and often dominate native species, thereby greatly reducing biodiversity of localities. Ironically, Butterfly bush can dominate native plants that other species within an ecosystem may rely on, including butterflies!