Late Flowering Perennials for Wildlife

At last an explosion of butterflies in the garden and surrounding countryside! A recent visit to Cornwall found us walking amongst sand dunes on the north coast, backed by a beautiful blue sky. As well as several species of butterflies that I have not seen for a while, including the Small Copper and a Clouded Yellow, wild Sea Holly was growing in abundance in the pure sand – no wonder I have never had any luck with these beautiful plants. Soil that well drained would be a nightmare to garden on most of the time! The whole area was fizzing with insects, butterflies and Burnet moths and once I got over my envy of the Sea Holly so perfectly placed by Mother Nature, I started to think about providing more plants as food for insects and wildlife through the autumn and early winter.

I have been very disappointed by the lack of honey bees in the garden this year – they really do seem to be thin on the ground but we have several species of bumble bees so plants are still pollinated. I have had a very good crop of broad beans and now the runner beans are coming in fast – Mrs McGregor will be starting her runner bean chutney early this year! Another whole bag full was picked yesterday evening and my ears were filled with the contented hum of bumble bees about their business pollinating away whilst I was snipping off the mature beans, completing the cycle.

In the garden, there are certain plants that the bees are always drawn to and Sedum, with their star like flowers crowded onto flat heads have to be a favorite. I have also noticed plenty on the Purple Cone Flowers (Echinacea purpurea) and the white variety E. ‘White Swan’. These long lived plants are one of my favourites for sun and moisture retentive soil and also provide a good source of natural food for the birds who gradually strip the central cones bare of their seeds through the autumn. Of course, berries are important for members of the Thrush family and I would not be without Firethorn (Pyracantha) and Cotoneaster along with Holly although the berries always seem to disappear from this right in front of Christmas when pieces have been earmarked for the house!

Mrs McGregor’s cutting garden is always full of bees and a number of butterflies through the summer months. Now that the Michaelmas Daisies are almost in flower, they will be drawn to these without a doubt. They have been busy on the Shasta Daisies (Leucanthemum) which have almost finished now and again, any that are not used for cutting are left so that birds can eat the seeds. Some plants such as the stiff stemmed Verbena bonariensis never seem to be without a bee or butterfly lately and although the plant can seed around the garden in annoying numbers, I like to leave the plants unpruned though the winter. As well as providing seed for birds, the hollow stems, along with those of many other plants, are good lodgings for Ladybirds and other beneficial insects to spend the winter months.