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Fragrant lilacs and colorful butterflies – could there be any lovelier and more redolent mental image of a summer garden ? The heady scent , purple blossoms , and fragile , fluttering wings make for a stunning sight . But is this what you could expect when planting a lilac bush in your fantastic grand ? Do butterflies like lilac ?
Butterflies love lilac . They are consider , along with butterfly stroke bush andhydrangeas , one of the shrubs most loved by butterflies . The color , fragrance , and arrangement of the blossoms all make lilac great shrubs for feeding butterflies . engraft a lilac bush in your yard is a wonderful way toattract more butterflies to your garden .
Two-tailed swallowtail
Are lilacs and butterfly bushes the same?
First , permit ’s talk about what a lilac is , because you might be fox at this point . There are two very similar , violet - blossom bushes that are usually found in gardens , both of which are called “ lilac ” .
The common , or French lilac ( Syringa vulgaris ) is the true lilac for which the shade of purpleness is named , and has been cultivated ornamentally since the sixteenth century . It is native to southeast Europe but has become naturalized in Asia and North America .
The other shrub is dub “ summertime lilac ” and produce similar spikes of small , violet flowers . The right name for this bush is buddleia , and it ’s also sometimes called “ butterfly stroke bush ” . It is a much more recent addition to domesticated gardens and is aboriginal to East Asia . Buddleias are becoming progressively popular , but they ’ve also become invasive in many areas .
Two-tailed swallowtail
While they look similar , these two bushes are altogether unlike species ; butterfly bush are phallus of the figwort family , while true lilacs are related to olives . For this article , we are strictly talking about the vulgar lilac .
What kinds of animals are attracted to lilac?
Lilac is attractive to many different pollinator , not just butterfly . The fragrant , purple flowers of the common lilac are visit by many different insect species , include dearest bee and moths .
Perhaps because they are aboriginal to an expanse without hummingbirds , these precious stone - bright little pollinator do n’t seem to deal for lilac much . Many othershrubs attract hummingbird , however .
And of course , multiple dissimilar species of butterflies are thread to lilac Bush . Some of the most vulgar species you might see visit your lilac bush are :
Milbert’s tortoiseshell
The two - tailed swallowtail : A large yellow and black butterfly with orangish eyespot on its hindwings . Two - tailed swallowtails are draw to over-embellished flower as ambrosia plants , including thistles , Sonchus oleraceus , and of course of study , lilacs .
Milbert ’s tortoiseshell , also called the flak - rim tortoiseshell : A brownish butterfly with spectacular , orange - rim wings . These tortoiseshells not only dearest lilac but also enjoy the sweet taste of overripe yield . assay leave outoverripe orangesorbananas to attract these butterfly stroke .
And of row , the beautiful and increasingly endangeredmonarch butterflyenjoys using lilac as a nectar plant . Monarchs use milkweed as a master of ceremonies flora , a plant on which they lay their eggs and on which the Caterpillar will feed . Many other specie of butterfly stroke , include the two - tailed swallow-tailed coat , use of goods and services milkweed as a nectar plant . So planting milkweed along with your lilacs is sure to work even more coinage of butterfly stroke to your wild yard !
Do caterpillars like lilac?
One of the reasons that lilacs are so pop amongst gardeners is that they are very tolerant to both disease and pests . As such , butterfly stroke do not tend to use lilacs as a host works .
The only member of the butterfly sept that lays its eggs on lilacs is the ash - borer moth , also known as the lilac - ash tree bore bit . The larva of these clearwing moth feeds on the greenwood beneath the lilac ’s bark and can be mortal to the shrub .
You might have noticed small , round sections shorten from your lilac ’s leave of absence and are wondering what sort of cat you have . The solution is no cat at all ! Your lilac is potential being jaw by leafcutter bees . Leafcutters use these circular - cut leaf sections to build up their nests and are very adoring of lilacs .
Do n’t worry , as long as the bush is n’t overload with bee , the leafcutters wo n’t harm it , and the bees are also worthful pollinators .
How do you grow lilacs?
Lilacs have persisted in garden for so long not just because they ’re beautiful , they ’re also remarkably easy to grow !
Young bush can be easy buy at most nurseries or garden mall and should be planted out in bound or crepuscule . establish it where it can savor the full sunniness , and sample to find a place where it wo n’t get too cockeyed . Lilacs are prone to root rot , so make certain the dirt has good drainage .
If you ’re force to plant your lilac in profound corpse , you may add magnanimous sum of money of mulch around the George W. Bush ’s root to assist with drainage . lilac favour impersonal or slimly alkalic soil .
Lilacs are lone wolf ; they do n’t do well in crowds ! Make certain your lilac has a constituent of the garden all to itself , at least six feet out from other trees . It call for the space ! Most lilac can get up to fourteen feet in height .
Once a lilac bush is established , it needs very small maintenance , keep open for some fertilizer once a twelvemonth and casual watering during especially hot weather condition . Deadhead the flowers to increase the bloom time of year . Once your shrub is ripe ( five or six years onetime ) , give it a quick prune every year once it has cease flowering to hit any deadened branches . Do n’t rationalise too early , however , or you ’ll fluff the year ’s flower crop !
Lilacs tend to bloom too soon , around late outflow through early summer , and this short flower season is one of the few disadvantages . However , some cultivars and domestic hybrids , such as thepopular Boomerang smorgasbord , will have a second blossom season in other gloaming . This makes them even more valuable to butterfly ; latterly - emerging butterflies , or migrant species like the milkweed butterfly as they will treasure anything that flower in the fall .
Lilacs do best in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 7 ; they tolerate cold well and ask hoarfrost to help set up next class ’s bloom . Some recently developed cultivar , however , have adjust to warmer climates and can thrivethrough zona 9 .
What is the best shrub to attract butterflies?
There really is no “ best bush ” ; so many different shrubs are loved by butterfly for all form of different reasons . But lilacs are most definitely gamy on the listing !
With their tight clusters of scented , purple blossom , lilacs seem seamster - made for butterflies , and newfangled cultivar with longer or repeated blooming seasons have made them even well . If you hold out in a cooler climate and have a large empty corner in your butterfly stroke garden , a lilac might be just what you ’re looking for .
