Plants for wildlife

hello, having decided at the beginning of the year to try and encourage as many bees/butterflies to hepl them along, i bought quite a lot of plants for this reason, spent a small fotune !!

unfortunately, i think i'm jinxed because we've had nothing but rain ever since and howling winds. i haven't seen a butterfly for weeks and very few bees.

i'm hoping that future years will be a bit drier than this, otherwise the only insects to flourish are the ones we don't want !!!   

There haven't been that many butterflies about during the past few weeks, though some bees have still been flying. We normally get a good flush of butterflies around the time that buddlea flowers, which is in a few weeks time.

Hopefully your plants are still alive, and waiting for some customers.

Even if you haven't seen much effect yet, it's always valuable to take steps to improve the ecological health of your garden, and there's a lot you can do. It helps too if neighbours have a similar attitude, so there is plenty of wildlife in the vicinity.

Yes I'm disappointed as well, having bought plants to encourage butterflies especially. I've only seen one cabbagewhite in the last month! The bumble bees are making the most of the scabious and buddleia globosa and erigeron today despite the wind. Just hoping the forecast for 3 dry days next week here for Essex holds true, and maybe I'll see a few more flyers!

If they're new plants presumably they won't yet have many flowers on them? They'll make - pardon the pun - a beeline for the plants with plenty. While I haven't seen many butterflies I have had lots of bees on well established plants. Ceanothus and poppies last month provided the main bee bistro. This month it's Geranium Johnson's Blue and Escallonia that are proving irrestible. All these are well established plants with an abundance of flowers. The exception is a newly plantd Knautia with half a dozen flowers on. Poor thing must be exhausted by now as the bees have been virtually queueing up. Be patient. If you plant them, they will come 

Unfortunately there just aren't that many butterfiles about anymore nd with the cold, damp start to summer there are not likely to be but don't let that put you off gardening with insects in mind as the more food sources they have the more chance there is of the few that are around surviving.

You get a flush of Spring butterflies and soon we will have the Summer butterflies visiting our gardens. You will be rewarded with butterflies once your new planting is established, just needs a little bit of patience!

I just think these things take time, you can't rush it.

Carry on with your planting, although it doesn't neccessarily need to  cost a fortune. Grow stuff form seed now for next year if you can.  You get loads of plants and probably of much better quality.

If you provide the right plants/ environment- wildlife will come of their own accord, it just wont happen overnight or when you want it

I put in a wildlife pond last year, I now have a toad and tadpoles. I don't think the weather has been great either but don't give up, just keep going

Hi there - no butterflies of late where I am in Lincolnshire - quite a few in the heat of March but I think the rain and cooler temperatures have seen them off. Plenty of bees though as many people nearby keep honey bees and many bumble bees have been evident - all seem very active in the evening - even today after the flash flooding.  

The buddleis are definitely butterfly magnets and so hopefully, once temperatures pick up and the flowers appear the butterflies will "come out to play" !!!

As has been said, your efforts will not have been wasted as plants/shrubs will establish themselves this year and go from strength to strength in future years 

Happy gardening !!