Buddleia davidii in Britain: History and development of an associated fauna

Buddleia davidii was introduced to Britain in the 1890s and began to colonise waste land and building sites in the 1930s. It now occurs in almost every town, especially on calcium-rich soil to which it is highly tolerant. No native or introduced plant produces flowers that are so attractive to butterflies and other insects. Eleven species of Lepidoptera caterpillars are known to feed on buddleia leaves or flowers, among them Cucullia verbasci, previously restricted to the Scrophulariaceae. The shrub is in every sense a useful introduction, exploiting a previously unfilled niche, and its development of an associated fauna as well as the attractiveness of its flowers to nectar-feeding insects makes it a welcome addition to the British flora.