Fritillaries came to the coreopsis, tiger swallowtails loved our Rubrum lilies, and both species seemed to enjoy the purple coneflowers. But although there are many annuals and perennials that butterflies find very attractive, in our experience it was the flowering shrubs that proved to be irresistible to them. Lured by scent and color, butterflies visit certain plants to feed on nectar, a sugary solution containing the carbohydrates that butterflies need for energy. For me, there's no better way to spend a summer's day than to laze in the sun by our large hedge of Buddleia davidii, a cool drink in one hand and a camera in the other, watching the butterflies. It is a delight on a summer's day to watch all types of butterflies, from tiny bluesger swallowtails, as they seem to almost drunkenly sip the nectar from the long, clustered flowers.
Hummingbirds also make occasional stops, and moths visit, especially in the evening.
Keep the spent clusters deadheaded and this shrub will bloom into the fall. Flowers of the original shrubs, which are native to China, were blue and mauve. This cultivar, Black Knight, is beautiful and provides visual interest in the garden, but butterflies don't like it as well. The foliage of the orange eye butterfly bush is also handsome. Its long, slender leaves have a soft, silvery look and are slightly fuzzy.