Meet the Pollinators Visiting Your Butterfly Bush

With a name like Butterfly Candy®, it is no surprise that butterflies get most of the attention. Its nectar-rich flower clusters invite monarchs, swallowtails, painted ladies, and other colorful visitors into the garden.

But look a little closer. Butterflies are not the only ones stopping by for a snack. From busy bees and tiny hoverflies to nighttime moths, a blooming butterfly bush can attract a fascinating mix of garden guests.

The Fan Favorites

Butterflies: Monarchs, swallowtails, painted ladies, and many other butterflies are drawn to Butterfly Candy for its nectar-rich flower clusters. Its compact size and colorful blooms make it easy to attract butterflies to garden beds and containers.

Bees: Bumblebees, sweat bees, and other beneficial bees may visit butterfly bush flowers to gather nectar. Butterflies may be the stars of the show, but bees can be some of the busiest visitors in a pollinator-friendly garden.

Hummingbirds: Hummingbirds are especially attracted to tubular flowers, but they may also stop at Butterfly Candy blooms for nectar. Pairing your butterfly bush with hummingbird favorites, like salvia, can make your garden even more inviting.

The Weird and the Wonderful

Hoverflies: Hoverflies may look like tiny bees, but their large eyes, single pair of wings, and lack of a stinger set them apart. Adults visit flowers for nectar and pollen, while the larvae of some species feed on aphids. That makes hoverflies especially helpful garden guests. They can support pollination while also contributing to natural pest control.

Beetles: Beetles are among the world’s oldest pollinators. They are not usually the most frequent butterfly bush visitors, but you may occasionally spot one exploring the flower clusters for nectar or pollen.

Flies: Not every fly is a pest. Many types visit flowers for nectar and may carry pollen between blooms. Tachinid flies offer another garden benefit because their larvae help control certain insect pests.

The Misunderstood MVPs

Wasps: Wasps may not be the first pollinators that come to mind, but adults of many species feed on flower nectar and can carry pollen as they travel. Many wasps are also valuable predators. They help keep populations of caterpillars and other garden pests in check.

Moths: When daytime pollinators settle down, moths take over. Some are active around dawn or dusk, while others visit flowers throughout the night. Adding native evening-blooming plants alongside Butterfly Candy can provide more food for moths and other nighttime visitors.

Ants: Ants may crawl across flowers while searching for nectar, but they are generally not effective pollinators. They still have a place in the garden ecosystem, where they help move through the soil, break down organic matter, and provide food for other wildlife.

How to Attract More Pollinators to Your Garden

A pollinator-friendly garden offers more than one source of food. Pair Butterfly Candy with plants that provide different flower shapes, bloom times, and benefits:

• Coneflowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies.
• Native milkweed provides essential food for monarch caterpillars.
• Agastache and salvia attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
• Native evening-blooming plants support moths and other nighttime visitors.

Plant several of each variety together so pollinators can find them more easily. Including plants that bloom at different times can also provide a more consistent food supply from spring through fall.

You can make the garden even more welcoming by avoiding broad-spectrum insecticides, providing a shallow water source, and leaving a few quiet areas where beneficial insects can rest and shelter.

Create a Garden Buzzing With Life

Butterflies may steal the spotlight, but they are only one part of the activity surrounding a blooming butterfly bush. Look closely and you may discover bees gathering nectar, hoverflies searching for aphids, or moths arriving as the sun goes down.

Shop the Butterfly Candy collection to bring compact color and pollinator activity to your garden, and use our Garden Center Locator to find a Butterfly Candy retailer near you.