Ceratostigma willmottianum
Ceratostigma or Willmott Blue Leadwort
This plant attracts the following butterflies:
Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White
A memorable image from 2003:
Small Tortoiseshell. 24 August 2003.
Past Images:
Painted Lady. 9 September
2000.
Small White. 10 September 2000.
notes:
I enjoyed watching a Painted Lady butterfly feeding from the flowers, as the nectar is clearly deep within the flower and the butterfly's feeding tube has to be inserted well into the flower to feed. It was a most acrobatic performance.
Saw a Red Admiral enjoying the nectar of an established Ceratostigma beside the Plant Centre at Westonbirt arboretum in September 2002.
I moved my plant from a pot into the ground in 2003. It wasn't happy but I'm hoping that it will recover in 2004.
Reference Section
Plant Type: deciduous shrub
Bright blue flowers from July to October
Likes Limestone or chalky soils
Height: 90cm (3ft)
Prune at the end of March almost back to ground level