Garden Update - Butterfly Bush

If you live anywhere in the north eastern United States, deer are as much a part of the landscape as the trees. They roam without fear of predators, destroying anything and everything in their path.

The forest cover or what little of it that is left is at a danger of failing to regenerate with the deer munching on young saplings and the ones that manage to survive fail to thrive because the deer love munching on well young tender leaves and stunting their growth. Read this article for more information 'Humans invented suburbia, but it is deer who may be its most enthusiastic residents'

Any backyard or frontyard gardener will confess their hatred for the wretched deer if you ask. The backyard is fenced off but due to HOA (Home Owner's Association) regulations the front cannot have a fence.

There are lot of brave souls like my neighbor who has a pretty good bird garden in front with shrubs and bushes that are immune to dear and her yard attracts a lot of birds.

My front yard is overpopulated with mint which are flowering in profusion now and a few butterfly bushes which attract a lot of butterflies and an occasional humming bird.

Butterfly bush is one among the rapidly shrinking list of plants that the deer don't fancy. The bush pretty much grows everywhere and also spread like weed, yes that is the fear. The pretty purple flowers are well pretty and the bonus is that they attract butterflies. They escape much of the damage wrought by deer but the tender leaves still fall prey. The butterfly bush were the courtesy of another friendly neighbor.