Would you like to help the brimstone butterfly by planting one or more alder buckthorn bushes in your garden?
Brimstones are beautiful butterflies. The yellow males can be spotted from February onwards, the females appearing a little later. The caterpillars of the brimstone butterfly are entirely dependent on two species of food plant: the alder buckthorn Frangula alnus or Rhamnus frangula and the common or purging buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica.
Transition Chichester are hoping to increase the population of brimstones in the Chichester area, and have bought 100 alder buckthorn plants (probably more suitable than common buckthorn for planting in the soils in the Chichester area) which they are offering for sale at the cost price of £1 each.
As well as supporting brimstone caterpillars, alder buckthorn bushes have small flowers that are very attractive to bumblebees, and red berries ripening to black which are eaten by thrushes in the winter.
The bushes can be allowed to reach a height of maybe 5 metres, or they can be trimmed back so they remain only a metre or so tall; brimstones don’t mind! We hope that some TC supporters may consider planting one or more alder buckthorns in their gardens.
If you are interested, you may like to read this information sheet.
If you would like some alder buckthorn plants please email TCBuckthornforBrimstones@gmail.com. Plants can be picked up from Central Chichester at a time to suit you.