Attract butterflies: The dovetail loves petunias
Created: 06/13/2022, 16:00
By: Ines Alms
The dovetail swarms like a hummingbird from flower to flower.
You can attract the butterfly to your garden with petunias, phlox and summer lilacs.
Berlin – In Germany, hummingbird-like moths are being spotted more and more often, buzzing in front of flowers and looking for nectar while stationary.
With plants such as geraniums, petunias and summer lilacs, you can lure the interesting beneficial insect into your garden or onto the balcony.
Attract butterflies: The dovetail loves petunias
The number of pigeon tails (Macroglossum stellatarum) is increasing in Germany.
(Iconic image) © imagebroker/Imago
The pigeon tail owes its name to the tuft on the abdomen, which is reminiscent in shape and color of the tail feathers of a pigeon.
The dovetail is actually a moth that benefits from the fact that some plants release their scent at night.
This also includes its nectar sources such as phlox and soapwort.
Nevertheless, the moth also searches for flowers during the day.
It shows a conspicuous flight behavior, which is why it is also called hummingbird reed warmer.
The Nature Conservation Union ("NABU") reports that the butterfly even sets a record, because not only its flight, but also the proboscis of the moth is very distinctive: With a length of a good 30 millimeters, the animal has a great advantage over short-nosed insects when it's about sucking nectar from deep calyxes.
So that the record trunk does not get in the way when flying, it is rolled up to save space.
Geraniums and phlox are also sources of nectar for the pigeon tail
By carrying pollen from one flower to another or by serving as food for various animals such as hedgehogs or birds, the pigeon tail becomes a beneficial insect that you can attract to your garden or balcony with these plants:
red clover
cranesbill
petunias
geraniums
Summer lilac (Buddleja)
phlox
Adderhead
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In March, the animals only lay one or two eggs on bedstraws such as real bedstraw or meadow bedstraw, which the caterpillars then later feed on.
If you offer these plants, you can also attract butterflies to your garden and expect freshly hatched butterflies from June.
