The soft pink and deep blue of the Viper Bugloss brings fresh color to the garden. You can find out here how you can use it to enchant your garden and numerous insects.
Insects are becoming fewer and fewer in Europe, so now is the time to do something. The garden is an effective place for this, and the viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare) exactly the right partner: good-looking, easy to care for, native and extremely popular with all kinds of insects.
contents
- Origin and characteristics of the viper's bugloss
- Planting and caring for the Viper Bugloss
- The common viper's bugloss as an insect magnet
Origin and characteristics of the viper's bugloss
The common or blue viper's bugloss is one of our native wild plants. Its range extends from Europe to western Asia. It is also widespread in Germany. You can easily recognize the plant by its striking blue flowers. They are still pink when they open, but gradually turn to a deep blue. The stamens and styles protrude excessively long from the flowers. With a flowering period from May to October, the biennial plants not only delight garden owners, but also numerous insects. The leaves of the plant are deep green and narrowly lanceolate. Since the plant belongs to the borage family (
Boraginaceae) belongs, it is densely covered with bristles. The green stalk is often covered with red dots.
Planting and caring for the Viper Bugloss
The viper's bugloss feels particularly at home in warm, sunny and dry locations. Wild it is often found on railway embankments or other dry ruderal areas. So preferably plant Viper's Bugloss on sandy, stony or gravelly surfaces in a sun-exposed location. The plant rarely gets too dry. You should only water the first time after planting or sowing. The easiest way is probably to sow the viper's bugloss. Since the plant is extremely robust, this usually succeeds without any problems. In the first year only a rosette of leaves develops. Only in the second year does the plant develop shoots with flowers.
You do not need to care for the common viper's bugloss. He likes it dry and low in nutrients anyway. And even a cold winter is no problem for the plant, because then it retreats into its deep taproot. The plant dies after two years. If you want the plant to self-seed, you should leave the flower stalks after they have faded. Otherwise you should of course remove it before sowing.
The common viper's bugloss as an insect magnet
As a native wild plant, the viper's bugloss has a lot to offer for insects. Its long flowering period from May to October attracts numerous visitors and the high sugar content in the nectar is a great reward. At least twenty different ones were made at Naternkopf butterfly species proven. Among them some skipper butterflies (Thymelicus) and the magnificent swallowtail (Papilio machaon). But also hoverflies, bees and wild bees, the flower of the viper's bugloss offers a valuable source of food. Two native wild bee species even specialize in this plant.
The Adderhead Mason Bee (Osmia adunca) and the rock viper bee (Osmia anthocopoides) can only occur where the viper's bugloss grows. The common viper's bugloss is therefore almost predestined for insect friendly gardens, flowering meadows and bee pastures.
Tip: the Plantura butterfly meeting contains various species of butterfly-friendly plants. This is how butterflies and caterpillars find food for months.