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​Night-flowering Catchfly

19th Apr 2024

​Night-flowering Catchfly

Night-flowering Catchfly is an interesting and unusal native plant which is rarely seen. As night falls the flowers of the night-flowering catchfly open and release a strong fragrance which attracts night-flying moths which feed on the copious nectar and pollinate the plant. 

The Catchfly part of the name is due to the mild sticky hairs which cover the stems and catch very small insects which are a tasty treat for larger insects, which do not become stuck. 

White or very pale-pink flowers throughout the summer, followed by upturned seedpods. 

In the wild it grows in rough ground and makes an easy and excellent garden plant which offers a great deal to the local wildlife.

Available here.

Photo: homeredwardprice, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons