Wildlife Value
Cotoneaster species are used as larval food plants by some Lepidoptera species including Grey Dagger, Mottled Umber, Short-cloaked Moth, Winter Moth and Hawthorn Moth (Scythropia crataegella). The flowers attract bees and butterflies and the fruits are eaten by birds.
Although relatively few species are native there, in the UK and Ireland Cotoneaster species are used, along with the related genus Pyracantha, as a valuable source of nectar when often the bees have little other forage in the June Gap. The red berries are also highly attractive to blackbirds and other thrushes.
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