Meet the Butterfly Weed
Butterfly Weed | Asclepias tuberosa
How do you know it’s me?:
I am a small herbaceous perennial shrub.
My blooms consist of flat-topped, star-shaped orange flowers, clustered together.
I have long, linear leaves, usually alternate, that whorl around the stem. My leaves and stems are often fuzzy.
The fruit following my flower is a 1”-3” long fuzzy green capsule. It releases seeds with silky tufts that easily disperse on the wind.
How big do I grow?: 1’ - 2’ height and spread.
Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Full sun.
Where I prefer to put my roots: Dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils. I am drought tolerant.
Hardiness: Zone 3-9.
Original home: I am native to most of the US (except the northwest), and parts of Canada.
Colors: I typically have orange flowers.
When I bloom: Late spring through summer.
Wildlife friends: Butterflies and other pollinators can’t stay away from my nectar. I am also a larval host for the Monarch, and a few moth species.
Flora Fun Facts: The Latin name “Asclepias” refers to the Greek God of medicine - Asklepios.
More Info: The cheerful and bright Butterfly Weed is a tough plant - right at home in a dry garden space. This butterfly magnet is an essential plant in the life cycle of many pollinators.
A member of the Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed) family.
This plant is sometimes called Orange Milkweed, but its stems do not contain milky sap.
Butterfly Weed will easily reseed and spread. This can be controlled through removing the seed pods before they mature.
A beautiful plant for a pollinator garden or meadow planting, and looks great paired with ornamental grasses.
Native Americans used the root of this plant to treat pleurisy and other pulmonary ailments. The silky tufts that accompany the seeds have been used for stuffing pillows or (during WWII - lifejackets).
