Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa

Butterfly Weed is not subtle. The clusters of bright, flame-orange flowers in July are among the most vivid colors in the native plant palette, and monarchs, swallowtails, and fritillaries find them from a distance and land on them immediately. Watch a patch of Butterfly Weed in July and you'll count more butterfly species in an hour than most people see in a summer. It's that kind of plant. Unlike most milkweeds, Butterfly Weed stays compact, tolerates dry rocky soil, and doesn't spread aggressively. It grows from a deep taproot, so it's slow to emerge in spring and resents transplanting, but once established it's nearly indestructible. The seed pods split to release silky-plumed seeds in fall, and the architectural quality of the dried pods makes them worthwhile cutting material. One of our most-requested plants, year after year.