Part of milkweed  genus Asclepias (whose ❀ blossom is the ⚘❀ state wildflower of Illinois) in dogbane  family Apocynaceae.

Native to North America.   🗺 Map by county (🇺🇸 USA-48) (color key).

Uses by native peoples
(Ethnobotany database)

Asclepias hosts caterpillars of 13 species
of butterflies and moths, in some areas, including being the only host plant for ⚫︎ eggs and 🐛︎ larvae of the monarch butterfly  Danaus plexippus.
Poster of monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus lifecycle, larval
host plants, adult nectar plants, and growing info for these plants.  Adobe Acrobat Reader file Growing milkweeds for
monarch butterflies  Adobe Acrobat Reader file Milkweed — It's Not
Just for Monarchs Uses by butterflies,
planting info

To:

  • see where monarch butterflies are now on their migration, or
  • report your own sightings (in 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇺🇸 USA and 🇲🇽 Mexico),
please see monarch butterfly  Danaus plexippus  box on citizen science.

Bloom dates (Michigan).  Adobe Acrobat Reader file (page 3)

Learn more about common milkweed Asclepias syriaca

🔍︎ 🔍︎ images Discover Life Encyclopedia of Life Michigan Flora Minnesota Wildflowers Missouri Botanical Garden Missouri Plants Native Plant Trust NRCS PLANTS db USFS Wikipedia

Navigate to pages that link here

🏠︎ ⚘ ❀ flowers terrestrial ☙ herbaceous plants

milkweed  genus Asclepias and related genera