Part of milkweed  genus Asclepias (🏛 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
  Uses by 🐝︎ bees,
planting info  Adobe Acrobat Reader file

To:

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

Use in a small water feature and front porch garden, bloom dates, height, light, moisture, etc. (Pennsylvania).  Adobe Acrobat Reader file (pages 13, 26 and 47)   Bloom dates  Adobe Acrobat Reader file (page 58) bloom dates (Michigan).  Adobe Acrobat Reader file (page 3)

Learn more about ◼︎ ♒︎ rose or swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata

🔍︎ 🔍︎ images Discover Life Encyclopedia of Life Michigan Flora (Minnesota) Wildflower Garden Minnesota Wildflowers Missouri Botanical Garden Missouri Plants Native Plant Trust USDA PLANTS db USFS USFS plant of the week Wikipedia