Diohio's Garden
Butterfly Weed
Genus: Asclepias.
Species: Asclepias tuberosa.
There are several Butterfly Weed plants growing wild in the overgrown field next to us. I've been sowing seeds from them, in my yard for the past 10 years. It has got to be the best butterfly nectar flower ever ! It makes for some pretty amazinig photos too.
Butterfly Weed is a perinnial native of Ohio. It's a true milkweed but lacks milky sap; instead, its stem and leaves bleed clear sap. The species name "tuberosa" refers to its large taproot, which makes it nearly impossible to transplant. So be sure to plant it or sow seeds where you want it to live forever. If you break the taproot, you'll kill the whole plant.
This is a host plant for Monarch butterfly caterpillars, but Common Milkweed or Swamp Milkweed is usually chosen over Butterfly Weed.
