Butterfly weed: Fun Facts

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Scott Vogt

One of the most iconic prairie wildflowers is Asclepias tuberosa, commonly referred to as butterfly weed or butterfly milkweed. From May to July, its bright orange flowers dot the prairie landscape. These attractive flowers are a magnet for many different pollinators, including the monarch butterfly.

Butterfly weed can be found in dry fields, meadows, prairies, open woodlands, canyons and on hillsides. It grows on loamy and sandy, well-drained soils, in areas that provide plenty of sun. It is consistently the most sought after prairie wildflower for a garden and the flowers work well in bouquets.

*Darker orange blooms with red pigment in the flower*

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa): Did You Know…?

The flower color in Asclepias tuberosa ranges from deep red-orange to a rich yellow, depending on the amount of red pigment which is superimposed over the yellow carotenoid background pigments. The flower color has nothing to do with the soil type.
This species can be found in the eastern two-thirds of the state of Kansas.
Butterfly weed is also known as “butterfly milkweed”, even though it produces translucent (instead of milky) sap.
The scientific name Asclepias comes from Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine. tuberosa refers to thick tuberous roots which make it very difficult to transplant from the wild. Please don’t dig mature plants from the prairie.
Root of butterfly weed was used in treatment of pleurisy, bronchitis and other pulmonary disorders in the past. Don’t try this at home.
Butterfly weed can be also used in treatment of diarrhea, snow blindness, snakebites, sore throat, colic and to stimulate production of milk in breastfeeding women. Again, don’t try this at home.
The small individual flowers consist of 5 petals. Each milkweed blossom is equipped with a trap door, called a stigmatic slit. When insects land on their pendulous flowers, they must cling to the petals as they feed on nectar. As they forage on the flower for nectar, their foot slips into the stigmatic slit and comes in contact with a sticky ball of pollen, called a pollinium. When the insect pulls its foot out of the trap door, it brings the pollinium with it. Eventually, the insect will move on to the next flower. Should that same foot slip back into another milkweed flower’s stigmatic slit, the pollen can be transferred and pollination is completed. This process is quite amazing to watch.
Typically, it takes three years for a butterfly weed to start producing flowers.
The long narrow fruit pods develop later in summer. These hairy green pods ripen and ultimately turn a tannish-brown in the fall. Each pod contains hundreds of seed equipped with silky, white tufts of hair. As the pod dries and splits in the fall, the seeds are carried away by the breeze. Those white tufts of hair act as tiny parachute-like structures that disperse the seeds.
As with other milkweeds, butterfly weed will attract aphids; you can leave them for ladybugs to eat or spray the insects and foliage with soapy water.

Butterfly weed is a garden worthy wildflower. It doesn’t spread aggressively like other milkweeds, but rather stays as a nice upright clump. Its many ornamental and functional assets, plus its rugged character will make it a focal point in the summer garden for years to come. You will be rewarded as pollinators seek out the beautiful iconic flowers of this native wildflower. Give it a try!

*Orange and yellow butterfly weed blooming in the same flower bed*

Butterfly Milkweed-2017 Perennial Plant of the Year™

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Scott Vogt

It is hard to believe that it’s already 2017. We still have several months of winter to endure, but after the first of the year, my thoughts naturally turn toward spring. I anticipate this barren landscape bursting to life. Wildflowers, grasses, trees and shrubs emerge from their winter slumber to once again beautify the garden. A wonderful wildflower and one of my favorites is butterfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa.

2017 Perennial Plant of the Year™

With all the recent buzz about pollinators (pun intended), it seems fitting that butterfly milkweed is the 2017 Perennial Plant of the Year™, according to the Perennial Plant Association. This classic native wildflower is an excellent perennial that is readily recognizable with its bright orange flowers and the host of pollinators that they attract. Found throughout the eastern two-thirds of Kansas, they bloom in late May into August.

Monarchs and milkweeds

Butterfly milkweed, along with other native milkweeds, are vital to the survival of the monarch butterfly. Monarch caterpillars will only eat on milkweeds. No milkweeds, no monarchs! If you plant milkweeds, monarchs will find them in your landscape. It is said that a monarch butterfly can smell a nectar source from up to two miles away.

Monarch caterpillar

Recent habitat loss has made it critical that more milkweeds are added to landscapes across the migration path of monarchs. Butterfly milkweed is a stout one to two foot tall perennial with a deep, coarse, fibrous root system. The intricate flowers that reach skyward range from deep orange-red in the eastern part of its range to lighter orange and finally yellow farther west and south in Kansas. Unlike the numerous other milkweeds found in Kansas, butterfly milkweed does not exude a white milky sap when the stem is cut or a leaf is removed.

This sun-loving wildflower grows best in open areas intermingled with native grasses. While it prefers full sun and good drainage, it will tolerate light shade. It is also very drought tolerant once established. Several cultivated varieties of butterfly milkweed have been developed. These include ‘Gay Butterflies’, a mix of red, orange, and yellow flowered plants, and ‘Hello Yellow’, an exclusively yellow flowered selection.

Hello Yellow Butterflyweed

Butterfly milkweed has many outstanding features, but the most important quality is its ability to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects to your garden. If you get some established, it will quickly become a favorite. Its rugged character will make it a focal point in the summer garden for years to come. It is a beautiful wildflower that is at home in the prairie or in your landscape. Can you find a spot for a few in your garden?

Plant Profiles: Butterfly Milkweed

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Scott Vogt

As I drove through the Flint Hills this week in late June, there were orange dots among the prairie grasses that caught my eye. Few plants found on the prairies of Kansas are as readily recognizable as butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). This classic prairie plant found throughout the eastern two-thirds of Kansas blooms from late May into August.

Butterfly milkweed is a stout one to two foot tall perennial with a deep, coarse, fibrous root system. Flowers range from deep orange-red in the eastern part of its range to lighter orange and finally yellow farther west and south in Kansas. Unlike the numerous other milkweeds found in Kansas, butterfly milkweed does not exude a white milky sap when the stem is cut or a leaf is removed.

Butterfly weed

Generally available in garden centers and nurseries as well as our FloraKansas Plant Sale, butterfly milkweed can easily be used in a perennial border or in wilder, more naturalistic plantings. Somewhat slow to establish because of the coarse roots, butterfly milkweed is a long lived plant and an excellent competitor in the garden when challenged by more vigorous plants.

While it prefers full sun and good drainage, it will tolerate light shade. It is also very drought tolerant once established. Several cultivated varieties of butterfly milkweed have been developed. These include ‘Gay Butterflies’, a mix of red, orange, and yellow flowered plants, and ‘Hello Yellow’, an exclusively yellow flowered selection.

Hello Yellow Butterfly Milkweed

The common name is derived from the blossom’s ability to attract butterflies and a host of pollinating insects. The complex flowers actually have pollen sacs attached to a y-shaped structure or stirrup. These structures attach to visiting insects and are consequently carried off to the other flowers in the vicinity, allowing cross pollination to occur. Fruits are long, skinny pods, typically three to six inches long. These contain many seeds, each having a tuft of white, silky hairs. As the pod dries and splits in the fall, the seeds are carried away by the breeze, each equipped with a tiny parachute-like structure.

Do your garden a favor and include some butterfly milkweed. Its many ornamental and functional assets, plus its rugged character will make it a focal point in the summer garden for years to come. Plus, you will be rewarded as pollinators such as Monarchs seek out this beautiful native wildflower.