Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly Weed
Please register or login to build your personal plant list.Butterfly Weed is a long-blooming, drought-tolerant, wildlife-friendly perennial. Its showy, bright orange flowers bloom in flat-topped clusters,...
Description:
Butterfly Weed is a long-blooming, drought-tolerant, wildlife-friendly perennial. Its showy, bright orange flowers bloom in flat-topped clusters, June-August. The nectar is attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds; it has special value for native bees. The flowers are followed by attractive seed pods, which are used in dried flower arrangements. Butterfly Weed is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus), Queen (Danaus gilippus), and Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). Butterfly Weed does not have milky sap like other milkweeds; however, like other milkweeds, the leaves contain cardiac glycosides. When ingested by Monarch butterfly larvae feeding on the leaves, these substances make them (and the adult butterflies) toxic to birds and other predators. This plant’s deep tap root makes it difficult to transplant once established. Use Butterfly Weed in sunny borders, meadows, rain gardens, and butterfly gardens.
Plant Details:
Other Common Names: Butterfly Milkweed
Plant Type: Flower, Perennial
New Jersey Native: Yes
Bloom Times: Late Spring to Early Summer, Summer
Bloom Colors: Orange
Deer Resistance: Some
Attracts Pollinators and Wildlife: Bees and Other Pollinators, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Salt Tolerance: Low to None
Hardiness Zone: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Physiographic Region: All Regions in NJ
Grows in Special Ecoregions: Barrier Island/Coastal, Pinelands
Soil Characteristics
Soil Type: Loam, Organic, Sandy
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil pH: Acidic, Slightly Acidic
Light Needs of Plant
Optimal Light: Full Sun
Light Range: Full Sun
Water Needs of Plant
Soil Moisture: Dry
Drought Tolerance: High
Size and Growth Rate
Height: 1.5 - 3 ft
Spread: 1 - 2 ft
Growth Rate: Slow