Mertensia virginica en masse. — Mertensia virginica en masse. Photo © Mary Free

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly-weed)

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly-weed) buds and flowers, 2017-05-29, Glencarlyn Library Community Garden

Sweat bee feeding on Asclepias tuberosa flower, 2016-08-01, Quarry Shade Garden, Bob Air Park, Arlington, VA.

Monarch Watch waystation flowerbed

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly-weed) with spicebush swallowtail butterfly, 2019-06-13, North Carolina Arboretum

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly-weed) in Sunny Garden

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly-weed) dehisced follicle with seeds. 2017-08-31, private garden, Arlington, Virginia.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly-weed) follicles with milkweed bugs, 2015-08-13, private garden, Arlington, Virginia

mall milkweed bug piercing follicle of Asclepias tuberosa

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly-weed) with Monarch caterpillar, 2010-09-20, Glencarlyn Library Community Garden

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Butterfly-weed is one of the showiest native* wildflowers. Summer waves of orange blossoms brighten open fields, woods, and waysides. Later, spindle-shaped fruit (follicles) pierce the air in shades of green, yellow, brown. When follicles split open, the seeds’ silky threads glisten in the sun. The Virginia Native Plant Society selected Butterfly-weed as Wildflower of the Year in 1992. Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Perennial Flowers and Foliage with Monarchs, Fruit** Height: 1–3 feet Spread: 1–11⁄2 feet Bloom Color: Orange Characteristics Single-stemmed to multi-stemmed clumps Lance-shaped leaves on hairy stems Orange flowers in clusters bloom June to August Spindle-shaped follicles, 3–6 inches long Self-seeds when follicles split open Attributes Tolerates dry/poor soil and drought; no serious pests or diseases; deer seldom severely damage Seed follicles used in dried flower arrangements Ethnobotanic uses; toxic when ingested without sufficient preparation or in sufficient quantity Attracts a variety of beneficial and other insects and hummers; larval host for Monarch butterfly Growing and Maintenance Tips Soil Requirements: Average, well-drained Light Requirements: Sun, Partial Shade Water Requirements: Dry, Moist Seedlings transplant well; deep tap roots do not Flowers produced once plants are 2–3 years old Excellent Replacement for Buddleia species - Butterfly Bush Coronilla varia - Crown Vetch Lythrum salicaria- Purple Loosestrife Sedum species Dead foliage or flowers may harbor Monarch eggs or larvae so do not remove them until after frost *It is common from central PA through VA. **A tattered-winged monarch butterfly pictured in July was near the end of its life cycle. If successful, the monarch larva pictured eating leaves in September would have become a butterfly, migrated to Mexico, and returned to the US in early spring to mate. The milkweed bug nymphs pictured on the follicle eat the seeds, helping to regulate milkweed populations. Use in borders or in butterfly or meadow gardens Hardiness: USDA Zones 3–9 developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Mary Free, Bluemont Park, Sunny Garden, and Glencarlyn Garden

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic

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Asclepias tuberosa ([Common] Butterfly-weed)

Butterfly-weed is one of the showiest native* wildflowers. Summer waves of orange blossoms brighten open fields, woods, and waysides. Later, spindle-shaped fruit (follicles) pierce the air in shades of green, yellow, brown. When follicles split open, the seeds’ silky threads glisten in the sun. The Virginia Native Plant Society selected Butterfly-weed as Wildflower of the Year in 1992.

*It is common from central PA through VA

Video © Mary Free

This video shows European honey bees carrying pollinia of Asclepias tuberosa on their legs and tarsi. In the first slow motion clip, the honey bee’s tarsus–with pollinia attached–seems to have slipped into a stigmatic slit. Did it make a delivery or a pick up? To learn more about pollinia, read The Perils of Pollinia and More about Milkweed. Learn more about Pollinators.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants:
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets

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