IF YOU PLANT IT,
THEY WILL COME!
THEY WILL COME!
Milkweeds are perennials with pretty clusters of flowers, often pink, white, or orange. All milkweeds have poisonous, sticky, white sap that runs out when you pick any part of it. This is why monarch caterpillars eat milkweed--it makes them poisonous as butterflies. The orange color of monarch butterflies is a warning to predators not to eat them. Monarch caterpillars have evolved some tolerance to this poison but they can choke or get stuck in the sticky sap. To avoid this, caterpillars drain parts of leaves before eating.
Three of the most comon milkweeds native to the Eastern United States are Common Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed, and Swamp Milkweed.
Three of the most comon milkweeds native to the Eastern United States are Common Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed, and Swamp Milkweed.
Common Milkweed
Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca (https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/asclepias_syriaca.shtml), has really big leaves great for feeding caterpillars, and it grows really tall so it gets a lot of them. Common Milkweed spreads quickly, so if you have Common Milkweed, before you know it you will probably have caterpillars chomping on your milkweed leaves. Also a great nectar source for pollinators. Plant Common Milkweeds in well-drained soil in the sun.
By Homer Edward Price - Common MilkweedUploaded by Amada44, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25214698
It's hard to find Common Milkweed for sale, here is one source: http://shop.milkweedmarket.org/syriaca221-32
Also if you know someone who has Common Milkweed growing in their garden, you may ask them if you can transplant some from their patch. Common Milkweed spreads by rhizomes under the soil and often will pop up outside of the area set aside for it. You can dig up these sprouts and transplant. Even if you pull one up without root, keep it constantly wet for a week or two and there's a good chance it will root. Sprouts with more root also need to be watered well (but not constantly wet if they have some root already) the first week or two. After that Common Milkweed is a hardy native that does well even in hot, dry weather.
Also if you know someone who has Common Milkweed growing in their garden, you may ask them if you can transplant some from their patch. Common Milkweed spreads by rhizomes under the soil and often will pop up outside of the area set aside for it. You can dig up these sprouts and transplant. Even if you pull one up without root, keep it constantly wet for a week or two and there's a good chance it will root. Sprouts with more root also need to be watered well (but not constantly wet if they have some root already) the first week or two. After that Common Milkweed is a hardy native that does well even in hot, dry weather.
Milkweed Sprout
Happy Again After Transplant Then Watering Twice a Day for Three Days
Happy Again After Transplant Then Watering Twice a Day for Three Days
Butterfly Milkweed
Butterfly Milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa (https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/asclepias_tuberosa.shtml), has a big tap root and compound orange flowers. It is a geat nectar plant for all butterflies. It likes hot, sunny areas with well-drained soil. It's foliage is good for monarch caterpillars as well, it just doesn't have as much foliage as Common Milkweed. Since it is a more compact species, it is easier to keep in a smaller space than Common Milkweed, and it is easier to find for sale--check local nurseries that sell native plants. Also available here: http://shop.milkweedmarket.org/product/asclepias-tuberosa221M
Swamp Milkweed
Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata (plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_asin.pdf), has pink or white compound flowers. It likes to be wetter than other milkweeds, but can be established in drier soil if you water it well at first and the soil contains some organic matter. Like Butterfly Milkweed, it has less foliage than Common Milkweed but is easier to maintain in a smaller space. Great nectar source as well. You should be able to find it at local nurseries that sell native plants, or here:
http://shop.milkweedmarket.org/Asclepias-incarnata251-32.aspx
http://shop.milkweedmarket.org/Asclepias-incarnata251-32.aspx
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=550752