Milkweed Asclepias Tuberosa. Butterfly weed is a must have plant for green thumbs looking to coax its namesake beautiful winged insects into their garden. It grows in sandy or loamy soil in prairies roadsides and open woodlands.
It s popularly used in gardens to attract butterflies. Asclepias tuberosa the butterfly weed is a species of milkweed native to eastern and southwestern north america. Asclepias tuberosa milkweed family asclepiadaceae description.
It is commonly known as butterfly weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar it is also a larval food plant of the queen and monarch butterflies as well as the dogbane tiger moth milkweed tussock moth and.
Asclepias tuberosa commonly called butterfly weed is a tuberous rooted missouri native perennial which occurs in dry rocky open woods glades prairies fields and roadsides throughout the state steyermark it typically grows in a clump to 1 3 tall and features clusters umbels of bright orange to yellow orange flowers atop upright to reclining hairy stems. I figured the caterpillars would like it since the plants have thinner more delicate leaves similar to tropical. Also known as asclepias tuberosa orange milkweed pleurisy root and yellow milkweed the plant can grow to be anywhere from one to two feet tall and is characterized by glossy green leaves and clusters of bright orange to yellow blooms that are rich with nectar and. This is the orange milkweed you can sometimes find along roadsides and forest clearings.