Scarlet Milkweed Plant. Host and nectar plant for monarch butterfly. Bright scarlet orange and yellow flowers bloom summer through fall.
Tropical or scarlet milkweed milkweed is a major multi tasker in the garden as it serves as a larval host plant to monach and queen butterflies but also attracts eastern tiger swallowtails giant swallowtails hummingbirds painted ladies and pipevine swallowtail butterflies for it s nectar. Milkweed are poisonous if ingested. Tropical milkweed asclepias curassavica at first glance seems to be a desirable garden plant given that it is a host plant for the monarch butterfly since we know the monarch population is in serious jeopardy we might assume that tropical milkweed would help to slow the decline.
Host and nectar plant for monarch butterfly.
The flowers are a great source of nectar for butterflies hummingbirds bees and other beneficial insects. Plants with the word weed in their name are usually pooh poohed but scarlet milkweed is acknowledged as the best of the species and very popular in florida rated zones 8 9 and 10 the scarlet milkweed is termed to be a sub shrub probably due to height which is about 3 feet. Asclepias curassavica likes to grow in full sun and prefers a soil that is on the drier side. Tropical or scarlet milkweed milkweed is a major multi tasker in the garden as it serves as a larval host plant to monach and queen butterflies but also attracts eastern tiger swallowtails giant swallowtails hummingbirds painted ladies and pipevine swallowtail butterflies for it s nectar.