Butterfly milkweed

Asclepias tuberosa

Moderately drought tolerant native rhizomatous perennial with showy brilliant orange-red flowers, blooming May to September. Adaptable loam and clay soils but prefers mesic to dry, sandy or rocky soils within dry prairies and woodlands, colonizing open disturbed areas such as roadsides; up to 7,500 ft. elevation. Usually 12-30 in. tall. Perhaps the most showy of the milkweeds, and is an excellent ornamental for landscaping. Widely distributed, attracting butterflies, honeybees, native bees and pollinating insects throughout its range. Larval host of the Monarch butterfly.