Description
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a type of milkweed that produces clusters of vibrant orange flowers in summer atop 1- to 2-foot-tall stems. The foliage turns yellow in fall, complementing the slender, red-blushed seedpods. Like common milkweed (A. syriaca), this U.S. native serves as a food source for monarch butterfly larvae, which feed on the leaves. The flowers also attract a variety of adult butterflies, as well as other pollinators. Butterfly weed grows in distinct clumps; no worries about it spreading like some other milkweeds can. Full sun. Perennial; Zones 3 to 9.
Collected in October 2020. Provenance is Bucks County, PA (seeds are from wild plants growing in my meadow). At least 20 seeds.
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