Asclepsis tuberosa or butterfly weed is a wonderful addition to
the summer garden. Its bright orange flowers are irresistible to
butterflies, especially the monarch. Although the flowers lure
the monarch butterfly, the monarch caterpillar eats nothing but
the foliage of this particular plant. One morning I discovered
that the caterpillar had eaten every single leaf. Normally I
would be heart sick to see a plant damaged but the presence of a
monarch in the garden is a gift. Despite being called a weed
(milkweed more specifically), I do not consider it a weed. As a
matter of fact, it is a well-behaved, easy - to - grow,
beautiful perennial in the garden. After the blooms fade, green
seedpods take their place. The seeds do eventually migrate
through the air; this plant, however, seems only to have spread
in my garden by forming larger clumps. Butterfly weed prefers
full sun, although mine is doing very well in part sun. It is
not a drought tolerant plant, but enjoys water during dry times.
Ascelpsis tuberosa pro