Bring on the Milkweed!

By Amanda Vargas, September 2026

It may have "weed" in its name, but Butterfly weed is far from one. This amazing and beautiful native plant not only is one of the few host plants for the in peril Monarch Butterfly, but when in bloom feeds hundreds of species of pollinating insects including mason bees, milk weed bugs and of course butterflies!!

A cat munching away

A swallowtail on a “Hello Yellow” cultivar

Growing 1 to 3 ft tall and 1 to 2 ft wide, this easy to care for long lived perennial is drought tolerant and grows best in dry full sun to part/sun. Primarily orange in color, butterfly weed also has yellow and red cultivars (not to be confused with tropical milkweed) that are sure to bring a beautiful pop of color to any garden.

In the Fall, seed pods form on this wonderful plant making it easy to share seeds or sit back, let nature work it's magic and allow it to naturalize throughout your garden.  Watch the video below about how to harvest them!

Munch! Munch! Milkweed bugs love a good milkweed seed. No harm is done to the plant at all! This is their host plant.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/9108fb_470505c170cf427fbf9bd9c8d8fff603/file

Thank you for planting this important host plant to many! Can’t wait to see your gardens next season!