6 Fascinating Milkweed Facts You Should Know

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Monarch Butterflies Need Milkweed to Survive

milkweed facts — Monarch feeding on butterfly milkweed blooms

Milkweed is the one and only host plant for monarch caterpillars and butterflies, which prefer local, native varieties. Avoid growing non-native tropical milkweed. When you’re done reading these milkweed facts, find out if milkweed is poisonous to people and pets.

Milkweed Also Attracts Other Butterflies

Queen Butterfly on Milkweed — Queen butterfly on showy milkweed flowers

Though monarchs are the most well known, two other orange-and-black butterflies in the United States also use milkweed as a host plant: queens and soldiers.

Meet the milkweed tussock moth and caterpillar.

There’s Over 100 Milkweed Species to Grow

swamp milkweed — Swamp milkweed is a good choice for moist clay soil or a rain garden.

You can find more than 140 species of milkweed (Asclepias spp.) in nature. Two of the most well-known are common milkweed and butterfly weed. In moist soils, try growing swamp milkweed. Plant showy milkweed in arid conditions.

Is honeyvine milkweed an invasive plant?

The Rarest Type of Milkweed in the Americas

Prostrate milkweed (A. prostrata) is endangered. Only 24 populations of this plant remain in South Texas and northern Mexico.

Are monarch butterflies endangered? Find out how you can help these pollinators.

What Do Milkweed Flowers Look Like?

Asclepias fascicularis wildflowers — Narrowleaf milkweed

Milkweed flowers typically have five downward-facing petals, and an upward-facing corona made up of five hoods.

Check out more nectar-rich monarch butterfly flowers you should grow in your pollinator garden.

Milkweed Floss Saved Sailors’ Lives

Monarch Butterfly Danaus Plexippus Resting On Seed Pod Of Common Milkweed Asclepias Syriaca Ready To Migrate E Usa — Monarch butterfly on a common milkweed seedpod

Fellow history lovers will appreciate this one of our milkweed facts. The floss from two bags of ripe milkweed pods (40 lbs. total) filled one life jacket for World War II sailors.

Next, find out if gardeners should remove milkweed bugs? Plus, here’s how to get rid of aphids on milkweed plants.

Sources

New World Encyclopedia – monarch butterfly
Butterflies and Moths of North America – soldier
Butterflies and Moths of North America – queen
Britannica – milkweed
University of Wyoming Biodiversity Institute – milkweed identification guide
WXPR – Milkweed Is More Than Just a Common Weed
Save Our Monarchs – How to Identify Milkweed Plants Quickly and Confidently
Monarch Watch – Milkweed
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Service Lists Rare South Texas Milkweed as Endangered
Federal Register – Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for Prostrate Milkweed and Designation of Critical Habitat
Xerces Society – Milkweed
National Wildlife Federation – Milkweed for Monarchs

Author

Jill Staake

During the 14 years she's written for Birds & Blooms, Jill Staake has relied on the expertise gained during her time as Assistant Curator of outdoor exhibits at the Museum of Science & Industry, Tampa. There, she helped grow gardens full of host and nectar plants for more than 20 species of native butterflies, raised from caterpillars to sh...

Reviewer

Melinda Myers

Melinda Myers is a nationally known, award-winning garden expert, speaker, TV/radio host and author of more than 20 books. She is the instructor for The Great Courses How to Grow Anything DVD and Instant Video series and host of the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moments TV and Radio segments. With a master’s degree in horticulture and ...

Fact Checker

Kirsten Schrader

Now Birds & Blooms' content director, Kirsten has been writing about birding and gardening for 17 years. Her writing and editing roles have spanned the print and digital landscape. Although she has traveled to see amazing birds throughout the U.S., Kirsten has one dream bucket list bird—the male painted bunting.