Description

Plant these for Monarch Butterflies!

*Please note: Asclepias species are slow to emerge in the spring.  If your order contains any of milkweeds, your order may be delayed until late May to early June, depending on the weather and this year’s germination rates.*

Key Information:

Soil: Mesic (Medium) – Hydric (Moist). Usually drought tolerant when established.
Sun: Full Sun
Height:  2-3 feet
Bloom Season:  July – August
Bloom Color: Pink – Light Purple

More Details:

Suggested Uses: Prairie Milkweed is very similar to Common Milkweed but not as aggressive. Very well suited for use in gardens!

Native Range: Native throughout the Midwest U.S. Native to southern Minnesota. This species is listed as threatened in the state of Minnesota.

Pollinators: Monarchs lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed species (Asclepias). Prairie Milkweed is a larval host for the Monarch butterfly and several moths. It is also well loved by bees, including the federally endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis). Well loved and visited by a variety of bees and butterflies.

Leaves: Egg-shaped, 1.5-3′ wide, opposite.

Flowers: Light pink to purple clusters of small flowers that give way to pods in early fall.

Interesting Facts:

Food Uses: Plants are toxic to humans and grazers.

Other Names: Sullivant’s Milkweed, Smooth Milkweed. Named for a European-American botanist named William Starling Sullivant.

More information: USDA plant profile