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Butterfly Milkweed

Asclepias tuberosa

Orange flower clusters rise above narrow foliage on this drought-tolerant milkweed.

69
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
1–2 feet, sometimes to 3
Spread
1–1½ feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Herbaceous perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to August
Fruiting season
Fall

Recorded in 103 Virginia counties and cities.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 18 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (61)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Virginia

Care

  • Avoid wet, poorly drained soil.
  • Established plants are best left undisturbed.
  • Optional bloom tip: Removing spent flowers can encourage more blooms.
Care sources
Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Asclepias

  • Danaus plexippusMonarch
  • Cycnia collarisUnexpected Cycnia
  • Cycnia teneraDelicate Cycnia, Dogbane Tiger Moth
  • Euchaetes egleMilkweed Tussock Moth or Milkweed Tiger Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Show all 13
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
  • Pygarctia eglenensis
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
59BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Asclepias

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Asclepias

  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Flies 2
  • Scepsis fulvicollis
  • Spallanzania hesperidarum

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 7
  • Anosia plexippus
  • Argynnis cybele
  • Papilio asterias
  • Phyciodes tharos
  • Pontia protodice
  • Speyeria idalia
  • Strymon titus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 5
  • Ammobia ichneumonea
  • Priononyx atrata
  • Priononyx thomae
  • Sphex nigricans
  • Sphex procera

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Apocynaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–9b
Flower color
Orange, yellow or red
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Fall
Fruit ends
Fall

What its natural habitat tells you

Flower color. Usually orange to yellow-orange; yellow forms and yellowish to vermilion tinges are also recorded by the source. Source

Preferred light. Prefers full sun. Partial shade is a recorded tolerance, rather than the preferred flowering condition. Source

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Leave its deep taproot undisturbed. Avoid wet soil; seed-grown plants may need several years to flower. NC State Extension

Growing sources and scope

Recognizing it

Narrow leaves spiral along upright stems. Unlike many milkweeds, its sap is clear. Identification source

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources