Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) is another one of the best milkweeds for butterfly gardens because it feeds both monarch caterpillars and butterflies.

When most people think of planting milkweed for monarch butterflies, they imagine common milkweed (A. syriaca) with its big, rounded leaves.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center focused on protecting and preserving North America's native plants through native plant lists and image galleries, conservation, education, natural landscapes, seed collection - Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) Project, preserving and restoring native communities, spreading awareness on invasive species and gardening to attract wildlife. We deliver useful information, latest low impact development trends and techniques, useful gardening tips, innovative…

Season: Perennial USDA Zones: 3 - 8 Height: 24 - 48 inches Bloom Season: Summer and fall Bloom Color: Rose Environment: Full sun Soil Type: Consistently moist, pH 6.1 - 7.5 Deer Resistant: Yes Temperature: 40F Average Germ Time: 21 - 28 days L...

Swamp milkweed

swamp milkweed in August 2024 by Sarah Ross

Asclepias incarnata L. swamp milkweed

The ubiquity of swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) belies its name, which seems to suggest that it grows only on the wet margins of lakes, streams and swamps. In fact a Colorado High Plains horticulturalist recently pointed out to us that it does surprisingly well in arid conditions once it is established. Which may be why its native range covers almost the entire U.S., with the exception of westernmost states. #nativeplants #wildflowers #floraandfauna #botanicalbeauty #biodiversity

High Country Gardens is renowned for our unique plant introductions - especially cold-hardy, waterwise plants that come from rugged landscapes, high elevations, and harsh climates.

It’s one of nature’s most remarkable phenomena. Each year, millions of monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles south from Canada and the United States along a central flyway to Mexico. The monarchs then make a miraculous return flight north once spring arrives, making it the only butterfly species that makes round-trip migrations. But eastern monarch butterfly populations are steeply declining. A catastrophic 80 percent population decrease has occurred over the past two decades.