We were walking in the park on Tuesday, and saw this little milkweed.  They will grow to be 3-6 feet tall, but I always love seeing it.  Milkweed, Asclepias spp., is the host plant for Monarch butterflies.  

 

Milkweed is a native plant that grows all over North America.  Interesting fact:  it was once cultivated for the silky down from its giant seed pods, which was used to stuff beds, pillows, and--during World War II--life jackets.  Hmmm.

 

The genus Asclepias contains several milkweeds.  Common milkweed has white to purplish flowers, and you can see these all over the roadways and in the woods.  The cultivated milkweed that you can get through seed catalogs has bright orange flowers.  Monarch butterflies LOVE all of them, and lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves, so the caterpillars can feed on the leaves.  You can tell when you have caterpillars because the leaves are all chewed up..  I love that sight.  It means we're helping the next generation get going.

 

I'll take a picture of the cultivated ones in my garden.  All the butterflies love them for nectar, but the Monarchs use them as host plants.  This makes milkweed an important plant to have in your garden.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!