Support monarchs and our mission: plant milkweed and wildflowers

Common Milkweed

View Observations on iNaturalist

Key Details

Bloom Time: June to August

Sun Exposure: Full to Partial

Soil Moisture: Wet to Medium

Height: 3'

Plant Spacing: 2-3'

Cold Stratification: 30 days

How to Grow

Cold Stratify Seeds
Prepare Garden Bed or Container
Start Seeds
- Indoor and Transplant
- Direct Sow Outdoor
Mulch

More Information:

Species Support

Host Plant For

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names depending on region include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black veined brown. It may be the most familiar North American butterfly, and is considered an iconic pollinator species. Its wings feature an easily recognizable black, orange, and white pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 cm (3 1⁄2– (Source: Wikipedia, '', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo: (c) fam-esquivel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC))

Milkweed Tussock Moth (Euchaetes egle)Euchaetes egle, the milkweed tussock caterpillar or milkweed tiger moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. It is a common mid- through late-summer feeder on milkweeds and dogbane. Like most species in this family, it has chemical defenses it acquires from its host plants, in this case, cardiac glycosides (Weller et al., 1999). These are retained in adults and deter bats, and presumably other predators, from feeding on them (Hristov and Conner 2005). Only very... (Source: Wikipedia, '', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euchaetes_egle, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo: (c) Seabrooke Leckie, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND))

Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis)The milkweed leaf beetle (Labidomera clivicollis) is a species of beetle from the family Chrysomelidae. Its range extends from the Rocky Mountains to eastern Maritimes Provinces and eastern United States. (Source: Wikipedia, '', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkweed_leaf_beetle, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo: (c) J.P. Lawrence, all rights reserved)

Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus)Oncopeltus fasciatus, known as the large milkweed bug, is a medium-sized hemipteran (true bug) of the family Lygaeidae. It is distributed throughout North America. It ranges from Central America through Mexico and the Caribbean to southern areas in Canada. Costa Rica represents this insects southern limit. It inhabits disturbed areas, roadsides and open pastures. Due to this widespread geographic distribution this insect exhibits varying life history trade-offs depending on t (Source: Wikipedia, '', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_milkweed_bug, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo: (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY))

Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii)Lygaeus kalmii, known generally as the small milkweed bug or common milkweed bug, is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. It is found in Central America and North America. (Source: Wikipedia, '', https://wikipedia.org/wiki/, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo: no rights reserved, uploaded by Jesse Rorabaugh)

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