The classic common milkweed- an adaptable host to monarch butterflies with fragrant flowers for you and your pollinators! Will form a colony, and runners quickly if given the space. May crowd out smaller plants. Counter this by planting in their own bed/raised bed, by planting in a lawn where a patch can be easily mowed around, or by planting among other tall species. Spreads well from seeds, two individuals needed to produce viable seeds.

Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade

Soil Moisture: Wet Mesic, Mesic, Dry Mesic, Dry

Soil Type: Loam, Clay, Sandy

Height: 3'-5'

Bloom Color: Pink

Bloom Time: Jun-Aug

Root Type: Rhizome

Notable Wildlife Interactions: Flowers attract many pollinators including bees, wasps, flies, skippers, moths, and butterflies. Hosts the monarch butterfly, milkweed tiger moth, unexpected cycnia moth, delicate cycnia moth, milkweed tussock moth, and some small insects. Bitter, toxic foliage makes it unpalatable to mammals.

Notes: The young flower buds and young seed pods of common milkweed can be cooked and eaten. After the plant dies back in the winter, the dry stem can be processed for fiber that can be twined to make cordage!