This is Asclepias syriaca, also known as common milkweed, butterfly flower, silkweed, silky swallow wort, and Virginia silkweed. Help the Monarchs, and all of the other butterflies, and even the honey bees for that matter, by giving them what they need to survive, reproduce, and flourish. This is not only the best North American Monarch butterfly plant to have, it is also the best honey bee milkweed in the sense that it produces the highest yield of honey compared to the other milkweeds. This milkweed is a Perennial Herb that can grow up to about 9 feet tall, and it is a big hit with all of the birds, bees and butterflies. Asclepias syriaca is a mid Summer bloomer with bursts of rose and mauve colored flowers. This plant loves to live in full sun, but does fairly well in partial shade as well. This is the plant people generally think of when the term milkweed is used. It is somewhat historical in the sense that Asclepias syriaca was detailed in Cornuts 1635 work Canadensium Plantarum Historia, making it one of the earliest documented North American species. Not only is this a Host Plant for the Monarch Butterfly, but the butterflies and the larvae use glycosides from the plant to make themselves toxic to birds and other animals who might want to eat them. Asclepias syriaca is a long time larval host plant of the Monarch, Queen and Soldier butterflies. It is also the larval host of the Milkweed Tussock Moth. Asclepias in general are documented nectar sources for the Monarch, Orange-edged Roadside-Skipper, Dina Yellow, Carus Skipper, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and Falcate Metalmark butterflies. It is also the nectar source for the Clarks sphinx, and again the Milkweed Tussock moth. Among the many documented butterflies who use Asclepias syriaca as a nectar source are the American Lady, Black Swallowtail, Great Spangled Fritillary, Monarch, Painted Lady, Queen, Question Mark, Red Admiral, Red-spotted Purple, Zebra Swallowtail, Silver-spotted Skipper, Silvery Checkerspot, Spicebush Swallowtail, Variegated Fritillary, Viceroy, Banded Hairstreak, Delaware Skipper, Baltimore Checkerspot, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Fiery Skipper, Gray Hairstreak , Mourning Cloak, Orange Sulphur, Little Glassywing, Zabulon Skipper, Southern Cloudywing, Hoary Edge, Lorquin Admiral, Pecks Skipper, Red-banded Hairstreak, Sachem, Spring Azure, Common Sootywing, Juniper Hairstreak, Eastern Pine Elfin, Hobomok Skipper, White-M Hairstreak, Atlantis Fritillary, Northern Cloudywing, Two-spotted Skipper, Dun Skipper, Hickory Hairstreak, Striped Hairstreak, Long Dash, Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail, Dion Skipper, Ottoe Skipper, Delaware Skipper, Ruddy Daggerwing, Baltimore Checkerspot, Diana Fritillary, Black Swallowtail, and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. The Nessus sphinx Moth is also known to nectar this plant. USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9.
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