General Description . https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/checklist.html. It's bitter taste makes it fairly deer and rabbit resistant. Just a guess. Pale pink, arranged in umbels. I planted them last fall with a bit of fresh earth next to the river in front of my home. Trying to move the neglected lawn gently towards healthy native meadow, a few dandelions and foxtails at a time. Easily grown from seed, and will self-seed in the landscape if seed pods are not removed prior to splitting open. Comments: This is a tall-growing milkweed with unusual bicolored flowers. Also look on the underside of the leaves. I may not want more of them. Once I knew what I was looking for and started looking around, the stuff is growing along side most country roads here, In the ditch between where they mow the side of the road and farms and such. Wonderful! Asclepias purpurascens, commonly called purple milkweed, is a rough, weedy, Missouri native perennial that commonly occurs in dry to moist open woods, dry ridge tops, thickets, glades, prairie openings, stream banks and wet meadows throughout most of the state (Steyermark). May 2020 It's mid-August and I have only tiny, green buds, no flowers. This is the plant's defense mechanism against herbivory. July 2020 Seed pods are valued in dried flower arrangements. FYI. Last Year I had a few and a couple have sprouted after I planted the seeds. Asclepias purpurascens / Purple Milkweed. My coworker gave me 4 pods of milkweed native to my area she harvested from plants in her yard nearby. This picture illustrates the corona with it's 5 hoods (this is where nectar is stored) and it's … I'm in MI by the way if that helps. Hi Jo, July 2018 A couple of things to ask your local nursery: Butterfly Weed, NOT Butterfly Milkweed Late bloomers or fakes? Leaves are dark green above and slightly pubescent below. Milkweeds are different underground. It is one of the largest milkweeds, sometimes as much as five feet tall, with shallow roots. Wait for that plant to go to seed and grab some. Thanks so much for your help. Rebecca ChandlerGarden Educator, Naturalist and Ethnobotanist, October 2020 Asclepias speciosa, (Showy Milkweed). It has been blooming in my garden for years but it blooms and makes pods with seeds attached to silky fluff that I try every fall to let loose along my long lane. October 2018 Can spread somewhat rapidly by rhizomes. Plenty of it. Doubt you mowed it since it grows so tall. About five of them cropped up. Milkweed flower color varies across species and can be white, yellow, green, purple, pink, orange, or red. This guide includes profiles of the four most common species, all of which are used as a larval host plant by the monarch butterfly. . Does not tolerate shade. Thanks. Clarification: Thank you so much for posting this. Thanks so much for this. Hi Elaine, Asclepias cordifolia (purple milkweed, heartleaf milkweed) Asclepias cryptoceras ssp. $6.88 $ 6. June 2019 https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/checklist.html, Hi there, I live in Washago Ontario Canada. April 2019 My drawing is detailed and framed in pride of place as a memory of my years in USA flora drawings. Each tiny flower (to 3/4” long) has 5 reflexed petals and 5 purple heads. Asclepias tuberosa At least in my area the monarchs don't appear to need any help. We have not seen that many since and their numbers are decreasing each year. So, I planted milkweed from seed ( roadside pods) that do secrete the milky substance when injured. November 2019 Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil. Unlike swamp milkweed, common milkweed has large broad leaves with a prominent central vein. They are monarch, Hi Faye, I've been doing some more homework on this, perhaps something that should be added here? I am in Australia just recently I have found about 30 catapiller on my milkweed plant. Wetlands. Nothing shows...should I save the seeds and plant it in the spring? BUT had thin ribbonlike leaves drooping and curling around the strong upright stalk. Whole plant with flowers. Blooms late spring to early summer. if you can locate plants/seeds I would say give them a go, but I wouldn’t count on it as your main milkweed variety as you’re getting started. March 2018. Prairie Milkweed is usually a shorter plant than Common Milkweed, and it produces fewer umbels of flowers from the axils of its leaves. All plants in the genus Asclepias are probably somewhat toxic, some fatally so, to both humans and animals. Any help would be appreciated. It is hardy in USDA zones 3a-9b and could grow from 2-3 feet tall (sometimes even taller than that) and about 1-3 feet wide. (Easy way is look on top of lower leaves for tell tail caterpillar poop. Thank you. (Second from the bottom picture on this page.) I realize this is only their first year so may not get any activity. Mind you, once I got good at this, I noticed there is no shortage of milkweed in rural Michigan. Massachusetts. purple milkweed. Common milkweed prefers sunny, dry locations but grows in a variety of conditions. Probably about 25-50 of them. 10 Seeds Purple Milkweed Seeds Butterfly Monarch Butterflies Native Wildflower. They have the color of a monarch butterfly. Thanks for your questions! they came back this year but so did so other milkweed plans that grew to almost 6ft tall. Wow, thanks for the heads-up! Our native species are all around us in our natural areas, but due to their diminutive size most go unnoticed. Last year I planted six asclepias incarnata which came along nicely both years but no, I mean NO, butterfly action. Now I live in South FL. last year i had a few butterfly plants that produces the seeds for wind distribution. is the only species of Milkweed without this defense mechanism. April 2018 Although the flowers bear a superficial resemblance to two other sister taxa -- Asclepias syriaca(Common milkweed, with more light-purple flowers) and Asclepias incarnata(Swamp milkweed, with smaller flowers) - - the corolla hoods and swept-back sepals are a unique and striking deep purple to reddish magenta. Thank you! Description. Baby caterpillars are very tiny but once you spot a few, you will get good at it. March 2020 Hi — I have lots of common milkweed in my VT pastures, and this year noticed a surprising number of Monarch butterflies. They are yellow, black and white striped. (in a bad spot but I will leave them if they help butterflies." Deer resistant, non-aggressive. Is there a simple way to tell a. speciosa from a. syriaca? I’ve never seen milkweed like those around here. Asclepias purpurascens (Purple Milkweed) in particular is classified as Imperiled in Virginia (VA_DCR), and because it is a host plant for Monarchs, protecting the plant is an important part of conserving the natural habitat of Huntley Meadows Park. The ironic thing is there is no milkweed around my house. It looks a lot like Aclepias syriaca to me, but there are 10 other species native to Michigan, and I don't know what they look like. broad and thick, 10 to 20 cm long, arranged in opposite pairs on the stem and with pubescent undersides. Sept. ish. It sounds like your are describing Common Milkweed (asclepias syriaca) which has roundish leaves and large pods. Butterfly gardens, meadows, prairies, or naturalized/native plant areas. Monarchs like ALL species of milkweed. The yellow orange/red milkweed that you have at your home is most likely Tropical Milkweed (asclepias curassavica) To learn more about this relationship please read more here: https://www.saveourmonarchs.org/why-milkweed.html, Does any type of milkweed have stickers on the leaves. It needs a name? June 2020 Dogbane is poisonous so I ripped mine out. is there a smaller plant i can get to do the job. Now I don't want to look at the stems of mine since it would mean sacrificing the flower head so that can wait. Or just watch for chewed leaves, then look for caterpillars. I apologize for my late reply. This uncommon species is native to lightly shaded edges and open woods. Yesterday when I discovered two tiny caterpillars on the plants outside the net tent, I carefully removed the plants (complete with attached caterpillars) then transplanted to the safety of the tent. If I have the right kind, I have nothing but unwanted weeds out behind our pole barn. $13.49 $ 13. 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