Common milkweed

Found on prairies, roadsides, open areas, pastures and stream banks; used for fiber, food and medicine

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is an important host plant for monarch butterflies.

The common milkweed plant (Asclepias syriaca) is a rough, weedy plant, but it has fragrant flowers and attracts butterflies, especially the monarch.

Common milkweed is a perennial, herbaceous plant that grows to heights of 2 to 6 feet on solitary stalks. Milkweed gets its name from the milky sap contained in its leaves and stems. Chemicals in this sap can be poisonous to animals. However, milkweed is an important food source for…

Monarchs need milkweed plants to survive! The female lays eggs on the leaves & larva eats the plants. Milkweed is a great nectar plant for other butterflies.

When most people think of planting milkweed for monarch butterflies, they imagine common milkweed (A. syriaca) with its big, rounded leaves.

The most common of the milkweeds in the Tallgrass Prairie

If you want monarch butterflies to visit your garden this fall and spring, planting milkweed in your landscape is a must! Not only is milkweed a great necta ...

Of the 17 types of milkweed found in Iowa, common milkweed is by far the most widespread. The use of genetically-modified Roundup Ready corn and soybeans greatly diminished common milkweed on Iowa cropland, but if you ever drive or ride your bike in the countryside, you've probably seen this plant along the side of the road. Common milkweed grows along many city bike trails too. I've posted a couple of photos after the jump, along with a bonus shot of Virginia waterleaf after the flowers…