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Summer 2005 Featured Plants
Butterfly Weed
Butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa, is valued by gardeners for its striking orange color and because it does indeed attract butterflies. This native plant is a kind of milkweed, and no account of milkweeds can be written without reference to their flower structure and pollination mechanism. The characteristic milkweed flower has a complex design that can catch an insect's pollinator and then apply pollen sacs to the insect's body as it struggles to escape. Butterfly weed is distinct from our other native milkweeds in having an alternate rather than opposite leaf arrangement. Because butterfly weed was once used to treat a lung ailment, it was formerly called pleurisy root. This eye-catching plant is frequently offered at our plant sales, but easily grows from seed as well. In the garden, butterfly weed prefers sun, well-drained soil and dry conditions. Because it is late to emerge in the spring, mark its location to avoid accidentally disturbing it. Look for it in our Visitor Center Garden and in the front meadow.
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