Butterfly Weed
Cover image of Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.
How to Grow Butterfly Weed
Don’t let the name fool you - this showy native perennial is a welcome addition to any garden!
Butterfly weed, scientifically known as Asclepias tuberosa, is a vibrant, showy plant native to the sunny meadows, prairies, and roadsides of North America.
This tough perennial, with its fiery orange blossoms, is not just a colorful wildflower. It’s also a lifeline for the struggling monarch butterfly population, providing essential habitat for their caterpillars.
As a low-maintenance, deer-resistant addition to your garden, it’s both practical and ecologically significant.
If you’re curious about what butterfly weed is and want to discover how to grow butterfly weed, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know, including a comparison of butterfly weed vs butterfly bush.
What does butterfly weed look like? An upright, clump-forming plant with orange flowers and pointed green leaves. Asclepias tuberosa image courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.
What is Butterfly Weed?
Butterfly weed is a type of milkweed plant. It’s a summer-blooming perennial celebrated for its vibrant orange flowers and the important role it plays in supporting the lifecycle of the monarch butterfly.
This tough native plant attracts a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies, while serving as a critical host plant for monarch butterflies. Monarchs lay their eggs on the leaves, which serve as a vital food source for the caterpillars once they hatch.
Beyond its role in supporting wildlife, butterfly weed enhances garden landscapes with its striking color, drought resistance, and ability to thrive in diverse soil types.
When flowering is done, elongated seed pods add visual interest to the plant and release fluffy white seed heads into the wind.
Butterfly weed is a resilient, low-maintenance plant that is incredibly easy to grow when given full sun and quick-draining soil. It has a deep taproot that can stabilize soil and aid with erosion control.
A butterfly sips nectar from a butterfly weed flower. Image credit @Wirestock via Canva.com.
How To Grow Butterfly Weed
Butterfly weed thrives in USDA zones 3–9 and was honored as the Perennial Plant Association’s 2017 Plant of the Year.
To grow butterfly weed successfully, choose a sunny location with well-drained, moderately dry soil. Butterfly weed requires full sun conditions, with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.
Butterfly weed prefers less fertile conditions and thrives with minimal intervention. Water regularly during the establishment phase to encourage root development. Read “How to Water Your Plants” to brush up on your watering skills.
Once mature, butterfly weed is drought-tolerant and requires little care. Be patient in spring, as it emerges slowly, waiting for warmer soil temperatures to leaf out.
Butterfly Weed Colors
While the fiery orange straight species remains the most popular color for home gardeners, several vibrant cultivars have been developed in recent years:
Asclepias tuberosa, the straight species, has vibrant, fiery orange flowers.
Asclepias tuberosa ‘Gay Butterflies’ offers a mix of orange, red, and yellow blooms.
Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’ showcases bright yellow flowers.
Asclepias tuberosa ‘Western Gold Mix’ has golden-orange flowers and thrives in the alkaline soils of the Western United States.
Asclepias tuberosa ‘Prairie Gold’ has golden-yellow flowers.
The "straight species" of a plant refers to the original, wild form of the plant as it occurs in nature, without any human intervention or selective breeding. The straight species maintains the plant's natural characteristics and genetic diversity.
You can identify the straight species by looking at a plant’s botanical name. It will be two Latin words naming the genus and species. And that’s it.
If the plant’s botanical name is followed by other names in quotations, trademark symbols, or patent names, it’s no longer the straight species. It’s a cultivated variety that has been manipulated in some manner by human beings.
If native plants are important to you and you would like to go a step further in sourcing milkweed, use the Xerces Society’s Milkweed Finder to search for local plants.
Looking for a different butterfly weed color? Hello Yellow butterfly weed has bright, cheerful yellow flowers. Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’ image courtesy of Walters Gardens Inc.
Is Butterfly Weed Deer-Resistant?
Butterfly weed is rated as “seldom severely damaged” on the Rutgers University list of Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance, and makes a great choice for any landscape experiencing heavy deer pressure.
Because of its deep taproot, butterfly weed does not like to be transplanted and is generally not recommended for container plantings.
The deep taproot can aid in erosion control, making butterfly weed a great choice for mass planting on a sunny, dry slope.
Butterfly weed grows wild in an open, sunny field in Maryland.
Landscape Design Ideas for Butterfly Weed
Butterfly Garden - Plant butterfly weed along with a mix of other butterfly host plants and nectar plants, such as tall garden phlox (Phlox paniculata), Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum), black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia species), and swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). Instead of planting single plants, plant larger groups of the same type of plant in a concentrated area or pattern. This will make it easier for butterflies to locate your garden’s food sources and host plants.
Pollinator Garden - create a dedicated pollinator garden by planting butterfly weed alongside other pollinator-friendly plants like mountain mint (Pycnathemum muticum), bee balm (Monarda species), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), summersweet clethra (Itea virginica), and Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicofolia).
Border Garden - Butterfly weed is a striking addition to any mixed border and can be part of a warm color scheme (red, orange, and yellow colored flowers and foliage) or a contrasting color scheme (purple to blue flower colors).
Children’s Garden - Milkweeds are a magnet for all kinds of insects, caterpillars and butterflies. A patch of butterfly weed makes a great place for children to observe nature up close, with buzzing and flying creatures constantly in motion. They may even spot a chrysalis!
The bright, fiery orange flowers of butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). Image courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.
Planting Companions for Butterfly Weed
Meadow Sage (Salvia ‘Caradonna’)
Grand Marshall Bee Balm (Monarda ‘AChall’)
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Autumn Joy Stonecrop (Sedum ‘Herbstfreude’)
Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea or Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’)
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
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Butterfly Weed Bugs
At first glance, it can be quite a shock to discover just how many bugs are drawn to butterfly weed! The plant’s irresistible nectar and its role as a host plant make it a hub of activity.
Make sure to forego the pesticides and enjoy the array of insects visiting your milkweed plants. Welcoming the bugs, caterpillars, and occasional holes in your plant's leaves are an integral part of gardening for nature. Pesticides harm not only the pests they target but also butterflies and other beneficial garden insects.
Avoiding the use of chemicals in your garden has several other benefits as well - for your health and the health of your pets, for the environment, and for the overall well-being of your garden ecosystem. Learn more about pesticides and their risks from the Xerces Society.
Monarch caterpillars, milkweed bugs, milkweed tussock moth caterpillars, and a diverse array of insect life can be spotted in a milkweed patch.
Visit the University of Wisconsin’s extension to learn more about which insects frequent milkweed plants here.
Butterfly Weed vs Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa):
Perennial plant native to North America
Supports the entire monarch butterfly lifecycle
Serves as a host plant for monarch caterpillars, providing essential food for their growth
Offers nectar for adult butterflies, bees, and other pollinators
Non-invasive and supports biodiversity in local ecosystems
Butterfly Bush (Buddleja/Buddleia species):
Non-native shrub introduced from Asia
Attracts adult butterflies with nectar but provides no habitat for eggs or larvae
Considered invasive in many regions, spreading aggressively and outcompeting native plants
Can disrupt local ecosystems and reduce biodiversity
A Deer Resistant Shrub With Pink Flowers