The Perennial Plant Association has named Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), as its 2017 Perennial Plant of the Year. The plant is also known is Butterflyweed, Butterfly Flower, and Orange Milkweed.
(If you'd like to see the article, here's the link.
http://www.perennialplant.org/index.php/component/k2/item/190-2017-perennial-plant-of-the-year )
The plant happens to be my personal favorite. I grow about 30 of them in my native garden, my pond garden, and my smaller birdhouse gardens. They are one of the brightest orange plants I have ever seen, and stand out even more on cloudy days. They attract butterflies, bees, and even the occasional hummingbird. Monarch Butterflies lay their eggs on this plant and the caterpillars eat it to survive. It's fun watching the caterpillar grow over the course of a couple weeks before it wanders off and forms a chrysalis. The plants need full sun and prefer dry soil.
Here's some photos I took of my own plants:
Here are a few photos I took of Orange Milkweed in the wild, and the first photo was taken at a nature center.
I highly recommend it. If you're interested, you can either buy plants next Spring (often sold at garden centers), or buy seeds online and scatter them where you want them to grow right away!
(If you'd like to see the article, here's the link.
http://www.perennialplant.org/index.php/component/k2/item/190-2017-perennial-plant-of-the-year )
The plant happens to be my personal favorite. I grow about 30 of them in my native garden, my pond garden, and my smaller birdhouse gardens. They are one of the brightest orange plants I have ever seen, and stand out even more on cloudy days. They attract butterflies, bees, and even the occasional hummingbird. Monarch Butterflies lay their eggs on this plant and the caterpillars eat it to survive. It's fun watching the caterpillar grow over the course of a couple weeks before it wanders off and forms a chrysalis. The plants need full sun and prefer dry soil.
Here's some photos I took of my own plants:
Here are a few photos I took of Orange Milkweed in the wild, and the first photo was taken at a nature center.
I highly recommend it. If you're interested, you can either buy plants next Spring (often sold at garden centers), or buy seeds online and scatter them where you want them to grow right away!
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In the fifth photo from the bottom, you can see a good example of what is called "notching". The caterpillars frequently chew "notches" above what they are going to feed on (see the dangling part of the bud stem?). This cuts the flow of sap to make what they ingest somewhat less toxic and evidently more palatable.