Showy milkweed

Showy Milkweed is a perennial, with 3′ tall stems and large gray five” leaves.

Flowers splay like a Forth of July firework.

Plant in mixed borders, grassland gardens, or habitat gardens to attract Monarch butterflies, birds, and insects.

Spreads easily by underground stems. Use with large grasses such as wild rye, deer grass, and needlegrasses.

Sun: Full Sun

Water: Dry, Light

Soil: Clay, Loam, Sand

Other: Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Bees, Attracts Birds, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant.

Container	D-16
Ecological Value	Asclepias speciosa is a specific Monarch butterfly food and habitat plant. Also attracts hummingbirds.
Historical Uses	Native Americans used fiber in the stems for rope, basketry, and nets.
Distribution	It is native to the western half of North America.
Elevation	Between 0 and 6000 feet
Communities
Habitat	Found in habitats ranging from sunny and dry to moist in savannahs, prairies, road-sides, old fields, and meadows.

Asclepias speciosa