Butterfly weed is a must for any sunny native garden. It’s a host plant for monarch butterflies: one of the 100+ native milkweed species monarchs depend on to survive. The color is neon orange, Cheeto-level bright, a rare find among native flowers and a hummingbird favorite. Seeds planted in spring can flower that same summer, which makes it one of the most beginner-friendly native plants around. At just 1 to 1.5 feet tall, it’s also one of the most compact milkweeds, sitting comfortably in a border without taking over. Scroll on.
Butterfly Weed
Part of our Beginner’s Guide to Native Milkweeds
This plant is one of the species featured in our Beginner’s Guide to Native Milkweeds.
Head to the complete guide for planting basics, species comparisons, and beginner-friendly tips.
Is butterfly weed right for my yard?
Plant it if…
- You have full sun or close to it (6+ hours is ideal).
- Your soil drains well, or even tends dry. A hot, rocky slope is a dream scenario.
- You want to attract monarchs, native bees, and hummingbirds.
- You’re working with a tricky dry spot or a stretch of ground other plants won’t cooperate in.
- You want something deer genuinely won’t eat.
- You’re gardening with kids. Seeds planted in spring can bloom that same summer. Instant gratification.
Skip it if…
- Your yard stays wet or your soil holds water after rain. Poor drainage is butterfly weed’s one real weakness, and it will rot in heavy clay that doesn’t drain.
- You want something that looks great quickly. The deep taproot takes a full season to settle in, and year one can look underwhelming. Year two is a different story.
- You’re outside its native range and looking for a milkweed for monarchs. Check the range map (below) before planting.
Where is butterfly weed native?
Native to 41 US states, Washington, D.C., and 2 Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec)
Source: USDA PLANTS Database
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Monarch females seek milkweed leaves as spots to lay their eggs, and when the caterpillars hatch, the plant is their entire world.
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Why butterfly weed matters
Monarch caterpillars only eat one thing: milkweed.
That’s not an exaggeration. Monarch caterpillars cannot survive on any other plant. When a plant is the specific food source and nursery for an insect, it’s called a host plant, and butterfly weed is one of the most important host plants in North America. Monarch females seek milkweed leaves as spots to lay their eggs, and when the caterpillars hatch, the plant is their entire world.
Butterfly weed is one of the 100+ native milkweed species in the Asclepias genus, all native to North or South America. It’s not the only milkweed monarchs use, but it’s one of the most widely available and one of the easiest to grow in a home garden. Its bright orange flowers also draw hummingbirds and a wide range of native bees and butterfly species, making it one of the highest-value plants you can add to a sunny garden.
What is a host plant?
A host plant is an insect’s nursery plant. It’s where butterflies and moths lay eggs and what the caterpillars eat as they grow.
Now you may be wondering: why do monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed?
Milkweed gives monarchs superpowers
Almost all milkweeds are known for their milky-white sap, which is toxic to all creatures except the monarch. Monarch caterpillars have evolved to eat milkweed and safely hold the toxicity within their bodies. When a predator eats a monarch caterpillar or butterfly they get sick (and sometimes die.)
Birds and other wildlife have evolved to see a monarch and understand this is not something to eat. (It helps that monarch caterpillars and butterflies have evolved to look so distinct.) Monarch caterpillars go ahead and chomp away, knowing milkweed protects them.
Strangely, almost all milkweed has milky white sap except butterfly weed. The sap within butterfly weed still holds some of that toxicity, but the color is not white.
Looking to learn more? Head over to our overview on the powers of host plants, or check out our list of native host plants for butterflies.
Butterfly Weed is deer-resistant
Deer do NOT normally eat Butterfly Weed. If you’re worried about deer nibbling your garden, planting Butterfly Weed is a good native gardening choice.
How to grow butterfly weed
Where to plant
Full sun, well-drained soil. Butterfly weed thrives in spots other plants won’t touch: dry, rocky, slightly lean ground on a slope. Poor drainage is the one condition it genuinely cannot handle. Pick the sunniest, driest spot you’ve got.
When to plant
Spring is best, either by seed or transplant. If you’re direct-seeding with seeds you collected in the wild, butterfly weed seeds need cold stratification: plant them in fall and let winter do the work, or put seeds in a damp paper towel in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for 30 days before spring planting. The cold period helps break dormancy.
If you’re planting seeds you purchased, most of the time they have been cold-stratified, and you’re good to plant directly in your yard in the spring.
Spacing
12 to 18 inches apart. About one forearm length between plants. Plant five or more together when you can. Monarchs find milkweed visually, and a cluster is easier to locate than a single plant.
No pesticides or herbicides
Avoid using pesticides or herbicides near milkweed plants, as they can harm the monarch butterflies and caterpillars that rely on the plant.
1-1.5 ft wide
Beginner Tip
Butterfly weed is one of the last perennials to come up each spring, and it looks exactly like empty soil until it doesn’t. Don't worry about your gardening abilities when you can't spot it until the temps rise. Butterfly weed likes to sleep in.
How to grow butterfly weed from seed
One amazing thing about butterfly weed is that seeds planted in the spring can sometimes flower later that summer. This is somewhat rare for native perennial flowers planted from seed (most take the first summer to put down roots and flower the second year).
Secret gardening success tip: Find seeds from as close to you as possible
A big tip for picking seeds is to try to buy or obtain seeds from places within 500 miles of where you live—the closer, the better. This ensures that the seeds you’re buying suit your area (butterfly weed seeds from Maine are not the best seeds for a garden in California). Here are some online seed sellers (alongside their locations) that sell butterfly weed seeds:
- Johnny’s Seeds (Maine)
- Vermont Wildflower Farm (Vermont)
- Eden Brothers (North Carolina)
- Roundstone Native Seed (Kentucky)
- Ohio Prairie Nursery (Ohio)
- Prairie Nursery has two kinds: one for clay soil and one for non-clay soil (Wisconsin)
- Native American Seeds (Texas)
True story: 4-year-olds can plant butterfly weed from seed
As a testament to how easy native plants are to grow, I gave my four-year-old nephew a packet of butterfly weed seeds in April (I live in the Philadelphia area.) I showed him how to poke his finger into the dirt alongside our driveway and drop a seed in. Then I stood back and let him go to town. I figured it was a worthy $3 experiment.
Two months later: butterfly weed was blooming alongside the driveway. It’s still blooming three years later.
If a four-year-old can easily plant butterfly weed from seed, you can too.
Where butterfly weed shines in your yard
- Pollinator garden: One of the most productive pollinator plants you can grow in full sun. Monarchs, native bees, hummingbirds, and dozens of butterfly species all work these flowers.
- Front yard border: At 1 to 1.5 feet tall, butterfly weed sits comfortably at the front of a border without blocking anything behind it.
- Dry slopes and hellstrips: Thrives in spots that stump other plants. Poor drainage is its weakness, but dry and difficult is exactly its wheelhouse.
- Children’s gardens: Direct-sow seeds in spring and get blooms that same summer. One of the best instant-feedback plants for gardening with kids.
- Mass plantings: Plant five or more together. The more plants in one area, the easier they are for monarch moms to find.
FAQs
Is butterfly weed deer resistant?
Yep. The toxic compounds in the plant make it unappealing to deer, and it’s one of the reliably deer-resistant choices in a native garden. ‘Deer resistant’ is never an absolute guarantee, but butterfly weed is about as close as native plants get.
Is butterfly weed the same as milkweed?
Yes. Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is one of the 100+ species of native milkweed.
When most people say ‘milkweed’ they often mean common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), which has pink-purple flowers and the classic milky white sap. Butterfly weed has clear sap and orange flowers. Same genus, different species. Both support monarchs.
Want to meet 15+ more milkweeds? Of course, right? Head to our Beginner’s Guide to Native Milkweeds to meet others.
Does butterfly weed spread?
It spreads slowly and politely by clump, without sending out underground runners. You might find the occasional seedling nearby after a few years. If it bothers you, pull it out.
Have you heard someone complaining about milkweed taking over a garden? They are probably talking about common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), which is indeed a spreader. Stick to this plant—butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) if you’re worried about spreading.
Can I grow butterfly weed in a container?
Possible, but not ideal. Butterfly weed has a long, deep taproot that wants room to grow straight down, and containers restrict that. In a large container (12+ inches deep) it can survive, but it will be more stressed and less vigorous than an in-ground plant. Swamp milkweed adapts to containers more willingly if you want a milkweed in a pot.
Why are caterpillars eating my butterfly weed?
This is the best possible news! YOU DID IT! Striped caterpillars on your butterfly weed are monarch caterpillars, which means a monarch butterfly found your plant, decided it was safe, and laid eggs there. The plant is doing its job. Do not spray.
The plant will recover, and the caterpillars will become monarch butterflies. Please take as many pictures and videos of the caterpillars as you can, post them on social, and tag @theplantnative so we can celebrate with you.
When does butterfly weed bloom?
Typically June through August, with some variation by region. In warmer climates it may start earlier and run longer. It’s one of the longer-blooming summer perennials in the native garden.
Why is it called butterfly weed—what makes it a weed?
Butterfly weed is this plant’s common name, or a name given by previous generations. Most common names come from the early European colonists who named what they found in North America.
As Uli Lorimer, head of the Native Plant Trust, said on The Native Plant Podcast, this dismissive common name comes from a “colonist mindset” regarding non-crop plants. If a plant wasn’t edible and got in the way of farming, it was called a ‘weed.’
Sadly, many beautiful native plants deserve better copywriters. Explore Beautiful Native Plants with Terrible Names—to meet other notable blehs, including goatsbeard and tickseed. Thankfully, common names change! Let’s rename ‘milkweed’ to ‘Monarch Milkflower.’
What are good pairings for butterfly weed?
There are lots of other native plants that are great to pair with butterfly weed—including other milkweed species! Here are some great native flowers to plant alongside butterfly weed:
Pairs well with
That concludes our love letter to butterfly weed. This native flower is part of the milkweed family (Asclepias). Milkweeds like butterfly weed are crucial for helping Monarch populations survive because they are host plants for monarchs. Butterfly weed is easy to plant from seed, and seeds planted in the spring will oftentimes return flowers later in the summer. Their Cheeto-level of orange brightness is a favorite of hummingbirds, too. Plant 5+ and get your zoom lens ready for the wildlife pictures.
Looking to meet other native milkweeds? Head to our Beginner’s Guide to Native Milkweed and meet a few more. Or, build a butterfly oasis and read our Best Native Plants for Butterflies. Happy planting!
Sources
- Harstad, Carolyn. Go Native! Gardening with Native Plants and Wildflowers in the Lower Midwest. Indiana University Press, 1999. pp. 209–210.
- Haribal, Meena, and J.A.A. Renwick. “Differential Postalightment Oviposition Behavior of Monarch Butterflies on Asclepias Species.” Journal of Insect Behavior 11, no. 4 (1998): 507–517. link.springer.com. Accessed April 4, 2026.
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. “Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed).” wildflower.org. Accessed April 4, 2026.
- Monarch Watch. “Milkweed: Habitat Restoration.” monarchwatch.org. Accessed April 4, 2026.
- Nelson, Gil. Best Native Plants for Southern Gardens: A Handbook for Gardeners, Homeowners, and Professionals. University Press of Florida, 2010.
- North Carolina State Extension. “Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed).” plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Accessed April 4, 2026.
- Pleasants, John M., and Karen S. Oberhauser. “Milkweed Loss in Agricultural Fields Because of Herbicide Use: Effect on the Monarch Butterfly Population.” Insect Conservation and Diversity 6, no. 2 (2013): 135–144. resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com. Accessed April 4, 2026.
- Pyle, Robert Michael. Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects. Xerces Society, 2016. p. 110.
- USDA PLANTS Database. “Asclepias tuberosa L. Butterfly Milkweed.” plants.usda.gov. Accessed April 4, 2026.
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