Milkweed Butterfly

Butterfly Weed is a showy, compact perennial native to Ontario with clusters of bright orange flowers that appear in summer. Its shorter height and tidy growth habit make it a great choice for regular garden beds and borders. The blooms attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and provide an important nectar source throughout the flowering period.

Like other milkweeds, Butterfly Weed can serve as a larval host for Monarch butterflies, though it is not as commonly used for egg-laying as some other Milkweed species. Even so, it remains a valuable plant for supporting adult Monarchs and other pollinators.

Butterfly Weed grows best in full sun with dry to average, well-drained soil. It prefers sandy, gravelly, or otherwise lean soils and is highly drought-tolerant once established. Its deep taproot makes mature plants difficult to transplant, so choose its location carefully. It does not spread aggressively by rhizomes, though it may self-seed if the pods are left on the plant.