Create Your Garden

Save Monarch Butterflies with these Milkweed Plants

Plant native milkweed to help save monarch butterflies! As the sole host plant for monarch caterpillars, milkweed provides essential food and nectar.

Milkweed, Common Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, Showy Milkweed, Asclepias

What if a single plant could help save an entire species of butterfly? Well, it exists—it’s called milkweed!

Milkweed plants are more than just a wildflower—they are a lifeline for monarch butterflies, an essential part of native ecosystems, and a stunning addition to any garden.

But should you plant it? While it offers many ecological and aesthetic benefits, there are also a few things to consider before adding it to your landscape.


🦋 Why Are Monarch Butterflies Disappearing?

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are famous for their epic migration, traveling thousands of miles from North America to Mexico each year. However, their populations have dropped by over 90% in the last few decades. In fact, in 2022, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)  officially declared the migratory monarch butterfly “Endangered”.

🌍 What’s Causing the Decline?

Several factors have contributed to the monarch crisis, including:

  • 🚜 Habitat Loss – Urbanization, deforestation, and large-scale farming have destroyed millions of acres  of monarch habitat.
  • 🌾 Decline of Milkweed – Herbicide use, such as glyphosate (Roundup), has wiped out vast amounts of milkweed plants in agricultural areas.
  • 🔥 Climate Change – Rising temperatures and extreme weather events disrupt monarch migration patterns.
  • 🦠 Pesticides & Parasites – Insecticides kill butterflies and caterpillars, while the OE parasite (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha) weakens monarchs.

Because monarchs rely entirely on milkweed as a host plant, the loss of milkweed means fewer places for them to lay eggs and feed their young. Without milkweed plants, monarch butterflies could face extinction.

Monarch Butterflies, Monarch Plants, Pollinator Plants, Butterfly Plants, Hummingbird Plants, Bee Plants, Northwest Plants, Montana Native Plants, Native Plants


🌱 What is Milkweed? Where Does It Grow?

Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) is a perennial wildflower native to North and South America. It belongs to the Apocynaceae family, which includes other well-known plants like oleander, hoya, plumeria, and the desert rose.

Unlike its fancy floral relatives, milkweed is a tough survivor. It grows along roadsides, in prairies, meadows, and even in urban gardens. With over 100 species, each adapted to different climates, you can find milkweed plants in dry deserts, wetlands, and temperate woodlands.

Popular ornamental milkweed species include:


🦋 Why Is Milkweed So Important for Monarch Butterflies?

Without milkweed, there would be no monarch butterflies! Monarch caterpillars rely exclusively on milkweed plants as their only food source. Female monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed leaves, and once hatched, the tiny caterpillars munch away, growing into their iconic black, white, and yellow-striped bodies.

But here’s where it gets even cooler—milkweed isn’t just food; it’s a survival tool! Monarch caterpillars absorb toxic compounds called cardiac glycosides from the plant, making them poisonous to predators like birds. It’s their built-in chemical defense!

Milkweed supports monarchs at every stage:

  • 🌱 Eggs: Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed leaves.
  • 🐛 Caterpillars: Larvae feed on the leaves, growing rapidly.
  • 🦋 Adults: Monarchs sip nectar from milkweed flowers, fueling their long migration journey.These milkweed species are excellent choices for gardens due to their manageable growth habits, stunning flowers, and ability to attract monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

Guide Information

Hardiness 3 - 10
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Apocynaceae
Genus Asclepias
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Maintenance Low
Tolerance Deer, Rabbit
Attracts Butterflies, Bees, Hummingbirds
Landscaping Ideas Beds And Borders
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow

Top 8 Ornamental Milkweeds for Gardens

❌ Milkweed Challenges: What to Watch Out For

🚫 Some Species Spread Aggressively

Certain milkweed species, like Common Milkweed (A. syriaca), spread via underground rhizomes and can take over garden beds.

🚫 Toxic to Pets and Livestock

Milkweed contains cardiac glycosides, which can be harmful if ingested in large amounts by dogs, cats, or grazing livestock. Learn more about toxic plants for dogs.

🚫 Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) May Harm Monarchs

Unlike native species, Tropical Milkweed does not die back in winter, encouraging monarchs to stop migrating. This increases their exposure to the OE parasite, which weakens them.


🌼 Should You Plant Milkweed?

If you want to help monarch butterflies, support pollinators, and create a low-maintenance native garden, then the answer is a resounding YES!

Just remember to choose the right species for your garden size, climate, and maintenance level. For small gardens, opt for non-spreading varieties like Butterfly Milkweed.

Milkweed: Is it Right for Your Garden? Pros and Cons Explained

Learn how to grow and care for milkweed.

So, will you help the monarchs by planting milkweed in your garden?

Got questions about milkweed? We have the answers!

Garden Examples

A Pretty Duo to Try: Asclepias and Geranium
A Pretty Duo to Try: Asclepias and Salvia
A Sparkling Summer Border Idea with Easy-to-Grow Perennials
Compare All Asclepias (Milkweed)
Compare Now
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Asclepias (Milkweed)
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.

Guide Information

Hardiness 3 - 10
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Apocynaceae
Genus Asclepias
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Maintenance Low
Tolerance Deer, Rabbit
Attracts Butterflies, Bees, Hummingbirds
Landscaping Ideas Beds And Borders
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow
Compare All Asclepias (Milkweed)
Compare Now
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Asclepias (Milkweed)

Related Items

Please Login to Proceed

You Have Reached The Free Limit, Please Subscribe to Proceed

Subscribe to Gardenia

To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of Gardenia
  • Add as many plants as you wish
  • Create and save up to 25 garden collections
Become a Member

Plant Added Successfully

You have Reached Your Limit

To add more plants, you must be a paid member of our site Become a Member

Update Your Credit
Card Information

Cancel

Create a New Collection

Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    You have been subscribed successfully

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Find your Hardiness Zone

    Find your Heat Zone

    Find your Climate Zone