Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is aptly named - its high nectar production and bright color attract many types of butterflies. In this video there are 3 Native Butterfly species, can you name them? The most numerous of them all in this video are the Zebra Swallowtails which the butterfly lays its eggs on Pawpaw, and its caterpillar stage of life feeds on the leaves PawPaw. Being a species of milkweed, it is a host plant for the Monarch and Queen butterflies in addition to specific moth species. While it can grow well in moderate moisture conditions, it’s best adapted to drier soils where plants are shorter and it can compete well for sunlight. In pollinator gardens it’s best used as a foreground plant on the edge of the planting. Southern and Western Oriented full sun exposed slopes are excellent places to establish Butterflyweed.
Native/Indigenous Companion Plants for Butterflylweed: Downy Wood Mint, Sand Coreopsis, Calico beardtongue, Foxglove Beardtongue, Rudbeckia hirta, Rudbeckia fulgida, Tennessee Coneflower, Pale Purple Coneflower, Purple Coneflower, Eastern Prickly Pear, Early Goldenrod, Nodding Onion, White Prairie Clover, Purple Prairie Clover, Slender Mountain Mint, Long-headed Coneflower, Hoary Vervain, Mistflower, Rough Blazing Star, Aromatic Aster, Smooth Blue Aster, Dwarf Goldenrod, Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed
Germination Tips for Plugs: Cold-Moist Stratify the seed for 30 to 40 days and then sow 1/10th of an inch below the surface.
Video by: Bean Native Nursery at 1210 Hedgerow Rd, Felicity, OH 45120
Commentary by: Indigenous Landscapes
