How to Identify Milkweed Plants Quickly and Confidently (2024)

Thank you so much for posting this. It’s been so hard to find a good source with clear picture of all the different types of milkweed.

I'm so glad it was helpful!!

What is the best milkweed to plant for monarchs
In Cincinnati, Ohio. I have a cocoon on the side of my house. The ironic thing is there is no milkweed around my house.

where can i get these ?

Aaaahhhhhh - finally some excellent photographs to describe the milkweeds! Thank You.

Thank you for reading! :)

So, I planted milkweed from seed ( roadside pods) that do secrete the milky substance when injured. Will this variety attract and feed Monarch larva ?

Yes, they will attract monarchs.

Is it “ok” for me to grow milkweed from Minnesota seeds, where I live in California (Sunnyvale)? When I was north of Minneapolis just this past August, my friend gave me a bunch of her milkweed seeds. The pods were large and the leaves roundish. I’ve never seen milkweed like those around here. I have slender-leafed, yellow-orange/red flowers; I don’t know species—I bought the plant locally; it may be non-native; it grows back when I cut it back.

Hi Jo,
I apologize for my late reply. It sounds like your are describing Common Milkweed (asclepias syriaca) which has roundish leaves and large pods. I can't be certain without seeing a picture though. The yellow orange/red milkweed that you have at your home is most likely Tropical Milkweed (asclepias curassavica)
Before planting, I would check to see if this type of milkweed is native to your area. A great place to check is https://www.wildflower.org/plants/
Thank you!

Love sharpness of the photos- Thanks

Thank you for reading!

Hi, I find your content very interesting and I'm wondering, is there something like the economic benefit of Milkweed Plant? Like what is it really used for?

I found a monarch butterfly in my backyard. It has an injured wing. I tried to create a habitat for it. Can it eat sugar water on a cotton ball? If not what do I feed it? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

it eats pollen from flowers and sugar water will help there are videos on fixing wings thank you

Same,injured bent wing, how to feed? How can I help this beautiful creature? Live in Indio,California.bought the red and yellow milkweed.Is that ok? It can’t fly

Great job, but how about expanding on this to include all the native milkweed species?

Great idea! I will work on that :)

Agreed! I was hoping both to find the Mexican Whorled, and other species appropriate to Utah (Salt Lake City - desert valley floor—very alkaline, clay-rich soil—ancient lake-bottom). I am also looking for ways of recognising the young plants, so I don’t weed them with the dandelions. Trying to move the neglected lawn gently towards healthy native meadow, a few dandelions and foxtails at a time.

I found what looks like milkweed in a field. The leaves secrete milk but the stems are reddish; the ones in my garden have green stems so I'm wondering if this is actually milkweed or a pretender? The field plants have early white flowers, whereas my 2-year old garden plants have never flowered. Thank you.

I have the same situation. The flowers are not what I would call in an umbel shape and they are very small (about 1/8 inch across).

Dogbane maybe. Do a search on Google and compare the images to what you have. Dogbane is poisonous so I ripped mine out.

Probably Dog Bane, don’t know without visual, Google is your friend.

Great post... I haven't done the rip the leaf test yet but just looking at the photos here, pretty sure that's what I have.
SO. NOT the one monarchs use? Not at all? Should I just treat it as any other weed then and get rid of them? (in a bad spot but I will leave them if they help butterflies." It's not yet flowering, hopefully someone can answer before it does. I may not want more of them.
Thanks.

So, the milkweeds with the milky sap ARE the ones that the Monarchs eat. The only milkweed plant that doesn't exude the latex is Butterfly Milkweed and the Monarchs will still feed on this type. Although Monarchs have preferences of some varieties over others, Monarchs will feed on most species of milkweed. The ones they especially seem to like are the four mentioned on this page along with Tropical Milkweed and Red Milkweed. Be careful when doing the leaf tear test because the latex can be an irritant to skin and especially eyes. Thanks for your question!

Which of milkweed types does the Monarch like?

Hi Roni,
Monarchs like ALL species of milkweed. However, I would choose species of milkweed that are native to your area. In order to find out with species are native to your area check out: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/

There are a couple of bad milkweed plants that you'll want to get rid of. The Pale Swallow-wort and the Black Swallow-wort Milkweed. Just Google some pictures of them. They'll kill Monarchs.

last year i had a few butterfly plants that produces the seeds for wind distribution. they came back this year but so did so other milkweed plans that grew to almost 6ft tall. just before they could flower the home owners assoc. contacted me and demanded i cut down the weeds since i'm 83 ,on limited income i could not have them come and cut down the plants so i had to do it. idonot know if they would have attracted monarchs but i wanted the chance the parent plants are just 2 1/2 feet tall. is there a smaller plant i can get to do the job.

Suggest you, and any friends you can recruit, run for office in your homeowners association. Take it over and you can grow milkweed in peace.

Is there a simple way to tell a. speciosa from a. syriaca? In the wild they look very similar but in the picture here syriaca seems to have a reddish hint to its leaf veins.

For me, the flowers are distinctively different. A. speciosa has longer hoods on top that point outwards, giving it a starry look. The hoods on A. syriaca are shorter and stick straight up.

This is my second year and, so far, I'm flunking Milkweed 101. Last year I planted six asclepias incarnata which came along nicely both years but no, I mean NO, butterfly action. I now wonder if they really are swamp milkweed or some imposter. Four to six thick, heavy,dark greenish-brown stalks arise from a single stump. The leaves are healthy and look exactly like the incarnata in on-line photos. It's mid-August and I have only tiny, green buds, no flowers. Late bloomers or fakes? No eggs or caterpillars to be found, not a single chewed leaf, and no frassy poo. I have a patch of other incarnata (I think) where each plant arises from a single, independent, flimsy stem. These attract monarchs and I've had some caterpillars - none survived. In an effort to protect them from flying, stinging, poisonous, infectious insects, I erected a small lattice shelter then covered it with fine net. (Somehow I'd managed to trap a monarch, then my cat got inside and laid on the fragile plants.) Yesterday when I discovered two tiny caterpillars on the plants outside the net tent, I carefully removed the plants (complete with attached caterpillars) then transplanted to the safety of the tent. I guess after all this, my questions are: Shall I pull out the stumps of those incarnata-like plants that are not attracting monarchs? And what has happened to those that died? And am I beating myself up with the tent idea? I will happily submit photos of all of the above. Heading out now for a cat-count probably ending in renewed discouragement. Thank you for any advice. April Fairweather, Central PA

April, first I'm no expert but just curious, did you obtain or buy seeds? Only a guess here but it seems finding locally growing weed might be a better idea. And if your in a big city it might mean a road trip, stuff grows anywhere weeds can grow and not be mowed down.
I'm in rural Michigan and now that I know what it looks like, there is no shortage at all. (mine is the common type, Asclepias syriaca which I let grow in my yard. But it's all over the place. Typically along side any country road, in the ditch that doesn't get mowed but not quite into the farm fields.) The stuff in my yard, almost every leaf has eggs on it. I had more trouble clipping off leaves to feed my captive caterpillars that did not have eggs on it. So perhaps local populations look for the plant that is common locally??? Just a guess.
I think next summer I let nature do it's thing. At least in my area the monarchs don't appear to need any help.

Thank you for posting, thank you for the helpful comments and thank you planting! I have a hard time weeding out the “weedy-weeds” from the desired plants and this helps me.

I have the orange flowering milkweed which I started by digging up from a road side ditch that was about to be mowed down. It has been blooming in my garden for years but it blooms and makes pods with seeds attached to silky fluff that I try every fall to let loose along my long lane. Nothing shows...should I save the seeds and plant it in the spring? The monarchs do not appear here (upper SC) until the milkweed seed has blown away. They usually appear in late September and October. I do try to grow butterfly bushes (four) to feed them but I would like to have more flowers blooming for them as they travel. Years ago when my daughters were young, we lay down in our yard and were amazed to watch a trail of hundreds of monarchs passing over our farm. We have not seen that many since and their numbers are decreasing each year. We get lots of fritillary and swallowtail and other smaller butterflies but treasure the sight of monarchs.Thank you for your website which has helped me.

I have many of the orange flowering Milkweed plants. I grew them from seed and this year I have well over 50 seed pods. Last Year I had a few and a couple have sprouted after I planted the seeds. Last year I had two cats on them and they were devouring the plants.

One odd thing I just discovered. There are some small furry caterpillars in my milkweed. They have the color of a monarch butterfly. Now, the interesting part is, I just saw a monarch caterpillar on my semi-dried dill plant. Is this a normal behavior ?

Hi Rikiev,
It sounds like you may be seeing MIlkweed Tussock Moths on your milkweed (do a google search to confirm). The Monarch caterpillars do not actually look like the butterfly. They are yellow, black and white striped. Now, the Eastern Swallowtail caterpillars look very similar to Monarch caterpillars but they feed on plants in the Dill, Parsley, Carrot family. So it sounds like you have Swallowtail and Tussock Moths! Don't worry, the Monarchs will come to your milkweed as well. Thanks for your questions!

I found a monarch caterpillar in my backyard, and I was missing so I took it in. I have never raised a monarch, but I have raised caterpillars before. The problem is I don't know if my weed ridden yard has any milkweed in it. I looked in the area, but I couldn't find any plants that matches the description or the picture, although I did just mow the lawn. How do I find milkweed in the absence of seed pods AND flowers when just mowed. And what do I do if there is no milkweed. What would a monarch caterpillar be out here without milkweed, anyway. I don't know if milkweed even grows here in the Midwest.

If you found a monarch caterpillar, you must have milkweed close. Doubt you mowed it since it grows so tall. Almost as tall as a corn stalk. Look at those last two photos here, that's what I have. Raised a half dozen or so indoors just clipping leaves and feeding them. But that's the ONLY thing they eat. Gotta be some around. Once I knew what I was looking for and started looking around, the stuff is growing along side most country roads here, In the ditch between where they mow the side of the road and farms and such. Plenty of it. I'm in MI by the way if that helps.

Hi Jenny, I'm in way north end of Oakland County MI, heavily wooded and open meadows. This spring I repurposed my kitchen garden to a 'b& b' flower patch with whatever tasty nursery plants I could get around here, and tada! we have monarchs already! Am planning now how to do purposeful improvements for next year. Any thoughts? Thinking of simply expanding one end, say 12'× 6' for a dozen - fifteen or so locally sourced common Michigan milkweed, whatever I can scout or beg from local properties before frost. We use no chemicals but after 30 years here suburbia is encroaching, less frogs and swallows is our bellwether. Thanks.

Thanks so much for this. It is just what I've been looking for.

Thank you for reading, I'm glad it was helpful. :)

When I learned that the Mexican Milkweed, which grows very tall, carries a parasite injurious to the chrysalis I quickly pulled up all of mine. Hope all Monarch lovers are aware of this.

Wow, thanks for the heads-up! I looked that up, and found that the parasite is only a problem in places where the mexican milkweed doesn't die back to the ground in the winter. It's Question #4 on this page: https://monarchjointventure.org/news-events/news/qa-about-research-related-to-tropical-milkweed-and-monarch-parasites

I am having extreme sinus problems and the feathery white flowers are everywhere in my yard and pool in January. Do you know is these little flowers or the milkweed plant they come from cause allergies to some people.

Hi Elaine,
I have only heard of the milkweed sap causing allergic reactions if you touch it to your skin/eyes but not the seed hairs (the fluffy white stuff that comes out of the seed heads). Thanks for your question!

I read in our local newspaper about the recent decline of the monarch, I do see them occasionally here in our garden in Concord, CA; I will talk to our local nursery to see if they can recommend something that I can put in our garden (we have plenty of garden space here) that will help them...Thank you..

Hi Tom,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for your help.
A couple of things to ask your local nursery:
If they do carry milkweed, do they spray their plants with any insecticides? Insecticides will kill the soft-bodied Monarch caterpillars.
Also, do they carry a native variety of milkweed? It is best to use native species of milkweed because the non-native ones such as Tropical Milkweed have been known to get more diseases.
Thank you!

I am in Australia just recently I have found about 30 catapiller on my milkweed plant. In which they demolished it in no time flat. What else can I feed them. They are monarch

Hi Faye,
Thanks for your question. I'm happy to hear that the monarch caterpillars are feeding on your milkweed. The best thing to do is to plant MORE milkweed because this is the only host plant they feed on. They have evolved with the milkweed plant for several reasons. To learn more about this relationship please read more here: https://www.saveourmonarchs.org/why-milkweed.html

Does any type of milkweed have stickers on the leaves

I used to find milkweed along the railroad tracks in suburban Chicago. Now I live in South FL. Where can I find milkweed plants for my yard?

Clarification:
Butterfly Weed, NOT Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
FYI. . .MRM

When should I be looking for monarch eggs under the leaves in East Tennessee?

Very nice! Thank you for photo's and explanations. Great info!

How do I submit a pic of my “milkweed”?

I'm writing from NZ but while living in Missouri I drew what I think is a milkweed? It was 3' tall/fluffy thistledown type seeds bursting from the gorgeous 'cradle' split. BUT had thin ribbonlike leaves drooping and curling around the strong upright stalk. SO different from the photo 'A speciosa' in the saveourmonarchs.org site. My drawing is detailed and framed in pride of place as a memory of my years in USA flora drawings. It needs a name? Thanks. Carol

Can you post a link to a photo of your drawing? I don't see it if you already did.
This page will give you a list of the Milkweeds that grow wild in Missouri, if you enter "Asclepias" at the top and check the box for Missouri. Some of them probably have narrow leaves:
https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/checklist.html

I just noticed a bunch of small orangish pod looking things on the stem of my milkweed. They are about the size of a freckle. Any idea what they might be? Probably about 25-50 of them.

Could they be orange aphids, as in the first photo on the following webpage?
https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/annualperennial/milkweed/

Monarch eggs are yellow and never all laid in the same spot. Find those on the undersides of leaves, single eggs scattered here and there.
Recently I had a whole batch of orangish eggs on the stem right on top where new leaves form. Posted that on some bug forum with a photo and sure enough, as someone already mentioned, aphid eggs. That plant got an immediate trim and the infested bit was tossed into my back yard firepit. (burning of course.)

Well, since no-one else has answered you yet, I'll chime in. It looks a lot like Aclepias syriaca to me, but there are 10 other species native to Michigan, and I don't know what they look like. To see the list, go to this page, type in "asclepias" at the top, click the checkbox next to Michigan, then click Display Results:
https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/checklist.html

I ordered a bunch of seeds for the Monarch Butterfly and am in the process of growing the seeds. I have leaves now, but they don't have the veins that I see in the milkweed seeds I see online. My leaves are young yet, so with they get veiny?
Help, I have trying to grow them for 3 months now.
Noreen

Well, since no-one else has answered you yet, I'll chime in. It looks a lot like Aclepias syriaca to me, but there are 10 other species native to Michigan, and I don't know what they llook like. If you go to this page, type in "asclepias" and click next to michigan, you'll see the list:
https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/checklist.html

i have collected dried exploding pods but don’t know what variety. is there a way to distinguish between varieties when all the leaves have fallen?

Great post thank you

For several years I planted lots of milkweed and raised monarchs. I stopped counting how man. Lots of monarchs in my yard, But one summer I noticed that the flower heads were nodding. On the stem of the plant were scars where this weevil would place his seeds. Then the flower dropped. The weevil, by cutting around the flower head had released it white liquid that would pour down the stem and feed the larva. I watched for the weevil, but no luck. It’s a fast mover and when you reach
Out for the stem it quickly drops down to the soil where it lives. Sadly about 3 years ago I pulled up all the plants. I have one small patch that I left unplanted for 3 years thinking it would look else where but it was still there. I planed 2 small plants in that spot and they became victims of the Monarch Weevil. It’s small, black and looking thru a lens you can see it has cross hatches on its back. The body is very hard. This year I’m going to dig out the soil to see if I can get rid of them that way. Thank you for reading this dissertation. I didn’t plan to make it this long. But I hoped I might be able to help someone with the same problem. 🐝 Bee

I live in coastal Maine(pretty much a bog by the sea) so i've had the best luck growing Swamp Milkweed from seeds as they grow 5 feet tall(2nd yr) & produce flowers for weeks.my 8 X 8 patch is a constant flurry of Monarchs,bees,Friterlary butterflys; they ignore the 2 orange Butterfly bushes & Joe Pye weeds up by the house.yes, ~size~ does matter ha ha!

I have grown a milkweed that grew orange flowers and it secrets milky white sap....What is that one called? And Can I use it for herbal remedies?

Marvelous help. Garden in Pa. Common milkweed mainly. Was crossing the state's with a grandchild to Arkansas in Tennessee at a rest/welcome center. I'm like looks like but looks nothing like. 😆 I drive my family bonkers with let me get my lens. But it is seeding at this point so i had no clue to color or flower type. I should have guess I was right due to the bee and butterflys at work sign. Deetadee. Thank you for your wonderful work

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Have you considered providing a seedling identifier that includes photos of roots? I'm growing seedlings from plants in my yard (incarnata ice ballet and pink, tuberosa, and tropical) and have lost confidence that my labeling is correct. I'm not sure, but it seems tuberosa stems don't become fuzzy until the plant is several inches tall.

Is there a milkweed species with tiny aster-shaped, or maybe dandelion-shaped flowers? I didn't think there was, but there are many coming up where I planted several varieties of milkweed.

Very interesting and insightful review

The bees on my common milkweed in Michigan are not letting the monarchs anywhere near it. Anyone see this happening?

The information in the article identifying Milkweed is wonderful I had no idea. My yard has huge variety of many perennials that draw bees, all kinds of birds butterflies etc but have noticed the monarches have thinned. Where do I get milkweed in sw Ohio

Nice article! Thanks for sharing this informative post. Keep posting!

To help readers identify milkweeds for seed pod collection purpose, wouldn’t it be great if you could provide more info, or even better, photos of the respective seed pods? By the time the seed pods are here, there is no flower or even leaves for us to refer to for identification .

I have also a hard time identifying milkweed plants. Thanks for this post, it will be easier now.

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I live in western Colorado. Can you tell me what a young, just sprouting, milkweed plant looks like?? I don’t want to disturb the seeds I planted last yr. I can identify a full grown plant. Thanks.

So I am in Illinois. Planted 1 milkweed last year late. Never bloomed. 5 came up this year and still haven't bloomed. How do I know which 1, when it blooms, and if monarchs will be attracted to it. I wish I can have hundreds along my back fence and back yard. Learned alot from my kiddo who loves monarchs.

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To identify Milkweed quickly and confidently, use the "patterns method" outlined in Botany In a Day by Thomas Elpel. Look for milky sap, opposite leaves, distinct flower and fruit structures. Verify species-specific traits for precise identification. Utilize available resources for further assistance.

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