Butterfly Milkweed

While the woodland wildflowers of Spring tend to attract more attention, the summer prairie wildflowers are much showier. Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is one of my favorites. Its striking orange flowers stand out among the numerous yellow blooms of the tallgrass prairie. It blooms for weeks and, as its name suggests, attracts butterflies. While the nectar feeds the adult butterflies, the plant itself is a good food source for Monarch caterpillars.