Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Other Names

Red Milkweed
Silkweed

Habitat

Wildlife Value

Ladybug Beetle (Host)
Milkweed Beetle (Host)
Monarch Butterfly (Host)
Pollinating Insects

Native?

Related Sites

Minnesota DNR: Swamp Milkweed

Swamp Milkweed | Stillwater, MN| View Enlarged Image

Swamp Milkweed is related to the Common Milkweed most people are more familiar with; it just doesn't produce nearly as much milky white sap, and its pods are more slender and less conpicuous. It blooms clusters of bright red or purple flowers in mid-summer, and usually produces pods in July or August. The flowers are specially designed so that insects' legs slip into them and pull out loaded with pollen.

Swamp Milkweed is a great addition to any butterfly garden. Not only is it extremely hardy (it grows even in thick, swampy clay), patches of Swamp Milkweed also attract Monarch butterflies, which favor milkweed above all other plants.

Interesting facts about Swamp Milkweed:

The stems of Swamp Milkweed are covered in long, soft, thin white hairs. When the plant dies, the stems get brittle and shed the hairs. Broken stems look almost like they are bound in tattered kite string.

Multimedia:


Swamp Milkweed \| Stillwater, MN	Monarch Catterpillar on Swamp Milkweed \| Stillwater, MN	Swamp Milkweed \| Stillwater, MN

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