Common Milkweed is one of the primary host plants for Monarch caterpillars, playing a critical role in their survival.
Young shoots, buds, and flowers are edible if properly cooked to remove toxins. Indigenous people and early settlers used them as a vegetable, but they must never be eaten raw.
The silky floss inside the pods was used during World War II as a life jacket filler, replacing kapok due to shortages.
Common Milkweed spreads by rhizomes, forming large colonies, which is great for prairies but can be overwhelming in small gardens.
Common Milkweed is one of the primary host plants for Monarch caterpillars, playing a critical role in their survival.
Young shoots, buds, and flowers are edible if properly cooked to remove toxins. Indigenous people and early settlers used them as a vegetable, but they must never be eaten raw.
The silky floss inside the pods was used during World War II as a life jacket filler, replacing kapok due to shortages.
Common Milkweed spreads by rhizomes, forming large colonies, which is great for prairies but can be overwhelming in small gardens.
Bloom time: early to mid-summer
Habitats: abandoned fields; areas along railroads and roadsides; fence rows; fields and pastures; moist to dry black soil prairies; sand dunes along lakes shores; sand prairies; woodland borders
Lifespan: perennial
Moisture: mesic
Plant type (height): forb (2 to 6 feet)
Requirements: full sun
Soil: rich loamy soil
