#asclepias tuberosa

[solarpunkani]

Milkweed Lovers Everywhere, Heed My Warning

By all means let me know if I'm wrong here, but if I'm not wrong then we're looking at a serious (at least to me) problem.

I've been trying to stray away from Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) and towards more native species in my area--things like swamp, sandhill, etc--and Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) fits in that category for me. It's hard to find native milkweed plants in stores--even places I've gone to in the past that had a handful of native species are currently only selling Tropical Milkweed. Even still, I know that there's been a good bit of buzz around growing native species, and some stores I've visited have said they're trying to find vendors with native species--they're not only selling Tropical for lack of trying.

So imagine my surprise--and delight--when I go to Lowe's and see Asclepias tubersoa blazoned on a plant label!

And imagine my surprise when it's being sold right next to Tropical Milkweed and looks almost identical to it.

I was immediately suspicious--especially considering the red flower buds on the 'Butterfly weed'. I've grown Tropical Milkweed for several years, and while it's been awhile since I've seen a Butterfly Weed plant outside of a photograph, these definitely didn't look like what I'd seen. Not to mention, I'd only heard of Asclepias tuberosa flowering in orange or yellow--not red. Of course, at the same time, I'm not a professional botanist, and a quick google search did declare that butterfly weed can grow in red (though the images all look like asclepias curassavica to me...).

(Image from the Native Plant Database. Looking at this picture, I should've realized where this was going sooner...)

So I did the reasonable thing and bought two of them. I figured if the red buds somehow turned orange and were actually Butterfly Weed, then I'd be perfectly satisfied. If they turned out to be Tropical Milkweed, well, I simply would give them to my neighbor who's fond of them, or find something else to do with them.

(I feel the need to emphasize; there are a lot of people online who are in the 'if you plant tropical milkweed you're a horrible person and intentionally killing monarch butterflies' camp. I am not one of them; it's not invasive in my area of Florida, it just takes a little bit of extra managing in terms of cutting it back in October/November.)

I ended up in the same Lowe's again today, shopping for my mom, and took a peek at their plant selection. Lo and behold, I found the Butterfly Weed, and...

This sure does look like Tropical Milkweed to me, and to others in my gardening server, yet it's still labeled as 'Butterfly Weed.' Also, I didn't see any Tropical Milkweed on any of the shelves--at least, nothing labeled as Tropical Milkweed. Instead, all I saw was Tropical Milkweed disguised as Butterfly Weed.

This is, in my humble pollinator garden enthusiast opinion, a problem. At best, Lowe's--or the company they source their plants from--is mislabeling their plants on accident. Which could cause problems if people are buying the plants and putting them in a place that's not quite the right condition for them, or create severe disappointment if someone's excited to grow the native Asclepias tuberosa only to end up with something else entirely. At worst? Lowe's--or the company they source their plants from--are aware that people want to grow native milkweed and are either unable to or too lazy to grow them, and would rather try to get away with selling Tropical Milkweed--which has been growing increasingly controversial in some gardening circles--and still reap the benefits and profits of selling native milkweed species.

However, I'll be real? I'm not sure what exactly to do about it. So I guess I'm just letting everyone know; if you see 'Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)' in your local Lowe's, at least double check. Otherwise, you may plant Tropical Milkweed/Scarlet Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) instead.

#milkweed #gardening #flowers #pollinator gardening #pollinator garden #Lowe's #tropical milkweed #butterfly weed #asclepias curassavica #asclepias tuberosa #outdoor gardening #flower gardening #ani rambles #out of queue #idk how legible this post is but I hope its at least SOMEWHAT legible yknow?

[horsesarecreatures]

Butterfly milkweed

#watercolor #butterfly milkweed #asclepias tuberosa

[wildflowers-of-southern-ontario]

Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Apocynaceae

Photographs taken on August 13, 2023, at Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.

#wildflowers of southern ontario #orange #Butterfly Milkweed #milkweed #Asclepias tuberosa #Asclepias #Apocynaceae #Pinery Provincial Park #Pinery #Ontario #Canada #wildflowers #wildflower #nature

[stopandlook]

Scientific Name: Asclepias tuberosa Common Name(s): Butterfly milkweed, butterflyweed Family: Apocynaceae (dogbane); prev. Asclepiadaceae (milkweed) Life Cycle: Perennial Leaf Retention: Deciduous Habit: Forb USDA L48 Native Status: Native Location: Plano, Texas Season(s): Spring

#Asclepias tuberosa #butterfly milkweed #butterflyweed #Apocynaceae #perennial #deciduous #forb #native #Plano #Texas #spring #flower #orange #Asclepiadaceae #milkweed #plantblr

[nagaino]

#asclepias tuberosa #Hokkaido University Botanical Gardens #Sapporo #柳唐綿 #北海道大学植物園 #札幌 #smc PENTAX-DA* 55mm F1.4 SDM AW

[faguscarolinensis]

Bombus on Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow' / Bumblebee on 'Hello Yellow' Butterfly Weed at the Juniper Level Botanical Gardens in Raleigh, NC

#Bombus #Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow' #Asclepias tuberosa #Hello Yellow butterfly Weed #Butterfly Weed #Milkweed #Native plants #Native flowers #Nature photography #Flowers #Juniper Level Botanical Gardens #Raleigh NC #Raleigh #North Carolina #Bumblebee

[crudlynaturephotos]

#butterfly milkweed #asclepias tuberosa #microflora #flower buds #the bronx

[alleghenyfeverdreams]

Milkweed season! June milkweed pins for your Summer Solstice look book. 2022.

Butterfly milkweed/Asclepias tuberosa (orange)

Common milkweed/Asclepias syriaca (pink)

#milkweed #embroidery #asclepias syriaca #asclepias tuberosa

[vandaliatraveler]

Frantic approach to the Asclepias tuberosa on the Mon River Trail. I’m happy to report both the bee and the eastern tailed blue (Cupido comyntas) were unharmed.

#appalachia #vandalia #west virginia #summer #flora #wildflower #butterfly #lepidoptera #cupido comyntas #eastern tailed blue #asclepias tuberosa #butterfly milkweed #butterfly weed #mon river trail

[charliebarkersmother]

#bee #wild flower #butterfly weed #Asclepias tuberosa #mine #walking violet #michigan

[mikro]

Knollige Seidenpflanze - asclepias tuberosa - butterfly weed

#asclepias tuberosa #Knollige Seidenpflanze #butterfly weed #Mikroskop #microscope

[pockafwye]

Snow on the crabapple and around the garden.

#queue again? #my garden #winter #Asclepias tuberosa #seed pods #Eryngium yuccifolium #Malus sargentii Candymint #my pics

[horsesarecreatures]

Whoa I sowed these butterfly milkweed seeds 2 days ago and they just shot up so fast. Normally I get low germination rates with these. Who knew they would like terrariums so much considering they're full sun, well-drained soil loving plants.

#butterfly weed #milkweed #asclepias tuberosa #native plants #gardening

[aisling-saoirse]

Butterfly Weed

#northeastern american native plants #butterfly weed #asclepias tuberosa #orange flora

[geezerwench]

Honeybee in the butterfly weed.

#honey bee #honeybee #butterfly weed #Pennsylvania #York County PA #feed the bees #asclepias tuberosa #perennial #native plants

[faguscarolinensis]

Phyciodes tharos on Asclepias tuberosa / Pearl Crescent on Butterfly Weed

#Phyciodes tharos #pearl crescent #asclepias tuberosa #Butterfly Weed #butterflies #Butterfly #Milkweed #Native plants #Native flowers #Native pollinators #Lepidoptera #Nature photography #Flowers #Home