




Asclepias speciosa
Showy milkweed is a beautiful flower with bright pink blooms. It attracts butterflies and bees, making gardens lively and colorful. This plant is also important for caterpillars, especially monarchs, who love to munch on its leaves!
Habitat: Grasslands
The showy milkweed has stout stems and large, fuzzy blue-green leaves. Its most distinctive feature is dense, globe-like clusters of star-shaped, rose-pink to purplish flowers that stand out vividly in open spaces.





Category
PlantsRarity
Common
Danger
1/5 · Very low
Snaps
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If you break a leaf, a white, milky liquid oozes out, which is why it's called 'milkweed'!
Its seeds float on silky parachutes, traveling far on the wind to find new homes!
The scientific name, Asclepias, comes from the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius!
The special shape of its flowers can sometimes trap insect legs briefly, ensuring they take pollen!
Showy milkweed has milky, sticky sap that oozes out when damaged, protecting it from hungry herbivores.
This plant has unique flower structures that gently grasp insect legs, ensuring efficient pollen transfer.
Showy milkweed can spread widely using underground stems, helping it survive and colonize new areas.

Danaus plexippus
Caterpillars feed exclusively on its leaves
Bombus impatiens
Visits flowers to collect nectar and pollen
Apis mellifera
Important nectar source for honey production
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Tetraopes tetrophthalmus
Feeds on milkweed leaves and stems
Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.
No aliases listed yet.
Danger
1/5 · Very low
Always look but don't touch the plants unless a grown-up says it's okay.
30-150 cm
30-60 cm
1-2 cm
Summer
No
Moderate
Perennial
Insect
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Washington, US
You might spot Surf Scoter, Eastern Cottontail, and Wild Rose.
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Utah, US
You might spot Showy Milkweed and Black-Spotted Lady Beetles.
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British Columbia, CA
You might spot Black Cottonwood, Oregon Grape, and Showy Milkweed.
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South Dakota, US
You might spot Least Chipmunk and Rocky Mountains Ponderosa Pine.
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Wyoming, US
You might spot Prairie Dog, Bur Oak, and Rocky Mountains Ponderosa Pine.
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Montana, US
You might spot Bighorn Sheep and Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany.
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