Butterflyweed Plants, 10 Pint Flat

We are now accepting orders for 2025! 

Please refer to shipping map for order eligibility. States that are within the shipping range include states east of the MN/IA/MO/AR line (excluding LA, MS, AL, FL).

Natural Communities will start shipping orders the final week of May. They will ship orders on Mondays through the entire Summer. 

Make your yard into a beautiful monarch habitat! Grow milkweed: the plant that monarchs require to complete their life cycle and also supports many more insects and pollinators. 

This flat of 10 pint-size Butterflyweed plants is for planting as far west as Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas, and as far south as Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia. Consult the shipping map on this page to confirm your state falls within the shipping zone. 

This flat will cover about 10-20 square feet of garden space. Consider purchasing other milkweeds or nectar plants to provide long-lasting pollen and nectar for monarchs and other pollinators. 

Butterflyweed, also known as Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a beautiful orange milkweed. It prefers full sun. Butterflyweed is a less aggressive spreader than common milkweed, and will form an attractive mound. Monarch butterflies need milkweed to lay eggs and raise caterpillars on - it’s the only plant species monarch caterpillars will eat. 

• Sun Exposure: Prairie/Savanna  
• Soil Conditions: Mesic-Dry
• Height: 2'-3'
• Flower Color: Orange
• Flowering Time: June-August
• Wetland Status: UPL

The best native milkweed for landscaping and arguably the single best native plant for landscaping, Butterflyweed is quite a plant. Its compact growth habit and beautiful and rarer intensely orange colored flower are what make it the most popular plant plus the ability to host the monarch caterpillar. You really can't go wrong aesthetically with this plant, but it can be a bit finicky to grow in moister and heavy clay soils. Choose your spot well and you will have a lifetime of orange bliss!! 

Check out the MJV Guide on Creating Gardens for Monarchs and Pollinators HERE for guidance. Also check out our new course Gardening for Monarchs and More: From Balconies to Backyards to learn about our recommended best practices for native garden planning, plant selection, planting, and maintenance.  

Plant orders are fulfilled by Natural Communities. Orders will start shipping at the end of May, and will ship on Mondays. 

Questions about plant orders? Please email store@monarchjointventure.org. 

We recommend adding educational signage to your planting area to help your community learn why they should plant for pollinators! 

You can purchase our beautiful habitat signage here:

MJV Habitat Signs

Photos by Jenna Totz, Laura Lukens, and Wendy Caldwell. Description by Natural Communities.