Common Milkweed – FranLaff.com

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Common Name

Common Milkweed

Scientific Name

Asclepias syriaca

More Clues to ID

A familiar weed of lawns, fields, roadsides, and gardens, this plant and its close relatives are the only species eaten by beautiful monarch butterflies.

While its white latex sap and the older foliage are mildly poisonous, young leaves, shoots, flowerbuds, and immature pods are all edible raw or cooked as vegetables.

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Learn about this species:

Wikipedia | Plant of the Week | Bring Back the Monarchs | IL Wildflowers | Growing Milkweed

How would YOU describe this species?

Image Credits

Idéalités, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Zsoldos Márton, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Michael Wolf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nucatum amygdalarum, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pssst…

Did you know that this and other species are waiting their turns to be added to Fran’s FREE online courses, like the PLANTS course, or the BIRDS course?

This humble plant is easily overlooked, both in its quiet early blooming and later leaf unfurling

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Similar in many ways to the American Goldfinch, this little bird has a heavily streaked breast and can often be found in sizeable groups.

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This large-leaved biennial wildflower has thistle-like flowers and an edible and medicinal taproot

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One of the few species to walk face-first down tree trunks, this little bird also has a distinct black stripe through its eye.

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These nearly ubiquitous, often evergreen vines are almost entirely edible outside of their berries. Try their tender tendrils. 😉

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This is one of the few birds that many residents of the USA know by name… but it is THAT NAME that makes many people in the UK a bit confused. No matter where you live, each version has the classic “red breast”.

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Birders in the eastern half of America welcome this bird as one of their most colorful and recognizable, with its classic blue plumage, contrasted with a little red and white

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