Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

A magnet for butterflies and other pollinating insects, this perennial plant has bright orange flowers that appear in mid-to-late summer, and the flowering season extends for many months. This US native is also known as pleurisy root and it has been used in herbal medicine to treat respiratory conditions dating back to Native American culture. It comes up late in the spring, after most other plants have emerged. It’s good to mark the spot where it has gone dormant in the fall so as not to disturb the crown the following spring.