List of New York Milkweeds
New York Milkweed Species to Include in your Butterfly Garden
There are ten species of New York milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) and one species, red milkweed (Asclepias rubra) that used to be present in New York and is considered “historic” to the state. Milkweeds are an important host species for Monarch, Queen, and Soldier Butterflies. The Monarch butterfly in particular uses the cardenolides found in the milky sap of milkweeds to give an unpleasant taste to predators. These plants are also an important nectar source to all insects visiting your pollinator garden.
1. Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis), a Milkweed for Sandy Soil
Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis): Clasping milkweed is native in the eastern counties of New York with one disjunct location in the west (Kartesz 2015). In the wild, clasping milkweed grows in dry woodlands, prairies, meadows, and roadsides that have sandy or gravelly soil. Growing up to 3 feet tall, this milkweed has greenish-pink, red, brown, to purple flowers than bloom from March to September.
In your New York butterfly garden, this milkweed is hardy in zones 3-9 and requires full sun to part-shade and moist to dry sand soils. Seeds of clasping milkweed can be purchased in the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop.
2. Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata), a Milkweed for Shade and Moist Soils
2. Poke Milkweed (Ascelpias exaltata): Poke milkweed is native throughout New York except for the far northern counties (Kartesz 2015). In the wild, poke milkweed grows in moist woods, roadsides, and the edges of woods. Growing from 2 to 6 feet tall, it is one of the taller milkweeds in New York and has flowers that are white to green with accents of rose, purple, or blue. Blooming occurs from May to August.
In your New York butterfly garden, this milkweed is hardy in zones 3-9 and requires part-shade to full shade with moist soil. Seeds of poke milkweed can be purchased in the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop.
3. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), a Milkweed for Moist Soils
3. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata): Swamp milkweed has two subspecies, ssp. incarnata and ssp. pulchra. The former is found thoughout New York (hardy in zones 3-9), while the latter is scattered in the state except for the western counties (hardy in zones 4-9) (Kartesz 2015). Like the name suggests this plant is found in wet places such as the shores of streams, lakes, ponds, and other wetlands. However, as a landscape plant it can exist in drier places. The flowers are variable and are generally a pink to red color, but there is also a white cultivar (pictured below).
In your New York butterfly garden, this milkweed requires full sun to part shade and preferably moist soils, but can handle dry. Seeds for swamp milkweed can be purchased in the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop.
4. Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens), a Milkweed for Moist Soils
4. Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens): Purple milkweed is rare in the eastern counties of New York (Kartesz 2015). In the wild, purple milkweed can grow in a variety of places including swamps, woodlands, meadows, and roadsides, where there is full sun or part shade. Growing up to 6 feet tall, it is one of the taller milkweeds in New York, and has flowers, as the name suggests are generally purple, but it can range from rose to pink, or may start out pink and mature to purple. Blooming occurs from May to July.
In your New York butterfly garden, this milkweed is hardy in zones 3-8 and generally requires part-shade, but can handle full sun if needed. Soils should be moist and well-drained, but dry soil can be tolerated. Seeds of purple milkweed can be purchased in the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop.
5. Four-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia), a Milkweed for Dry Rocky Soils
5. Four-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia): Four-leaf milkweed is native in the eastern and western counties of New York (Kartesz 2015). In the wild, four-leaf milkweed grows in open areas such as roadsides, pastures, and prairies that have some disturbance. Growing from 1 to 3 feet tall, the flowers range from white to pink in color and bloom from April to July.
In your New York butterfly garden, this milkweed prefers places where it can enjoy full sun or part-shade and dry rocky soils and is hardy in zones 5-8.
6. Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), a Milkweed for all Soils
6. Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca): Common milkweed is native throughout New York (Kartesz 2015). In the wild, common milkweed grows in open areas such as fields, pastures, and roadsides, where it can receive full sun. It is considered to be a noxious weed just to the north in the Province of Ontario in Canada. Growing up to 6 feet tall, it is a tall milkweed having flowers ranging from pink, greenish-purple, greenish-white, to white and bloom from June to August.
In your New York butterfly garden, this milkweed is hardy in zones 3-9 and requires full-sun to part-shade and any type of soil. As the name implies this is one of the most common and important milkweed species for the Monarch butterfly. Seeds of common milkweed can be purchased in the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop.
7. Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), a Milkweed for all Soils
7. Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa): Butterfly weed is one of the most common for butterfly gardeners on the east coast of the United States. This plant has three recognized subspecies, two of which, subsp. interior and subsp. tuberosa, are found in New York. Both are generally throughout the state except for the far northern counties (Kartesz 2015). In the wild, butterfly weed grows in open areas with full sun such as fields, roadsides, and open woods. Growing from 1 to 3 feet tall, it has characteristically orange flowers and that bloom throughout the summer and sometimes into the autumn.
In your New York butterfly garden, butterfly weed is hardy from zones 3-9 and requires full sun in any type of soil condition. This one of two milkweeds in North America that does not have a milky sap. Seeds of butterfly weed can be purchased in the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop.
8. Red-Ring Milkweed (Asclepias variegata), a Milkweed for Dry Sandy Soils
8. Red-Ring Milkweed (Asclepias variegata): Red-ring milkweed is considered rare in New York and is native generally around New York City and Long Island and in Erie County in the west (Kartesz 2015). In the wild, red-ring milkweed grows in open disturbed areas such as thickets and roadsides. Growing from 1 to 4 feet tall, it has white colored flowers with a ring of purple to red at the base that bloom from May to July.
In your New York butterfly garden, this milkweed is hardy in zones 3-9 and prefers part-sun to light shade and dry sandy or rocky soils. Seeds of red-ring milkweed can be purchased in the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop.
9. Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), a Milkweed for Medium to Dry Soil
9. Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata): Whorled milkweed is considered rare in New York and has a distribution similar to the red-ring milkweed (Asclepias variegata) above (Kartesz 2015). In the wild, whorled milkweed grows in open areas such as meadows and fields, where it can take advantage of full sun. Growing up to 3 feet tall, this milkweed has green to white flowers that bloom from May to September.
In your New York butterfly garden, this milkweed is hardy in zones 3-9 and requires full sun to part-shade with medium to dry soil. Seeds of whorled milkweed can be purchased at the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop.
10. Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora), a Milkweed for Medium to Dry Soils
10. Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora): Green comet milkweed is considered to be rare in New York and is native generally in the New York City and Long Island areas (Kartesz 2015). In the wild, green comet milkweed grows in open areas such as meadows and fields where there is full sun. Growing up to 3 feet tall, it has flowers, which bloom from June to August, that begin as a green color but age to become yellow with a purple tinge.
In your New York butterfly garden, this milkweed is hardy in zones 3-9 and requires full sun to part-shade with medium to dry sandy soil. Seeds of green comet milkweed can be purchased at the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop.
Historic New York Milkweed – Red Milkweed (Asclepias rubra), a Milkweed for Moist to Wet Soils
Red Milkweed (Asclepias rubra): Red milkweed is considered to be historic to Long Island and one county in the east central part of New York (Kartesz 2015). In the wild, red milkweed grows in wet open areas such as bogs, meadows, and pine barrens. Growing from 1 to 3 feet tall, the flowers range from pink, purple, red to lavender and bloom from May to August.
In your New York butterfly garden, this milkweed prefers places where it can enjoy full sun or part-shade and wet organic soils. It is hardy in zones 6-9. While this milkweed used to natively occur in New York, it could once again live there in your garden.
When selecting your New York milkweed, be sure to make sure that it grows in your zone and habitat.
References for New York Milkweeds
- Karstesz, J.T. The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. Taxonomic Data Center. Link to website. Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)]