What kind of milkweed should you plant to help monarchs?


Every year at the end of the summer the eastern migratory butterfly starts a journey from Canada and the United States to central Mexico to hibernate during the winter. As spring arrives, the same butterflies migrate back to the US looking for milkweed—the only plant on which monarchs lay their eggs and the only source of food for baby caterpillars. But urban planning and agricultural expansion have paved and plowed over millions of acres of milkweed. You can help these amazing butterflies and other pollinators by planting the right species of milkweed at home.

1. Know your milkweed Click on the regions below to learn more about which milkweed species to plant.

Different species of milkweed thrive in different parts of the country. Alaska, Hawai'i, and Puerto Rico are not included on this map because monarchs do not migrate to these regions.

WEST CA AZ SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTHEAST NORTHEAST/MIDWEST

Northeast Region Milkweed Species

Common and Scientific NamesGround Features
Common Milkweed
(Asclepias syriaca)		 Well-drained soil
Swamp Milkweed
(Asclepias incarnate)		 Damp, marshy areas
Butterfly Milkweed
(Asclepias tuberosa)		 Well-drained soil
Whorld Milkweed
(Asclepias verticillata)		 Prairies and open areas
Poke Milkweed
(Asclepias exaltata)		 Woodland areas
Close button

South-Central Region Milkweed Species

Common and Scientific Names Ground Features
Green Antelopehorn Milkweed
(Asclepias viridis)		 Dry and prairie areas
Antelopehorns Milkweed
(Asclepias asperula)		 Desert and sandy areas
Zizotes Milkweed
(Asclepias oenotheroides)		 Sandy/rocky prairies and fields
Close button

Southeast Region Milkweed Species

Common Name and Scientific NamesGround Features
Butterfly Weed
(Asclepias tuberosa)		 Well-drained soils
Whorled Milkweed
(Asclepias verticillata)		 Prairies and open areas
White Milkweed
(Asclepias variegate)		 Thickets and woodlands
Aquatic Milkweed
(Asclepias perennis)		 Hydrated soils
Sandhill/Pinewoods Milkweed
(Asclepias humistrata)		 Dry sandy areas and soils, Florida
Close button

Western Region Milkweed Species

Common Name and Scientific NamesGround Features
Mexican Whorled Milkweed
(Asclepias fascicularis)		 Dry climates and plains, except CO, UT, NM, and AZ
Showy Milkweed
(Asclepias speciose)		 Savannahs and prairies
Close button

Arizona Milkweed Species

Common Name and Scientific NamesGround Features
Butterfly Milkweed
(Asclepias tuberosa)		 Well-drained soils
Antelopehorns Milkweed
(Asclepias asperula)		 Desert and sandy areas
Rush Milkweed
(Asclepias subulata)		 Desert areas
Arizona Milkweed
(Asclepias angustifolia)		 Riparian areas and canyons
Close button

California Milkweed Species

Common Name and Scientific Names Ground Features
Mexican Whorled Milkweed
(Asclepias fascicularis)		 Dry climate and plains
Showy Milkweed
(Asclepias speciosa)		 Savannahs and prairies
Desert Milkweed
(Asclepias erosa)		 Desert regions
California Milkweed
(Asclepias californica)		 Grassy areas
Heartleaf Milkweed
(Asclepias cordifolia)		 Rocky slopes
Woolly Milkweed
(Asclepias vestita)		 Dry deserts and plains
Woolly Pod Milkweed
(Asclepias eriocarpa)		 Clay soils and dry areas
Close button

2. Find your milkweed

Woman choosing flowers © JMichl/WWF-US

Find a nursery or other plant retailer in your area with the right kinds of milkweed, or buy milkweed directly from Monarch Watch. To help as many monarchs as possible, plant a variety of milkweed as well as other plants that provide adult monarchs with nectar. For example, choose plants that bloom at different times of the year to help monarchs as they fly south at the end of summer and north in the spring as they return to their breeding grounds in the US and Canada.

3. Plant your milkweed

Shovel and dirt© Marcie Cheatham/WWF-US

The plants should come with instructions. If not, check out these tips to make the most of your monarch waystation. For example, make sure your milkweed is planted in as much sunlight as possible and shield it from wind.

Learn more about monarchs and what you can do to help.

Take Action

Join us to make change. Speak up for species and places through WWF's Action Center.

Adopt Monarch Butterflies

Make a symbolic butterly adoption to help save some of the world's most endangered animals from extinction and support WWF's conservation efforts.