One of my favorite garden plants – the butterfly weed (Asclepias) – has been in bloom for the past week. This orange version is the typical garden variety, though we also have a mauve one that seeded itself a while back and has returned again this year. As part of the milkweed family, they earn their common nickname from the love that butterflies bestow upon them, both in caterpillar form and final flighted version. The doting of these winged beauties is the crowning jewel of this plant’s performance.
Peaking when summer is typically at its height and glory, the butterfly weed is a strong dose of color when everyone is giddy with the sights and sounds of the season. The orange ‘petals’ of the flower are actually bracts (think of the red ‘petals’ of the poinsettia or the creamy white ‘petals’ of the dogwood tree). I personally don’t care what they call them when they’re this pretty. Anything that brightens this summer season is a gift.
