Milkweed
12
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Single stem with opposite leaves
Common – leaves are oval
Swamp – leaves are lance shaped
Flowers are 5 petals up/5 petals down
Milkweed is considered a noxious (toxic)
weed. It is a keystone species on which the
milkweed community is based. As the only
food of monarch larvae (caterpillars) it is an
essential part of the monarch life cycle.
Identified by a single stem with opposite
leaves milkweed is a common member of
meadow and open fields. There are hundreds
of species of milkweed, and each contains
“milk” or a sap that the caterpillars feed on.
As they eat the caterpillars leave behind milk
sugars that other insects such as aphids and
wasps are attracted to.