This Buttflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is one of the many wildflowers that grow in the Shenendehowa Campus Field Study Area.  This member of the milkweed family is well named because its flowers produce a large quantity of nectar which attracts butterflies (as well as bees and hummingbirds) throughout the growing season. Flowers bloom usually from June to September, followed in the fall by seed pods from 4 to 5 inches long containing the seeds.  The crescent-shaped pods mature between July and September and split open to release silky-tailed seeds that float away on the wind.  This plant, unlike the other milkweeds, contains little or no milky juice. As a result, it is not the milkweed monarch butterflies prefer for egg-laying. Its tough, hairy leaves are unpalatable to caterpillars, and its clear sap is low in the toxin monarchs need to protect themselves from predators.

Many parts of Butterfly Weed are edible!  The seed pods are edible if harvested and cooked before the seed floss forms. The flowers, new buds, and leaves are also edible when cooked.  The cooked flowers are said to taste like sweet peas, and the leaves can be cooked like spinach. 

Asclepias tuberosa has a long history of use as an alternative medicine and is one of the most important of the indigenous American species.