Swamp Milkweed

Asclepias incarnata

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  • Common name
    Swamp Milkweed
  • Latin name
    Asclepias incarnata
  • Plant type
    perennial
  • Flower color
    Pink to rosy-mauve
  • Bloom time
    Mid summer to early fall
  • Height
    36–60"
  • Chelsea chop
    Yes
  • Light requirements
    Full sun to part shade
  • Moisture
    Average to wet (prefers consistently moist soil; tolerates occasional flooding)
  • Native to Ontario
    Yes
  • Locally native
    Yes
  • Deer resistant
    Yes
  • Ecological benefit
    One of the most important plants for monarch conservation. Critical host for: Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), Queen butterfly (less common in the north). Also supports milkweed tussock moth and other specialist insects. It heavily supports honeybees, bumblebees, swallowtail butterflies, and hummingbirds.
  • Notes
    Excellent for rain gardens, pond edges, or moist borders. Its extensive, deep root system holds unstable soils firmly together along wet pond edges and banks, working to mitigate shoreline erosion and trap agricultural runoff. The inner bark contains tough, durable fibers that songbirds use for weaving nests. Once dead stems go dormant in winter, their hollow structures provide nesting tubes for stem-nesting native solitary bees.
  • Picture
    Swamp Milkweed