Trending: butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) — 996 observations this week
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
Butterfly milkweed blooming in your yard right now is one of the few native flowers that can single-handedly support monarch butterflies, native bees, and fritillaries all in the same orange burst — and 996 people spotted it this week alone.
Butterfly milkweed is a bright orange wildflower native to North America that's currently blooming and turning heads. Nearly a thousand people submitted verified observations of it to a nature-tracking app called iNaturalist just this week. It's a popular plant with gardeners because it feeds monarch butterflies and is tough enough to thrive in dry, sunny spots where little else grows.
Key Findings
996 research-grade observations of butterfly milkweed were submitted to iNaturalist in a single week, placing it among the most observed plant species on the platform.
The observation spike aligns with peak June flowering for Asclepias tuberosa across much of its native range in eastern and central North America.
Research-grade status means each sighting was independently confirmed by the community, indicating high-quality, verifiable citizen-science data.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Butterfly milkweed is one of the most observed plants on iNaturalist this week, with nearly 1,000 research-grade sightings logged across the country. Peak June flowering is drawing naturalists and gardeners outdoors to document this native wildflower.
Abstract Preview
butterfly milkweed is among the most observed plant species this week with 996 research-grade observations.
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Asclepias tuberosa, commonly known as butterfly weed, is a species of milkweed native to eastern and southwestern North America. It is commonly known as butterfly weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar.