Asclepias incarnata

Thick-stemmed perennial with dense upright branches of mid-green leaves. Clustered umbels of lilac purple flowers in bud, opening white. Despite originating from the swamps and wetlands of North America, it is very tolerant of an average garden soil. The flowers are attractive to butterflies and the plants themselves are a host plant to the Monarch butterfly caterpillars. Stems will exude a milky sap (hence the common name) which can be a skin irritant. Our photos include a visiting green-veined white butterfly, a longhorn beetle and scorpionfly.