A good choice for butterfly gardens due to its non-invasive nature. Though not as commonly offered for sale as other milkweeds, purple milkweed is worth searching out for its deep purple, showy flowers.

Importance as a caterpillar food source: Like all milkweeds, purple milkweed is a food source for the Monarch caterpillar. Plant for plant, purple milkweed does not produce as much foliage as other milkweeds, such as swamp milkweed, and therefore does not provide as great a food source for caterpillars.

Importance as a butterfly nectar source:
In addition to monarchs, purple milkweed provides nectar for a wide variety of butterflies including Swallowtails, Red Admirals, Hairstreaks, and Fritillaries.

The current rating for purple milkweed is:

If you have experience growing purple milkweed, we would like your opinion. Let us know how it performed in your butterfly garden. Your comments will help other butterfly gardeners in your region to create better butterfly gardens: