Tennessee is fortunate to have 14 native species of milkweed (Asclepias sp.). Most are easily grown from seed and can do well in landscape plantings. All are excellent plants for feeding our native pollinator insects. Butterflies, bees, beetles, flies, moths and a variety of wasp species obtain nectar from milkweed plants.

Milkweeds have become synonymous with the monarch butterfly. Yet, the monarch is one of many insect species that depend on milkweed to complete their life cycle. Other insects use the plants as their sole food source. You will also see them on milkweed, and they should not n...