Native Milkweeds

Jay Parsons - 402-657-6929 - parsonsgardens.com - @parsonsgardens - Olathe, KS

Native Milkweeds


Butterfly Milkweed - Asclepias tuberosa

- Height: 2 feet - Width: 1-2 feet

- Growth: Upright Wildflower - Taproot

- Flowers: June & July - Color: Orange

- Native: Kansas & Missouri

- Sun: Full to Partial Sun

- Soil: Dry to Medium

- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host Plant for Monarch Butterfly


Common Milkweed - Asclepias syrica

- Height: 3-4 feet - Width: 1-2 feet

- Growth: Upright Wildflower - Rhizomatic Roots

- Flowers: June & July - Color: Light Pink






Poke Milkweed - Asclepias exaltata



- Flowers: June & July - Color: Pinkish White

- Native: Iowa & Minnesota

- Sun: Partial Sun to Shade

- Soil: Medium



Prairie Milkweed - Asclepias sullivantii



- Flowers: June & July - Color: Lavender & White



- Soil: Medium to Wet



Purple Milkweed - Asclepias purpurascens



- Flowers: June & July - Color: Pinkish Purple






Showy Milkweed - Asclepias speciosa



- Flowers: June & July - Color: Pink

- Native: Western Kansas





Spider Milkweed - Asclepias viridis



- Flowers: May & June - Color: Creamy White & Purple






Swamp Milkweed - Asclepias incarnata


- Growth: Upright Wildflower - Fibrous Roots

- Flowers: July & August - Color: Pink






Narrow-leaved Milkweed - Asclepias stenophylla

- Height: 1-2 feet - Width: 1 foot

- Growth: Upright Wildflower - Tuberous Roots

- Flowers: July & August - Color: Greenish White






Short Green Milkweed - Asclepias viridiflora



- Flowers: July & August - Color: Green






Whorled Milkweed - Asclepias verticillata



- Flowers: July & August - Color: White






Native Asters


Aromatic Aster - Symphyotrichum oblongifolium



- Flowers: October & November - Color: Light Blue / Lavender




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Seed


Heath Aster - Symphyotrichum ericoides



- Flowers: September & October



- Soil: Dry to Medium - Color: White

- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar, Seed for Birds, & Larval Host for Pearl Crescent Butterfly


New England Aster - Aster novae-angliae



- Flowers: July, August, & September - Color: Lavender




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host for Pearl Crescent Butterfly


Sky Blue Aster - Aster azureus



- Flowers: August, September, & October - Color: Light Blue




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source for Pollinators & Seed for Birds


Smooth Blue Aster - Symphyotrichum laeve



- Flowers: August & September



- Soil: Dry to Medium to Wet - Color: Blue

- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar, Seed for Birds, & Larval Host for Ottoe Skipper


Native Bee Balms


Bradbury’s Monarda - Monarda bradburiana


- Growth: Flowering Groundcover - Fibrous Roots

- Flowers: May & June - Color: Pink & Purple

- Native to Kansas & Missouri

- Sun: Full to Partial Sun to Shade

- Soil: Dry to Medium Soils

- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source


Wild Bergamot - Monarda fistulosa



- Flowers: June & July - Color: Pink






Native Blazing Stars


Marsh Blazing Star - Liatris spicata


- Growth: Upright Wildflower - Corm

- Flowers: July, August, & September

- Native: Iowa & Missouri


- Soil: Medium to Wet - Color: Purple

- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar & Seed for Birds


Meadow Blazing Star - Liatris ligulistylis



- Flowers: August & September - Color: Lavender Purple

- Native: Missouri & Nebraska





Northern Blazing Star - Liatris scariosa var. nieuwlandii

- Height: 2 feet - Width: 1 foot


- Flowers: August & September - Color: Lavender Purple

- Native: Missouri





Prairie Blazing Star - Liatris pycnostachya



- Flowers: July & August - Color: Pinkish Purple






Rough Blazing Star - Liatris aspera



- Flowers: August & September - Color: Purplish Pink






Native Coneflowers


Orange Coneflower - Rudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa



- Flowers: July & August - Color: Golden Yellow






Ozark Coneflower - Echinacea paradoxa



- Flowers: June & July

- Native: Ozark Region of Missouri & Arkansas


- Soil: Dry to Medium - Color: Yellow



Pale Purple Coneflower - Echinacea pallida









Purple Coneflower - Echinacea purpurea



- Flowers: June, July, & August



- Soil: Dry to Medium to Wet - Color: Lavender Purple

- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar, Seed for Birds, & Larval Host for Ottoe Skipper


Sweet Black-Eyed Susan - Rudbeckia subtomentosa



- Flowers: July & August - Color: Yellow






Native Goldenrods


Showy Goldenrod - Solidago speciosa



- Flowers: September & October - Color: Yellow






Stiff Goldenrod - Oligoneuron rigidum



- Flowers: September & October - Color: Yellow






Native Lobelias


Blue Lobelia - Lobelia siphilitica






- Soil: Medium to Wet - Color: Blue



Cardinal Flower - Lobelia cardinalis

- Height: 4 feet - Width: 1-1½ feet





- Soil: Medium to Wet - Color: Scarlet Red



Native Wildflowers


Blue Sage - Salvia azurea



- Flowers: August & September - Color: Light Blue




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source for Pollinators


Common Ironweed - Vernonia fasciculata



- Flowers: July & August - Color: Purple




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host for American Painted Lady Butterfly


Culver’s Root - Veronicastrum virginicum



- Flowers: June, July, & August - Color: White






Dwarf Blue False Indigo - Baptisia australis var. minor



- Flowers: May & June - Color: Blue




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host for Clouded & Orange Sulfur Butterflies


Early Sunflower - Heliopsis helianthoides



- Flowers: June, July, & August - Color: Golden Yellow



- Soil: Dry to Medium to Wet



Foxglove Beardtongue - Penstemon digitalis



- Flowers: June & July - Color: White






Hoary Vervain - Verbena stricta






- Soil: Dry to Medium - Color: Lavender Purple

- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host for Common Buckeye Butterfly


Joe Pye Weed - Eutrochium maculatum



- Flowers: July, August, & September - Color: Pink






Lead Plant - Amorpha canescens


- Growth: Woody Shrub - Tap Root

- Flowers: June, July, & August - Color: Purple






Monkey Flower - Mimulus ringens



- Flowers: June, July, & August - Color: Lavender Purple




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source for Pollinators & Hummingbirds


Slender Mountain Mint - Pycnanthemum tenuifolium









Ohio Spiderwort - Tradescantia ohiensis



- Flowers: June & July - Color: Lavender Blue






Prairie Coreopsis - Coreopsis palmata



- Flowers: June, July, & August - Color: Yellow






Prairie Pussytoes - Antennaria neglecta

- Height: 1 foot - Width: ½-1 foot

- Growth: Ground Cover - Rhizomatic Roots

- Flowers: April & May - Color: White




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host for American Painted Lady Butterfly


Purple Poppy Mallow - Callirhoe involucrata

- Height: ½ - 1 feet - Width: 3 feet

- Growth: Trailing Wildflower / Ground Cover - Taproot

- Flowers: June, July, & August - Color: Pinkish Purple




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host for Gray Hairstreak Butterfly


Purple Prairie Clover - Dalea purpurea







- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host for Southern Dogface Butterfly


Rattlesnake Master - Eryngium yuccifolium







- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host Plant for Black Swallowtail Butterfly


Rose Verbena - Glandularia canadensis

- Height: 1 foot - Width: 2-3 feet

- Growth: Trailing Wildflower / Ground Cover - Fibrous Roots

- Flowers: April, May, June, July, & August - Color: Pink






Royal Catchfly - Silene regia



- Flowers: July & August - Color: Red




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source for Pollinators - Hummingbirds


Southern Blue Flag Iris - Iris virginica var. shrevei



- Flowers: May & June - Color: Bluish Purple






Threadleaf Bluestar - Amsonia hubrichtii



- Flowers: May & June

- Native: Arkansas


- Soil: Medium - Color: Light Blue * Golden Yellow Fall Color



Wild Petunia - Ruellia humilis

- Height: 1 foot - Width: 1-2 feet


- Flowers: June, July, & August - Color: Light Purple




- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host for Common Buckeye Butterfly


Natives for Shade


Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis



- Flowers: April & May - Color: Red/Orange & Yellow


- Sun: Full Sun to Shade


- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source for Pollinators & Hummingbirds


Foamflower - Tiarella cordifolia

- Height: 1 foot - Width: 1 foot

- Growth: Ground Cover - Fibrous Roots

- Flowers: April & May - Color: White

- Native: East of the Mississippi River


- Soil: Medium



Golden Alexander - Zizia aurea



- Flowers: April & May - Color: Yellow


- Sun: Full Sun to Shade


- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Larval Host Plant for Black Swallowtail Butterfly


Smallspike False Nettle - Boehmeria cylindrica



- Flowers: June, July, & August - Color: Green


- Sun: Partial Sun


- Wildlife Benefit: Larval Host for Red Admiral, Eastern Comma, & Question Mark Butterflies


Sweet Joe Pye Weed - Eutrochium purpureum



- Flowers: July & August - Color: Pale Pink/Purple






Virginia Bluebells - Mertensia virginica



- Flowers: April & May - Color: Pink, Lavender, Blue





* Spring Ephemeral - Goes dormant in Summer


Wild Blue Phlox - Phlox divaricata

- Height: 1 foot - Width: 1 foot


- Flowers: April & May - Color: Blue






Wild Geranium - Geranium maculatum



- Flowers: April & May - Color: Pink






Wild Ginger - Asarum canadense

- Height: 6-8 inches - Width: 1-2 feet


- Flowers: April & May - Color: Green


- Sun: Shade

- Soil: Medium

- Wildlife Benefit: Larval Host for Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly


Native Grasses


Big Bluestem - Andropogon gerardii


- Growth: Clumping Grass - Fibrous Roots

- Flowers: July & August



- Soil: Dry to Medium to Wet - Color: Green to Reddish Bronze

- Wildlife Benefit: Seed for Birds & Larval Host for Skippers


Indian Grass - Sorghastrum nutans



- Flowers: August & September



- Soil: Dry to Medium to Wet - Color: Blueish Green to Gold



Little Bluestem - Schizachyrium scoparium



- Flowers: July, August, September, & October



- Soil: Dry to Medium - Color: Blueish Green to Copper


* State Grass of Kansas


Prairie Dropseed - Sporobolus heterolepis






- Soil: Dry to Medium - Color: Green to Gold



Side-Oats Grama - Bouteloua curtipendula






- Soil: Dry to Medium - Color: Green to Straw



Switchgrass - Panicum virgatum






- Soil: Dry to Medium to Wet - Color: Green to Gold



Native Shrubs & Vines


Buttonbush - Cephalanthus occidentalis


- Growth: Deciduous Shrub - Fibrous Roots




- Soil: Medium to Wet - Color: White

- Wildlife Benefit: Nectar Source & Cover


Dutchman’s Pipe - Aristolochia tomentosa

- Height: Up to 30-40+ feet - Width: 3-4 feet

- Growth: Vining Plant - Rhizomatic Roots

- Flowers: May & June



- Soil: Medium to Wet - Color: Green

- Wildlife Benefit: Cover & Host Plant for Pipevine Swallowtail


Virgin’s Bower - Clematis virginiana

- Height: Up to 9-10 feet - Width: 3-4 feet

- Growth: Vining Plant - Fibrous Roots

- Flowers: August, September, & October



- Soil: Medium to Wet - Color: White



* The following sources were used when gathering information & pictures for this native plant list:

- www.kansasnativeplants.com - www.mowildflowers.net - www.plants.usda.gov

- www.prairiemoon.com - www.prairienursery.com

Native Milkweeds

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