If I could pick one star pollinator plant to grow, it would be swamp milkweed. Butterflies, bees, moths, wasps, beetles and other pollinators visited the flowers and leaves of my plant all summer long. Nearly every time I walked by it, I noticed a new insect visitor.
I even spotted 5 different monarch caterpillars chomping on the leaves which is why I grew swamp milkweed in the first place:
Swamp milkweed is a native plant that grows about 4 feet tall with pink flowers that appear in mid-summer.
The plants prefer full sun but will grow in part-shade (though they may need staking).
The only challenge is that swamp milkweed plants love moist conditions. Last year my plant didn’t do as well because we were in a drought. I had to water it every other day to keep it happy.
But this summer we got about 2.5 inches of rain a week and the plant thrived.
Milkweed is the only plant that monarch butterfly caterpillars can eat so you may see an adult laying eggs on the undersides of the leaves. They will also sip nectar from the flowers.
To be honest, swamp milkweed is not the prettiest plant to grow, but it more than makes up for it in being such a fantastic beneficial plant for our struggling pollinators.
And that’s why I’m trying to figure out the best location to plant a second swamp milkweed in my yard next spring!