A: Swamp milkweed, Asclepias incarnata, is difficult to find it locally, but we will have a few specimens of the native swamp milkweed at our spring plant sale. Ours are particularly large and beautiful. The monarch butterfly larvae have already found them and are eating the leaves – as I write this answer. As its name implies, Swamp milkweed does prefer moist soils and grows in sun to partial shade. The sap of this wetland milkweed is more clear than milky which is characteristic of other milkweed species. The genus, Asclepias, was named in honor of Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine, undoubtedly because some species have long been used to treat a variety of ailments. The Latin species name, incarnata, means flesh-colored. With its showy flower clusters Swamp milkweed attracts butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Swamp milkweed will inevitably have aphids. The insects are not a problem unless the plant looks sick, only then should you consider spraying the plant and aphids with soapy water. Another possible treatment is to support the plant part with your hand and blast it with high-pressure water. Swamp milkweed is good for wetland gardens and habitat. All parts of the plant are toxic but only when ingested in large quantities. Swamp milkweed is a host plant (which means the larvae eat the leaves) for Monarchs and Queen butterflies; it also provides nectar for pollinating bees.

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