This week’s plant of the week is Asclepias speciosa (Showy milkweed). We have many in the SB2 garden that are in the peak of bloom this summer. The milkweeds were planted in homage to former Professor Mark Fishbein (now of Oklahoma State University) who did a lot to promote botany and the herbarium at Portland State University.
Asclepiads are wonderful garden plants that provide important habitat for butterflies. Showy milkweed is the larval host plant and a major food source for monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Showy milkweed occurs all throughout western North America and was used historically by indigenous peoples as a treatment to remove warts.
Do your part and help milkweed butterflies by planting perennial Asclepias sp. in your garden!
Student-led Sustainability 