Photo Gallery of Common Prairie Plants

With its bright orange flowers, Butterfly-weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is an unmistakable member of the Milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae) that may bloom from mid-summer through early fall.  As its name implies, Butterfly-weed attracts many butterfly species (especially Monarchs) but it also attracts a number of other insects including various species of beetles and bees.  Although this plant was used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes, Butterfly-weed, like most milkweed species, contains cardiac glycosides that are poisonous in high doses for most animals.