Monarchs had their second worst year on record this past fall. Migrating Monarch butterflies only covered 2.2 acres of forest at their overwintering grounds in Mexico in 2023, down from a peak of 45 acres in the mid-1990s. As their population steadily declines due to habitat loss, increased pesticide use, and climate change, the best thing we can do to help them bounce back is to plant native milkweeds in our yard. Here are 9 milkweed species native to the Southeast that you can plant right now to help not just Monarchs, but pollinators of all shapes and sizes.

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Butterfly Weed is probably one of the most popular milkweed species, meaning it’s easy to find for sale in the nursery trade. It has bright orange flowers that look stunning in any landscape, especially when multiple plants are grouped together. It’s also the best substitute for Tropical Milkweed, which you should avoid growing if you want to help Monarchs (see the end of this post for why).

Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis) 

Clasping Milkweed has thick, waxy leaves and a long taproot, making it resistant to drought. It may be more difficult to find in the nursery trade, but its bright pink to red flowers make it worth the hunt.

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

This is one of my favorite milkweeds. It has thin delicate leaves that seem to “whorl” around the stem and white blooms. It blooms into the fall, making this a good choice to feed late migrating Monarchs. This is an aggressive spreader, which makes it better suited to larger yards or flower beds you want to fill in quickly. 

Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) 

This is a shade-loving milkweed that is a great option if you don’t have the full sun required to support most milkweeds. Its flowers are unique in that they droop away from the stem, creating a delicate appearance, and it tops out around 5 feet tall. It would look great as a background plant in a woodland garden or planted along forest edges.

Sandhill Milkweed (Asclepias humistrata) 

This milkweed tends to sprawl along the ground and prefers sandy soils or dry pine barrens. Despite its preference for sand, it cannot tolerate salt spray or brackish water. This milkweed has some of the prettiest leaves of all the milkweeds. They turn almost purple as the plant ages, with pink to lavender veins. It is both drought- and heat-tolerant.

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) 

This is a very popular milkweed that is easy to find in the nursery trade. It’s easy to see why with its large, bright, pink blooms. It thrives in wet conditions and would be a good choice for a rain garden. It’s a preferred host for Monarch caterpillars and does not spread aggressively.

White Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias perennis) 

If your conditions are too wet for Swamp Milkweed, White Swamp Milkweed should be your first choice. This is also known as aquatic milkweed and it can tolerate almost complete submersion. Its seeds are dispersed by water and flooding events, rather than by wind like most other milkweed species, and it would be a great choice for bog gardens or pond margins.

Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis) 

This alien looking milkweed is a unique addition to any native plant garden. It is not an aggressive spreader and only grows around 2 feet tall. It’s very drought tolerant and blooms in early summer. It does best without competition from other plants and would look good in a border or paired with purple-blooming flowers.

Red Milkweed (Asclepias rubra) 

Red Milkweed is another species that likes wet conditions. Despite its name, it has pink blooms and would grow well in a bog garden. It is somewhat rare in the wild with notable populations only in Texas, Mississippi, Florida, and South and North Carolina. It is best grown from seed to help avoid endangering the wild population.

Honorable mention: 

Redring Milkweed (Asclepias variegata)

While Redring Milkweed is a beautiful plant that provides nectar for all types of pollinators, it doesn’t make the list because it is rarely used as a larval host plant by Monarchs. In the wild, Redring Milkweed tends to grow in low densities with plants often separated from one another. It is thought that this makes the plant hard to find, causing Monarchs to pass it up for other more densely growing species. It is still a great plant to have in your garden because like other milkweed species, it produces copious amounts of nectar from which all pollinators benefit.

Why isn’t Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) on the list? 

While Common Milkweed is one of the most common you’ll see for sale and one that you’ll often see listed as native to the Southeast, according to the University of Georgia, it is actually only native to the Midwest and Northeast, and any plants you may see in the wild in the Southeast are actually escapees from people’s gardens. Beyond the debate about native status, Common Milkweed is an extremely aggressive spreader and not the best choice for smaller suburban or urban yards. It’s better to dedicate your limited yard space to the other milkweed species listed here, which are known to be native and less frequently represented. Of course, if you’ve already planted common milkweed in your yard, there’s no need to pull it up! It’s still a much better option than non-native plants and it still helps Monarchs and other pollinators, you just may want to monitor it and remove seed pods to help control its spread beyond your yard.

A Note on Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)

As the plight of Monarchs became more well known, Tropical Milkweed exploded in popularity. However, not only is this milkweed not native to the United States, it also poses a huge health risk to Monarch butterflies. When tropical milkweed is grown in temperate regions, it does not die back during the winter, allowing the Monarch parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE for short) to build up and spread among Monarch populations. Infection with OE has been linked to lower migration success, as well as lower body mass, shorter lifespan, problems mating, and reduced flight ability. If you already have tropical milkweed growing in your yard, it’s imperative that you remove it and replace it with native species. If you’re unable to do that, then make sure to cut tropical milkweed back completely during the winter to help prevent the spread of OE.