A Bright Spot during a Gloomy Day

  Every now and again, I come across a plant that just "won't give up". Years and years ago, Mark bought me a small rootstock of Aclepias Tuberosa better known as Butterfly Weed.  It IS a weed.  It is a weed that keeps on giving.  This is one of those plants, that once allowed to take root, literally TAKES ROOT!!  With a long tap root it is hard to remove them if you wish.  This same tap root also makes them hard to transplant.  It is a good thing that I really like the plant!  When we bought the plant from the nursery, I casually asked the plant dude if I could start new ones by seed or by cuttings.  I received a very curt NO! He was adamant that it would stay in the nice little clump that he was selling us.  Ha!  I have never met a plant yet that cannot be rooted in one way or another and  Asclepias is no exception.  Only I have no need to take cuttings of this plant.  It makes a lovely bunch of seeds that take flight on happy little, fuzzy wings.  These seeds are taking wing as we speak!  The hillside is a blizzard of white fluff this afternoon. So much for containment!

  The plant, however, is not just seeding, it is blooming!  Regardless of the recent freezes we have had, the Butterfly Weed is doing well.  Parts are covered with the bright blooms while other stems are loaded with the white fluffs of seeds.  I also noticed several seedlings already poking their heads out of the ground.  A new crop of Asclepias Tuberosas are on their way to filling the old tub!

  Asclepias Tuberosa is also know as Pleurisy Root.  This name is supposedly because Native Americans used it to treat the malady along with a lot of respiratory ailments.  I have not tried it personally so I cannot attest to any of the folklore that is connected with the plant.  I did, however, read recently where you sure better cook all parts of the plant before ingesting any of it!  According to a lot of sources all parts of the plant are toxic if eaten raw.  Or, perhaps just don't eat your Butterfly Weed!