Swamp Milkweed (Heather Mauve)

Sport this stylish graphic tee proudly and show your love for a species that makes the Blue Ridge Mountains so special!

With your purchase you are supporting Blue Ridge Discovery Center's mission to inspire curiosity, discovery, and stewardship through the wonders of the Blue Ridge.

In late summer on BRDC’s Campus, blooming swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is likely to be swarming with hungry monarch caterpillars. This tall perennial plant, closely related to common milkweed, boasts the same characteristic milky sap that oozes from the leaves and stems when broken. Swamp milkweed grows in sunny areas with moist soils, although they aren’t tethered to swamps as their name suggests. They can be identified by their sets of pointy green leaves and bright pink, clustered flowers. Their seeds are protected by a horn-shaped seed pod that splits in early fall when they dry out, sending the seeds floating away in the wind on silken threads, called floss. While many insects enjoy their delicious nectar, their sap-filled leaves are toxic to most animals and insects. Monarch butterflies, on the other hand, have evolved to not only tolerate the toxicity of the plant, but to incorporate those distasteful compounds into their bodies as a means of self protection.