Milkweed plays a unique role in monarch habitat: monarch caterpillars require plants in the milkweed group as their larval food source.
Host plant is not the whole garden
Adult monarchs also need nectar plants, so pair locally appropriate native milkweed with diverse flowering species.
Choose for your region
Use native milkweed species appropriate to the site's geography and conditions rather than treating every milkweed as interchangeable.