Are butterfly weed and butterfly bush different names for the same plant?
Butterfly weed and butterfly bush are actually different plants. Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a herbaceous perennial. A member of the milkweed family, butterfly weed grows two to three feet tall and produces flat-topped clusters of bright orange flowers from July through September. The flowers attract several butterfly species, hence the common name. Butterfly weed is easy to grow. It performs best in full sun and tolerates drought and infertile soils. Because of its rather long taproot, transplanting the butterfly weed can be difficult. Carefully choose a site and don’t disturb it. Also, the butterfly weed emerges rather late in spring. To prevent possible injury, mark the planting site and don’t cultivate in the area until the plant emerges. The butterfly bush (Buddleia spp.) is a medium-sized, woody shrub. However, it’s generally regarded as a herbaceous perennial in Iowa because the shrub typically dies back to the ground each winter. Fortunately, the performance of the b
