There are many threats to the survival of the monarch, that iconic orange-and-black butterfly that migrates each summer from Mexico to the Northeast and back over multiple generations. One is the diminishing populations of milkweeds, the only plants that can host its larvae. One such host is Asclepias syriaca, the common milkweed, pictured here growing alongside Standish Street in Provincetown across from Mooncusser Tattoo. Though sweetly scented with striking blooms and foliage, Asclepias syriaca spreads too aggressively by rhizome to be planted in your garden — unless you’re OK with it popping up absolutely everywhere. Alternatively, keep some in a container where they won’t spread, and plant the more behaved milkweeds A. tuberosa and A. incarnata straight in the ground instead.
