Butterfly Weed Kisses

I know summer is here when this enameled pitcher comes down off a high shelf. Its burnished orange is the only thing that will do for this wildflower bouquet, echoing the outrageous flaming of the first sprays of butterfly weed. And though larkspur, feverfew, coreopsis and coneflowers fill in supporting hues,this bouquet is all about butterfly weed.

As gorgeous as this flower is, I walk through the wildflower beds fervently hoping to detect caterpillar damage. The sight of black larval droppings or chewed-off leaves make me so happy! As a type of milkweed, butterfly weed (Asclepiastuberosa) is a host for monarchs and other butterflies. I love having a garden full of it, emerging slowly and coming to gorgeous flower in its own good time—June.

Our butterfly weed has come back each year for decades. Once established, it is deep-rooted and makes itself comfortable in the landscape.

To me, there is also a poignancy about the flamboyant orange. It has woven itself in and through our journey as a family. One Sunday morning in June, about ten years ago, I was caring for my mother in her home a mile down the road. As I made her breakfast coffee, I had a sudden inspiration. “Mom,” I said, “let’s take your coffee up to my house and sit in the wildflower garden. It’s beautiful there!”

The pictures from that morning almost take my breath away. The butterfly weed was so lavish in the morning sun. My mother in her hot pink robe, holding her favorite white mug, was like a rare flower herself.

The photos are a reminder that every flower has its season. And though I won’t find my mother in my garden again, whiling away a happy morning hour, I look forward each year to these beautiful flowers, and the delicate and precious butterflies they invite to our landscape.

Susan Yoder Ackerman is a writer and gardener in Newport News, Virginia. Both her writing and her gardening are enhanced by tending a century-old family farmhouse and eight grandchildren that come and go. You can email Susan at [email protected].