This plant is used much by gardeners wishing to attract butterflies to the area. The flowers produced copious amounts of nectar and the plant itself is eaten by the larva of Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) which indeed belong to the group of butterflies known as the "Milkweed Butterflies", family Danaidae. The butterflies store the cardiac glycosides produced by the plant and hence become distasteful and even dangerous to predators.
Asclepias tuberosa is the only species of the genus in Missouri not to have the milky white juice so commonly associated with the genus. The subspecies most commonly found in this state is subsp. interior Woods., pictured above, which has leaves which are mostly cordate at the base. This subspecies has two forms. The red-flowered from (shown above) is form interior. Form lutea has yellow flowers and is rare in the state.