Spring · month 4 of 12
Milkweed and monarchs in April
Pushing north
28species that can be in flower
8at peak bloom
26of them native
Springseason
Where the monarchs are
The first spring generation emerges in the south-central states and flies north. Monarchs reach Kansas, Missouri and the lower Midwest. In the West, monarchs are breeding in California’s Central Valley on narrowleaf milkweed.
What to do this month
- Pot on seedlings at the second pair of true leaves, into deep containers for taprooted species.
- Harden off before planting out. A week of increasing time outdoors is enough.
- Mark where every milkweed is. More plants are lost to spring digging than to anything else.
- Weed around young plants. Established grass beats milkweed seedlings every time.
What to look for
- Fourleaf milkweed flowering in eastern woodlands, the earliest of the eastern species.
- Antelope horns at full flower on limestone in Texas and New Mexico.
- First monarchs of the year in Kansas and Missouri.
North and south
In the Southwest deserts, April is peak flowering. In New England, milkweed is only just breaking ground.
In flower in April
28 species can be in flower somewhere in the country this month, 8 of them at peak. Natives are listed first.
| Species | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antelope Horns | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | In bloom in March | Peak bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | In bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Pinewoods Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | In bloom in March | Peak bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | Not in bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Zizotes Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | In bloom in March | Peak bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | Peak bloom in September | In bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Rush Milkweed | In bloom in January | In bloom in February | In bloom in March | Peak bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | Peak bloom in September | Peak bloom in October | In bloom in November | In bloom in December |
| Pineneedle Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | In bloom in March | Peak bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | Peak bloom in September | In bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Whitestem Milkweed | In bloom in January | Peak bloom in February | Peak bloom in March | Peak bloom in April | In bloom in May | Not in bloom in June | Not in bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | In bloom in November | In bloom in December |
| Prostrate Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | In bloom in March | Peak bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | In bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Green Antelopehorn | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| California Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Desert Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | In bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Velvetleaf Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Woolly Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Bract Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Emory’s Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | Peak bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Curtiss’ Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | In bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Feay’s Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | In bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Pallid Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | Not in bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Dwarf Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | Not in bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Longhood Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Michaux’s Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | In bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Longleaf Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Mojave Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | Not in bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Ruth’s Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | Not in bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Savannah Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | In bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Wheel Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | Not in bloom in July | Not in bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Tufted Milkweed | Not in bloom in January | Not in bloom in February | Not in bloom in March | In bloom in April | Peak bloom in May | In bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | Not in bloom in September | Not in bloom in October | Not in bloom in November | Not in bloom in December |
| Giant Milkweed introduced | In bloom in January | In bloom in February | Peak bloom in March | Peak bloom in April | In bloom in May | In bloom in June | In bloom in July | In bloom in August | In bloom in September | Peak bloom in October | In bloom in November | In bloom in December |
| Tropical Milkweed introduced | In bloom in January | In bloom in February | In bloom in March | In bloom in April | In bloom in May | Peak bloom in June | Peak bloom in July | Peak bloom in August | Peak bloom in September | In bloom in October | In bloom in November | In bloom in December |
in bloom peak bloom
April questions
What milkweed blooms in April?
28 milkweed species can be in flower somewhere in the United States during April, with Antelope Horns, Pinewoods Milkweed, Zizotes Milkweed, Rush Milkweed at peak. Bloom times shift several weeks later as you move north.
What are monarch butterflies doing in April?
The first spring generation emerges in the south-central states and flies north. Monarchs reach Kansas, Missouri and the lower Midwest. In the West, monarchs are breeding in California’s Central Valley on narrowleaf milkweed.
What should I do in the milkweed garden in April?
Pot on seedlings at the second pair of true leaves, into deep containers for taprooted species. Harden off before planting out. A week of increasing time outdoors is enough. Mark where every milkweed is. More plants are lost to spring digging than to anything else.
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APA
Milkweed USA. (2026). Milkweed and monarchs in April. Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/calendar/april/
MLA
"Milkweed and monarchs in April." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/calendar/april/. Accessed DATE.
Chicago
Milkweed USA. "Milkweed and monarchs in April." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/calendar/april/.
BibTeX
@misc{milkweedusa_calendarapril,
title = {Milkweed and monarchs in April},
author = {{Milkweed USA}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://milkweedusa.com/calendar/april/},
note = {Accessed DATE}
}