# Milkweed in Utah

> 18 milkweed species are recorded in Utah.

Source: https://milkweedusa.com/states/utah/  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Milkweed USA)

## Overview

Showy milkweed along the Wasatch Front’s streams and irrigation ditches carries most of Utah’s monarch breeding, with Hall’s, broadleaf and pallid milkweed on the Colorado Plateau’s drier ground. Utah is also home to federally threatened Welsh’s milkweed in the Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

- Species recorded: 18
- USDA hardiness zones: 4a–9a
- Monarch flyway: western
- Best time to sow seed outdoors: September to November, before the ground freezes

## Species recorded in Utah

| Common name | Scientific name | Native | Height | Bloom |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Swamp Milkweed | Asclepias incarnata | Yes | 3 ft–5 ft | June to September |
| Butterfly Weed | Asclepias tuberosa | Yes | 1 ft–3 ft | May to September |
| Showy Milkweed | Asclepias speciosa | Yes | 2 ft–5 ft | May to August |
| Narrowleaf Milkweed | Asclepias fascicularis | Yes | 2 ft–4 ft | May to September |
| Antelope Horns | Asclepias asperula | Yes | 1 ft–2 ft | March to July |
| Rush Milkweed | Asclepias subulata | Yes | 2 ft–6 ft | nearly year-round in frost-free areas |
| Hall’s Milkweed | Asclepias hallii | Yes | 1.5 ft–3 ft | June to August |
| Desert Milkweed | Asclepias erosa | Yes | 2 ft–5 ft | April to September |
| Green Comet Milkweed | Asclepias viridiflora | Yes | 1 ft–3 ft | May to August |
| Broadleaf Milkweed | Asclepias latifolia | Yes | 1 ft–3 ft | May to August |
| Sand Milkweed | Asclepias arenaria | Yes | 1 ft–2.5 ft | June to August |
| Poison Milkweed | Asclepias subverticillata | Yes | 1 ft–3 ft | June to September |
| Pallid Milkweed | Asclepias cryptoceras | Yes | 4 in–1 ft | April to June |
| Mojave Milkweed | Asclepias nyctaginifolia | Yes | 6 in–1.5 ft | April to June |
| Dwarf Milkweed | Asclepias involucrata | Yes | 4 in–10 in | April to June |
| Welsh’s Milkweed | Asclepias welshii | Yes | 1.5 ft–4 ft | May to July |
| Ruth’s Milkweed | Asclepias ruthiae | Yes | 4 in–1 ft | April to June |
| Wheel Milkweed | Asclepias uncialis | Yes | 2 in–6 in | April to June |

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Milkweed in Utah. https://milkweedusa.com/states/utah/