NOT a weed

We all know that a weed is a "wrong plant in a wrong place."  I categorize plants that aggressively spread themselves as weeds also.  With that definition clearly established, my butterfly "weed" is NOT a weed.

This perennial required effort and patience to establish in my rain garden.  I rescued it from the fence line of a horse pasture right before it was going to be bushwhacked.  After tenderly teasing it out of its original home, I transported it to my own garden where I dug a soft, roomy hole filled with compost for its roots to spread and grow.   It did not bloom again for three years.

Each year my butterfly "weed" grows a little larger but propagating it has also proven to be a challenge.  It does not seem to want to re-seed on its own and I keep missing my opportunities to collect seed in the fall.  The second method that is recommended to propagate this plant is root propagation.  I've tried it a couple of times without success.  This is probably because I am unwilling to go digging after a main root to cut; I don't want to accidentally kill the only butterfly "weed" I own.

While reading an article on attracting butterflies to my garden, I was surprised to learn that my butterfly "weed" is a member of the milkweed family.  Not only do butterflies like the flowers, this plant is a larval host for both monarch and queen butterflies. 

I often see this plant in the margins of meadows and woodlands when we are out riding the trails.   I don't recommend digging them up as this lovely flower is readily available at good nurseries.  It just needs a new name because this plant does not meet any of the criteria for "weed."