Butterfly Weed

I was helping out my friend Judy today so I decided to photograph some of her husband Dale's beautiful flowers before I left to go home. This brilliant plant is called Butterfly Weed. It is a member of the Milkweed family and is frequently grown from seed in gardens around here- although Dale hasn't been able to do that. He transplanted this one from a field. It's a popular plant because it's bright color attracts all kinds of butterflies. It has a tough root which the Indians would chew on as a cure for pleurisy and other pulmonary ailments, thus giving Butterfly Weed the appropriate alias of Pleurisy Root. So there's your botanical lesson for the day! If you're with someone the next time you see one of these lovely flowers, you'll be able to impress them with your newly acquired knowledge. And don't forget to stop and smell the roses. (o:

[Kerri]

Beautiful color

[Ann H. LeFevre]

@kerristephens Thank you Kerri- I'm going to start calling you my #1 follower- I think you're always the first to comment! You make me feel great- thanks!!

[Lisabell]

I love the bright orange! You don’t see too many flowers this color.

[Rick Schies]

A very nice color.

[Freckled Toad]

Love the color.. I may need to add that to my weed garden!!

[Ann H. LeFevre]

@lisjam1 @digitalrn @pgpeters Thank you everyone! They really are that bright. Dale has promised some seeds to me and I'm looking forward to next year's crop and the butterflies it will bring. (ha ha Freckled Toad- the name may be Butterfly Weed- but I call it a wildflower (o: )

[Elizabeth Hanna]

Thank you ... beautiful picture and great information. I love the way we absorb so much from each other on 365. That's a really pretty flower.

[Roe Jan]

Beautiful flower! When I first looked at the photo, it reminded me of milkweed. How nice to know I wasn't far off! Great information.

[Ann H. LeFevre]

@elizabeth @roejan Thanks Elizabeth and Roe Jan. Yes, Elizabeth, I know what you mean. 365 has become my "window to the world". Roe Jan, I'm not surprised you guessed correctly!

[PhotoButton - Siv]

Buttefly Weed - wasn't familliar with this beauty. Not native to us (in Norway) Gorgeous colors, great capture!

[Ann H. LeFevre]

@photobutton Thanks! It was a first for me too.

[Mrs. Smith]

Gorgeous. It's wonderful to think that this plant has so much power. It's so beautiful too.

[Ann H. LeFevre]

@mrssmith I would like to be better acquainted with some of those remedies. I tend to go the more natural route on health issues anyway. Somehow I think God designed His world to help us and we've lost that connection somewhere along the way. I don't know how well this natural remedy worked, but I have a feeling it didn't hurt!