As Chuck Tague pointed out last week, August is the end of the season for Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) but I couldn’t resist showing you a beautiful picture of this member of the milkweed family. 

True to its name, Butterfly Weed is very attractive to butterflies.  Here, a Coral Hairstreak drinks the nectar in Marcy Cunkelman’s garden. 

This plant has done well this year and is still in bloom.  Look for it in open, unmowed fields, especially at the recovered strip mines in western Allegheny County (also called the Imperial Grasslands).

(photo by Marcy Cunkelman)