I didn’t realize that a certain type of milkweed was controversial, but the two plants pictured here are not that kind. Tropical milkweed was one I stayed away from simply because it was not native to this area. It isn’t, but the problem is not one of the plant just taking over everything else. From what I understand, because it blooms longer, monarch butterflies skip out on their migration . . . which is kind of their whole thing.

What you see here is swamp milkweed.

The first photo, a lonely plant, is in my yard. It hadn’t gotten the memo to bloom yet.

The one getting all the attention is outside of the community garden at Hawthorn and Sigourney.
I watched the butterfly briefly peruse some shrubs in the pedestrian island before realizing its favorite food was across the street by the garden.

Climate Possibilities is a new series about climate mitigation, along with resilience, resistance, and restoration. It’s about human habitat preservation. It’s about loving nature and planet Earth, and demanding the kind of change that gives future generations the opportunity for vibrant lives. Doomers will be eaten alive, figuratively. All photographs are taken in Hartford, Connecticut unless stated otherwise.