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Common Milkweed is a native, perennial wildflower. It can grow up to five feet tall. It bears cream-colored, pink-tinged flowers, 1/2 inch wide, that form round clusters up to two inches wide. Each flower has five downward-pointing petals and a five-part pointed crown. It has large, toothless leaves that are four to six inches long and bleed a milky sap when torn. Within its range it can be found in a broad array of habitats from croplands to pastures, roadsides, ditches and old fields. It is surprisingly rare in prairies in the Midwest being found mostly in disturbed sites, due to its inability to compete with other vegetation. (July)