dull pale pink to deep mauve

We have 14 types of native milkweed here in Minnesota. All of them are beneficial to Monarch butterflies. This one is the common milkweed which is a prolific breeder, so much so that it sometimes referred to as a noxious weed. The milkweed leaves are very large, and often hide these captivating flower clusters–so I took the liberty of removing the top leaves so you could see the flowers. You can see the latex drips from removing the leaves. My local Minnesota Wildflower guide describes the color of the round clusters as “ranging from dull pale pink to deep mauve, the tips of the star-shaped crown often cream colored.” Dull pale pink, deep mauve, cream. Yes, please!

common milkweed flowers (Asclepias syriaca)

P.S. I have been doing STILL during a very interesting period of plant re-classification. As genetic identification becomes more cost effective and ubiquitous, I am witnessing many plants get reclassified. Milkweeds are a good example. The Asclepias genus contains over 200 species distributed broadly across Africa, North America, and South America. It previously belonged to the family Asclepiadaceae, which is now classified as the subfamily Asclepiadoideae of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae.