Flowering Spurge has the cutest little white flowers, which are attractive to native bees and small butterflies (illinoiswildflower.info). It is also the host plant to 9 species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org). The seeds are a source of food for some birds, including the Wild Turkey, Bobwhite Quail, Greater Prairie Chicken, Mourning Dove, and Horned Lark (illinoisewildflower.info). Flowering Spurge has a toxic white latex in its foliage and, thus, is rarely eaten by mammalian herbivores.
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Flowering Spurge has the cutest little white flowers, which are attractive to native bees and small butterflies (illinoiswildflower.info). It is also the host plant to 9 species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org). The seeds are a source of food for some birds, including the Wild Turkey, Bobwhite Quail, Greater Prairie Chicken, Mourning Dove, and Horned Lark (illinoisewildflower.info). Flowering Spurge has a toxic white latex in its foliage and, thus, is rarely eaten by mammalian herbivores.
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial (Seems to prefer full)
Soil Moisture: Medium - Dry
Height: 1-3 feet
Plant Spacing: 1-1.5 feet
Bloom Time: June-August
Bloom Color: White
Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant
Host: 9 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org)
