Butterfly weed

My sister-in-law called these chigger weeds. I have also heard them called milk weed. they are a sure sign that summer has arrived. I took this photo this morning just across the road from our home.
Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa L.

Figure 29.—Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Other common names.—Pleurisy-root, Canada-root, Indian posy, orange-root, orange swallowwort, tuberroot, whiteroot, windroot, yellow or orange milkweed.

Habitat and range.—Butterfly weed flourishes in the open or in pine woods, in dry sandy or gravelly soil, usually along the banks of streams. Its range extends from Ontario and Maine to Minnesota and south to Florida, Texas, and Arizona but it is found in greatest abundance in the South.