Map from Journey North. We have milkweed plants about 6" high in the front yard, waiting for them, but to my amazement, this year some animals - apparently rabbits - are browsing the milkweed and consuming the leaves. The plant has so many defensive toxins that I'm surprised to see this happening; I've never seen it before. Perhaps the immature spikes don't have all the chemical defenses that a mature one harbors.