Bad hair day

But a gorgeous day for walking in the meadow.  Temperatures are headed for 80 -- no fooling!  Last great day of summer in late fall.  Tomorrow will be below normal with a high of 43 -- yes, you are in Michigan!

Milkweed once more

The milkweed pods have ripened and are spilling their seed for next year's crop.  The meadow is filled with them and looks almost snow-covered.   We have come full cycle with the milkweed since last spring when the real melting snow revealed a ground covered with opened pods and I posted my first milkweed blog. 

Explore many more bon mots that begin with an M on ABC Wednesday.

Milkweed and friend

Another stage in the milkweed saga is reached with the formation of fresh green pods which have attracted a visitor other than myself!   Less than a month ago it was the butterflies who loved that milkweed when it was in full bloom.  And way back in March we knew these milkweed when they were still potential. 

Love that milkweed!

If you enlarge the photo (just click on it), you will see that the butterflies have a little buddy with them -- look on the mid, right edge of the photo.  I only saw him when I download the photo!

Potential

As a result of Willow's wanderings in the milkweed patch in the meadow, the two of us discovered the wonderful inside from one of the empty pods still standing.  Its form is so interesting, the soft white silk and the hard brown seeds which remind me of a cone from an evergreen.  How I wish I had studied a little more biology rather than running from any biology course after the mandatory frog dissection in high school!
In trying to learn more about this plant that I associate with attracting Monarch butterflies, I found an article from the Christian Science Monitor, October, 2008, entitled The Heroic Milkweed.  During World War II even children were involved in collecting the milkweed floss for use as a substitute for kapok in life jackets.  Japanese control of Java had cut off the supply.  And the fairgrounds in Petoskey, Michigan, became a drying and processing site for the silky floss.  Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Gardening/2008/1026/the-heroic-milkweed