Bringing Home the Milkweed

     Last night Paul announced that he needed to find and take some leaves of the Common Milkweek to school.  Seems that Science is going to be project-based this trimester, focusing on hatching Monarch butterflies.  The teacher was giving extra credit to kids who could find and bring in Milkweed, much loved by Monarch larva.  Paul was excited about the project, knew what the plant looked like, and had an idea that he could find it along the hiker-biker trail near our house. 

     Ben went out for his nightly run and was gone a long time.  Just when I was getting worried about him, he came in the house carrying a huge bouquet of plant life.   He had made a point of looking for Milkweed along his route and, sure enough, found some likely plants down in the gully by the hiker-biker trail.   He picked some boughs and carried them all the way home. What a Dad!

     After reviewing and filling out the "identify your plant" form which he had brought home from science class, Paul determined that most of what Ben had brought home was, indeed, Milkweed.  He carefully stripped off the leaves, layered them in moist paper towels, and wrapped them in plastic wrap so they could easily be taken to school this morning.  

     Ben reports that while he was off the trail, groping around in the brush, someone asked him what he was doing.  He replied that he was looking for Milkweed.  "For medicinal purposes?"  "No," replied Ben,  "for extra credit!"