Milkweed Surprise
The milkweed blooms in early June through early August.
Milkweed pods on the third week of August.
Pod explodes later in September or early October and wisps of fluff carry seeds to new planting site. Governor Nelson State Park in Westport, WI at the prairie restoration site.
Large globes of tiny flowers, just bits of colored mauve
Sharing its sweet nectar with the bees and butterflies.
Porcupine-prickly seed pods, browned a golden hue,
Hanging silently, a pregnant pause of nature, waiting.
Exploding pods, the gifts come forth
Of silken parachutes and seeds in flight.
barbara © 2007
These photos are glorious! Love the last one of the milkweed pod and a couple of your lines really grabbed me: a pregnant pause of nature and silken parachutes and seeds of flight.
Your images, Bo, are wonderful. I especially love the Pod Exploding picture. It is gorgeous.
What a nifty thing for the milkweed to do! Plants are so surprising and diverse in their various forms and incarnations. Thanks for the photographs of the transformations and your illuminating words along with them.
Hi Bo. I wonder if there are different kinds of milkweed in the East. I remember very plump green pods full of fluff, when I was a kid, but they sure didn’t have prickles. Don’t remember the flowers at all. Hmmmmm. Will have to do some googling later. Love your pictures and your poem. wishing you all the blessings of nature–Barbara
gorgeous pictures, pods and seed parachutes and words too - thank you
Beautiful pictures and explantation.
This is just perfect. Great grouping of pictures, and a whole argument for migrating monarch butterflies!
Interesting studies of these plants.
Some of the progeny of these plants should be coming up soon (I hope)?
These are obviously pre-snow.
It is an interesting set of 3. The seeds on wings remind me of hair jigs for crappies.