Stunning Butterfly Milkweed

In November and December we clean the native seeds we've collected throughout the season and start them stratifying- most will then be ready for germination come Springtime. Today I was working on the lovely butterfly milkweed (a host plant for the endangered monarch butterfly) and discovered that when I opened the dried pods carefully and the silk was intact it is beautifully shaped, perfectly symmetrical and resembles a flower head itself. Ahhh nature!