Probably the easiest to find milkweed seeds are common (A. syriaca), swamp (A. incarnata), butterflyweed (A. tuberosa), and tropical (A. curassavica). The tropical is not native or hardy up north and grown as an annual, but it is readily available and easy to grow. I'm sure if you posted on the seed exchange that you were looking for a large amount of milkweed seed you would get several offers for postage only or maybe even free since it is for a school project. Gardeners are pretty generous I have found especially if you are teaching kids to get involved with nature. Be sure to educate the kids and any plant recipients about the nature of milkweed and that the "milk" inside is an irritant that can cause eye damage if not handled properly. Some varieties like the common milkweed can exude lots of milk when cut while others like butterfly weed are much less drippy. The common is an excellent food source as it gets tall with quite large leaves and spreads a lot, but it may not be wanted in small gardens due to the aggressive nature. It is better for wilder areas. Swamp milkweed is smaller and less aggressive and likes moister soil obviously. Butterfly weed is even smaller and bushier and tolerates dry soil and has a large taproot to seek out moisture. I have had cats on all these kinds although the butterfly weed is less used when other juicier types are available. The butterfly weed is popular when first planted when the leaves are young and tender. In the pic below you can see I had my very first cats on tiny freshly planted seedlings of butterfly weed that I was shocked they even found. I agree with KC that you could try other butterfly host and nectar plants as well for some variety. Hosts for black swallowtails are readily available too. That butterfly life cycle book is excellent. While it doesn't cover all the butterflies it covers most of the common ones with great pictures that are very kid friendly. Most of the plants are easy to start using the wintersowing method. And easy option would be to sow seeds in extra large plastic drink cups, quart size yogurt tubs, or similar containers. The open tops make them easy to sow in, transport, gift, and plant out from. Below is a link the wintersowing FAQ if you aren't familiar with it. Here is a link that might be useful: Wintersowing FAQ

Glad you liked it Jane. Purple Martins are wonderful birds and they bless the people who care for them and protect them from Starlings\House Sparrows with a summer full of breathtaking sights and sounds. Martins love gourds Jane and you should try those if you never have. Make sure that the gourds you but or make up yourself have the Starling Resistent entrances on them. That is the number one thing you can do to start a martin colony. If the martins show up to investigate a new house\gourds and have to fight off a bunch of starlings\house sparrows they will not stay. They will simply move on even if everything else about the martins site is perfect. At an established martin colony the martins will put up some fight to claim what is rightfully theirs from these foreign birds but in the end if the invasive species are allowed to remain the martins will lose. It is a sad reality that is being played out all across the Purple Martins range right now and most people never realize it is happening until one day they look out and say.."What happened to those beautiful,swooping birds we used to have in that house? Where did they go??" Then a Starling pair sits on one side of the house. Two pairs of House Sparrows occupy the other side and this former "Martin House" that was once a thing of enchantment and pure beauty has now been transformed into an apartment house for slumbirds. If you seek a colony of martins Jane you must adopt setting up your gourd\houses,etc to address stopping the foreign invasive species. That is the key to getting started. Once you are a martin landlord and you see how wonderful they truly are you will always want to host them in your backyard bird habitat. They are simply majestic in every way...Mike

My favorite is Waters of March (Ãguas de Março) by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Even though his native language was Portugese, he was fascinated by English, and all the words in the song are derived from Old English--nothing Latinate. He wrtoe both versions. A stick, a stone it's the end of the road, it's the rest of the stump it's a little alone it's a sliver of glass, it is life,it's the sun, it is night ,it is death, it's a trap, it's a gun. the oak when it blooms, a fox in the brush, the knot in the wood, the song of the thrush. the wood of the wind, a cliff, a fall, a scratch, a lump, it is nothing at all. it's the wind blowing free. it's the end of a slope. it's a beam, it's a void, it's a hunch, it's a hope. and the riverbank talks. of the water of march it's the end of the strain, it's the joy in your heart. the foot, the ground, the flesh, the bone, the beat of the road, a slingshot stone. a fish, a flash, a silvery glow, a fight, a bet, the range of the bow. the bed of the well, the end of the line, the dismay in the face, it's a loss, it's a find. a spear, a spike, a point, a nail, a drip, a drop, the end of the tale. a truckload of bricks, in the soft morning light, the shot of a gun, in the dead of the night. a mile, a must, a thrust, a bump. it's a girl, it's a rhyme. it's the cold, it's the mumps. the plan of the house, the body in bed, the car that got stuck, it's the mud, it's the mud. a float, a drift, a flight, a wing, ahawk, a quail, the promise of spring. and the riverbanks talks. of the waters of march. it's the promise of life, it's the joy in your heart, a snake, a stick, it is john, it is joe, it's a thorn in your hand, and a cut on your toe. a point, a grain, a bee, a bite, a blink, a buzzard, the sudden stroke of night. a pin, a needle, a sting, a pain, a snail, a riddle, a weep, a stain. a pass in the mountains. a horse, a mule, in the distance the shelves. rode three shadows of blue. and the riverbank talks of the promise of life in your heart, in your heart a stick, a stone, the end of the load, the rest of the stump, a lonesome road. a sliver of glass, a life, the sun, a night, a death, the end of the run and the riverbank talks of the waters of march it's the end of all strain it's the joy in your heart

Autumn is my very favorite time of year. I don't think I could bear to live anywhere but New England simply because of the fall colors and the inexplicable quality of the autumn air. These are two poems that have been posted here in past years that I liked very much. October by Paul Laurence Dunbar OCTOBER is the treasurer of the year, And all the months pay bounty to her store: The fields and orchards still their tribute bear, And fill her brimming coffers more and more. But she, with youthful lavishness, Spends all her wealth in gaudy dress, And decks herself in garments bold Of scarlet, purple, red, and gold. She heedeth not how swift the hours fly, But smiles and sings her happy life along; She only sees above a shining sky; She only hears the breezes' voice in song. Her garments trail the woodland through, And gather pearls of early dew That sparkle till the roguish Sun Creeps up and steals them every one. But what cares she that jewels should be lost, When all of Nature's bounteous wealth is hers? Though princely fortunes may have been their cost, Not one regret her calm demeanor stirs. Whole-hearted, happy, careless, free, She lives her life out joyously, Nor cares when Frost stalks o'er her way And turns her auburn locks to gray. "God's World" Edna St. Vincent Millay O WORLD, I cannot hold thee close enough! Thy winds, thy wide grey skies! Thy mists, that roll and rise! Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag And all but cry with colour! That gaunt crag To crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff! World, World, I cannot get thee close enough! Long have I known a glory in it all, But never knew I this; Here such a passion is As stretcheth me apart,ÂLord, I do fear ThouÂst made the world too beautiful this year; My soul is all but out of me,Âlet fall No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.