Have you ever seen milkweed seed pods? They are pretty cool even when they’re closed, but then they open to reveal what seems like hundreds of brown seeds connected to these silky white ribbons. When the slightest breeze catches the silky strands, they puff into a downy chaos that has them floating in the air to be sown at the will of the wind.
This display makes me think of a tiny balloon festival put on by fairies, and when my girls were young, they would grasp the stem firmly and give the seeds an encouraging blow, telling me they were, “planting the biggest butterfly garden ever!” I have some milkweed in my garden, and those “magical” seed pods have almost become nostalgic to me; so I decided to make something fun with them to enjoy all year and share with my daughters.
This is a really easy project and would be fun to do with any number of interesting seeds like dandelions (like 1,000 tiny wishes, waiting to be wished!), money plant, orlaya, or even dried flowers!
Supplies
- A transparent container (I used a vintage canning jar)
- Small string lights (ours were 10′ with 40 bulbs), available at craft stores
- A chopstick, pencil, or tongs
- If needed, batteries for your string lights
Instructions
- Weave a bit of your lights into the bottom of your container, using the end furthest from the battery or plug.
- Add some of your milkweed or other interesting seeds/dried flowers.
- Use the tongs, pencil, or chopstick to push seeds/flower into place, as well as the rest of the string of lights, until container is full.
- Switch the light on and enjoy!
