MILKWEEDS. 
23 
Sometimes children catch bees in empty milkweed 
pods. The bees make a great buzzing in the pod, and it 
is not fair to keep them long, for it interferes with their 
honey-gathering or pollen-collecting. If there is any- 
thing a bee hates, it is to waste time, with so many 
hungry mouths at home waiting to be fed. 
Like the thistles, w^hen the milkweed seeds become 
quite dry they often drop away from their plumes, par- 
ticularly if they strike against something when sailing 
about. 
There are a number of species of "milkweeds. One 
common species has bright, orange flowers, and is called 
butterfly weed. Its flowers look a little like bright 
butterflies, and the butterflies are fond of its honey. 
There is a lovely milkweed in Florida that has large 
pea-green leaves with broad pink veins running all 
through them. 
