Learn how to identify milkweed, its history, and more at this evening program.

Magnificent Milkweed

Friday, November 21, 2025, 6:45 PM - 8:15 PM

Whenever I go hiking in late fall or early winter, I am alert for milkweed pods. I find them, brown and brittle, coming off the stalk in multiple spots. Most have released their seeds to the wind already, but I find one still closed. Carefully, I pull it off the stem and split it open. Inside, the white fluff greets me, each piece attached to a flat seed the color of milk chocolate. I dump the precious treasures from their protective pod and place them into my mittened palm. A mighty rush of air from my lungs makes some of the seeds airborne, suspended by little white umbrellas. Gently, I brush the remaining seeds from my hand onto the earth. Next year the milkweed will return.

Join us for Magnificent Milkweed, open to participants of any age, no matter which county you reside in. We’ll start off learning how to identify milkweed, discover how it supports other animals, and explore some of its history, including its use in making cordage. Then we’ll conclude by trying our hand at making our own cordage.

Fee

$4 per person and up to $12 per family

Register

https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/MagnificentMilkweed_235

Contact

Katrina Relyea
4-H Natural Resources Educator
kmr276@cornell.edu
315-963-7286 ext. 401

Location

Amboy 4-H Environmental Education Center
748 State Route 183
Williamstown, New York 13493

Last updated October 31, 2025

Philosophy

The best way to learn about ecology is to be out in it! Amboy 4-H Environmental Education Center is a laboratory where youth and adults can observe nature first hand, alone or under the guidance of one of the Center’s Environmental Educators. Public programs often feature guest presenters who are recognized leaders in the fields of wildlife management, outdoor education, and botany. It is also the Center’s belief that learning should be fun.