MAREN involves 30 educators from across the region where common milkweed goes. In 2017, each of them harvested local milkweed seeds, and in 2018, they each planted some local and some nonlocal seeds in a common garden. Every spring and fall, educators and students measure plant growth, like the number of leaves and seed pods and the heights of the plant. By taking these measurements over the course of several years, we can look for patterns to determine whether or not plants to better when they are grown in their local environment.

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