This hierarchy is not without reason. Due to competition for resources, young plants have a greatly reduced chance for survival if they take root directly at the base of the parent plant. The milkweed pod spread open to let fly hundreds of seeds that float away like bubbles on a breezy day. Plants rely on four main modes of dispersal, each a one-way ticket to a place to put down roots. If this sounds like an adventure, it is.
Seeds take to the air, set out to sea, are swallowed and buried and then some.
The first method of seed dispersal is the wind. Almost everyone has seen plants gently swaying in the breeze. Actually, it is both beautiful and necessary. The seeds of some plants such as milkweed or the dreaded dandelion develop tiny, fluffy hairs that allow them to catch a breeze, take flight, and blow to a new location. Others, such as maple, ash and elm trees, develop seeds with wings or blades, commonly called helicopters, that propel them to their planting point.