My Love of Botany Mykyta Solonko

As I sauntered with my father through the pine forest, I strained my neck to gaze at his face. I was only six, and my father hadn’t visited Mirgorod in a year. As the forest ended, we entered a meadow, full of wildflowers and butterflies. Childishly, I just stared at the path in front of me when the grass growing nearby caught my interest. I did not understand why the grass grew those pinecone-shaped tops, so I asked my father. He explained that when sown, these seeds will grow into new plants. Curious, I picked a handful of seeds from the stalks and put them in my pocket.

Although this event seems quite ordinary, especially for a curious youngster, it was atypical for me. In fact, this was one of the most impactful days of my life. As I planted the seeds in a flowerpot later that evening, my body trembled with excitement since I expected immediate results. Even though I was disappointed with the sluggish growth rate, I nonetheless kept monitoring the development of the seedlings in the ensuing weeks. Their growth fascinated me, and I soon begged my mom for a book about plants. In a few weeks, I perused my own 300-page encyclopedia, which I essentially memorized by the age of eight. In the coming years, I grew dozens of plants...