Young Basil would never know that shortly after he was put up for adoption, most of his siblings were slaughtered in a pesto-motivated genocide.

Basil was born sometime in April 2008 and raised by nightshades in an outdoor container garden with many other Basils and some thyme. Left out in the cold, Basil would have gone to an early grave at first frost. As the smallest and most portable of the Basils, he was chosen for a singular chance at a longer, happier life somewhere very lacking in potted plants: the lobby of a University food court. This location proved comfortably similar to his previous home near a kitchen, and it may be noted that University food courts are particularly lacking in fresh herbs and spices. Yet young Basil could not simply be abandoned near the windows, left to die unwatered. Thus a call was made for his adoption in a manner preferred by many university denizens: the message board. I can only hope he finds a good home in student housing also otherwise lacking in potted plants and things (like Basil) that make the university staple of cheap spaghetti sauce almost palatable. It would assuage my guilt regarding the fates of his siblings.

FREE TO GOOD HOME Basil is a quiet and friendly six-month-old Ocimum basilicum, good with animals and children and permitted in dorm rooms under campus policy. He and his brothers and sisters (also named Basil) have been fostered as outdoor pets over the summer, but will need homes indoors near bright windows once the weather turns cold. Please note that as a houseplant, Basil is not neutered, and as a member of the invasive mint family, he should never be left outdoors without his pot. As a word of warning and encouragement, Basil is a bit of a masochist. Plucking a few leaves from the top now and then makes him feel happy and fulfilled. His leaves can then be used to make food taste better. If you want to provide Basil a good home, you can find him by the computers outside of Levering Food Court.