Dr. Betty's Research on Plants Quest Guide: Fossil Steps and the Leaf Earrings

Dr. Betty's Research on Plants is a four-step chain from Betty in Ellinia, open at level 17. You collect Plant Samples, fetch a Stuffed Drake Skull from her daughter Anne, then carry her Fossil Report to Winston at East Rocky Mountain II, outside Perion. Total: 3,928 EXP, 2,220 mesos, Blue Potion ×15, Orange ×15, Meat ×5, Leaf Earrings.

Quick answer: Betty, Ellinia, Lv. 17+ (after Delivering a Box of Fossils). Step 1: 8 Plant Samples. Steps 2 and 3: get the Stuffed Drake Skull from Anne (The Hill East of Henesys). Step 4: Betty hands you the Fossil Report; you bring 20 Leaves, 15 Firewood, a Stump's Teardrop and a pair of Weighted Earrings. Reward: Leaf Earrings (Lv. 25, 24 M.DEF, 5 slots).

Before you start

Finish Delivering a Box of Fossils first (Winston, Lv. 17).
The last step eats a pair of Weighted Earrings. The only quest that rewards them in the game data is Mother's Gold Watch, the last step of Alex the Runaway Kid, and even that is a 50/50 roll against a Yellow Square. If you get Weighted Earrings there, keep them. If you roll the Yellow Square, your options are a monster drop or another player: drop tables and shop stock aren't in the game data, so we can't point you to a confirmed second source.
Stump's Teardrop: the item description says it's very rarely found from a Dark Axe Stump. Dark Axe Stumps are Lv. 23 (547 HP), well above the chain's level 17, and the densest maps are East Rocky Mountain V (25) and East Rocky Mountain IV (23), both near Winston. Expect this to be the slow part.
Firewood and Leaves: Firewood's item description says it comes from an Axe Stump. The game data has no drop source for Leaf.

Step-by-step

#	Quest	Start NPC	Bring / defeat	Reward
1	Research on Plant Fossils	Betty	Plant Sample ×8	982 EXP, 555 mesos, Blue Potion ×15
2	Research on Animal Fossils	Betty	Nothing to collect (talk/deliver step)	982 EXP, 555 mesos, Orange ×15
3	Transporting Drake's Skull	Anne	Nothing to collect: you're handed Stuffed Drake Skull when the step starts, just deliver it	982 EXP, 555 mesos, Meat ×5
4	Progress on Fossil Research	Betty	Leaf ×20 Firewood ×15 Stump's Teardrop Weighted Earrings (you're handed Fossil Report when the step starts)	982 EXP, 555 mesos, Leaf Earrings

Walkthrough notes

Step 1: 8 Plant Samples from the woods around Ellinia.
Steps 2 and 3: Betty sends you to her daughter Anne near Henesys for the Stuffed Drake Skull, which you bring back to Betty.
Step 4: Betty finishes her research and asks you to take the Fossil Report to Winston at East Rocky Mountain II, along with 20 Leaves, 15 Firewood, 1 Stump's Teardrop and 1 pair of Weighted Earrings. Winston hands you the Leaf Earrings.

Total rewards

Reward	Across the whole chain
EXP	3,928
Mesos	2,220
Guaranteed items	Blue Potion ×15, Orange ×15, Meat ×5, Leaf Earrings

Leaf Earrings vs the Weighted Earrings you hand in: Leaf Earrings are Lv. 25, 24 M.DEF, +5 MP, +2 avoid, 5 slots. Weighted Earrings are Lv. 20, 22 M.DEF, +1 avoid, 5 slots.

Is it worth it?

It's a small trade-up. You give away a 5-slot earring (Weighted Earrings) and get back another 5-slot earring that's slightly better (+2 M.DEF, +5 MP, +1 avoid) but needs level 25 instead of 20. The steady part is 982 EXP and 555 mesos on every step (3,928 EXP and 2,220 mesos total, about 36% of a level at 17, against 11,040 to level), plus 15 Blue Potions, 15 Oranges and 5 Meat. If you already scrolled your Weighted Earrings, don't hand those in. Use a clean pair or skip step 4. The Stump's Teardrop is rare, so budget time for it.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Dr. Betty in MapleStory Classic World?

Betty is in Ellinia. Her chain opens at level 17 once you've done Delivering a Box of Fossils.

Where is Anne for the Stuffed Drake Skull?

On The Hill East of Henesys.

Where do I get Stump's Teardrop?

The item description says it's very rarely found from a Dark Axe Stump.

Do I lose my Weighted Earrings in Betty's quest?

Yes. The final step takes 1 pair of Weighted Earrings, along with the other materials.

Are Leaf Earrings better than Weighted Earrings?

Slightly: 24 M.DEF, +5 MP and +2 avoid against 22 M.DEF and +1 avoid, both with 5 slots. Leaf Earrings need level 25, Weighted Earrings level 20.

Sources: Game data v1.0.0. Names and game content © Nexon, used for informational purposes. The explanations on this page are our own.