Bladdernut Seed Pod
Sweetgum Seed Pod
Milkweed Seed PodToday, I pull out three more specimens, bladdernut, sweetgum, and milkweed, from our Nature Basket. What do these radically different specimens have in common? All three are containers for holding seeds, pods that protect the embryonic plants from predators and the elements until they are ripe and ready to be distributed.
I chose to contrast these three seed containers because they have radically different forms. In fact, seed pods are so variable and species specific that they can clinch a plant or tree identification. Like the mushrooms in the post below, they are also incredibly beautiful.
The bladdernut pod is lightweight and probably waterproof. The bladdernut tree that makes them prefers the moist environs of wetlands to live, and it is possible that the seed pods that fall into the water float to new locations far from their parent plant. A dried bladdernut pod is great fun for children to find. Hold it by the stem and shake, shake, shake! It's a rattle!
The sweet gum pod is more of a salt-shaker than a rattle. It makes no noise when shaken, but the small seeds fall from the many openings in its spiny sides. The seeds inside may not travel as far as those of the milkweed, below, but they end up some distance from the parent tree, reducing competition between parent and offspring for water and nutrients. Children love to collect sweet gum pods because of their odd looks and spherical shape.
Talk about long distance distribution! The protective milkweed pods burst open along their seams when the seeds ripen. Each seed is fitted with a fiberous parachute, on a dry and breezy day, these flying seeds are lifted out of the seed pod and take to the wind. Because of their lightness, they can travel great distances and establish new milkweed colonies in far off places. Milkweed is a great plant for children to explore. They can have fun releasing the seeds to the wind. The silken parachutes are lovely to touch, and the dried pods are useful for craft projects and decoration.
I chose to contrast these three seed containers because they have radically different forms. In fact, seed pods are so variable and species specific that they can clinch a plant or tree identification. Like the mushrooms in the post below, they are also incredibly beautiful.
The bladdernut pod is lightweight and probably waterproof. The bladdernut tree that makes them prefers the moist environs of wetlands to live, and it is possible that the seed pods that fall into the water float to new locations far from their parent plant. A dried bladdernut pod is great fun for children to find. Hold it by the stem and shake, shake, shake! It's a rattle!
The sweet gum pod is more of a salt-shaker than a rattle. It makes no noise when shaken, but the small seeds fall from the many openings in its spiny sides. The seeds inside may not travel as far as those of the milkweed, below, but they end up some distance from the parent tree, reducing competition between parent and offspring for water and nutrients. Children love to collect sweet gum pods because of their odd looks and spherical shape.
Talk about long distance distribution! The protective milkweed pods burst open along their seams when the seeds ripen. Each seed is fitted with a fiberous parachute, on a dry and breezy day, these flying seeds are lifted out of the seed pod and take to the wind. Because of their lightness, they can travel great distances and establish new milkweed colonies in far off places. Milkweed is a great plant for children to explore. They can have fun releasing the seeds to the wind. The silken parachutes are lovely to touch, and the dried pods are useful for craft projects and decoration.
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