Still Thinking About Seeds

It's Monday, and I'm adding some text to photos that are from one to several days old.  Once again, on a day that I left my camera at home, several impressive sights were seen.  For one, the Orange Peel Fungus is now larger in diamter than a penny (See previous posts about this fungus.), and the Amanita has throughly shriveled.  I'm hoping enough will remain tomorrow for an interesting photo. Now, for the seeds.  The Rose Hips shown above were photographed in an alley outside Quincy Natural Foods co-op.  Why are they called hips?  Like any other fruit (well, almost any other), they contain the code for the next generation, along with some Vitamin C and other good nutrients.  These ovaries usually dry out on the plant and drop their seeds to the ground.  However, some are eaten and that becomes a means of dispersal.

I was looking for photogenic bursting pods of the Showy Milkweed at one of my favorite spots along Lee Road.  That spot is becoming less and less appealing as nearby industrial activity has taken a toll on what was once my favorite milkweed place.  The first pods I spotted on this particular day, not yet burst open, were a substrate for wandering Small Milkweed Bugs.  Yes, that's its name.  Not very elegant. On another plant, I did find some seed pods burst open.  This scene always reminds me of one of my favorite volumes by Thoreau, Faith in a Seed.

Then I got a few photos of acorns of the California Black Oak.  For a couple of weeks, I have been following the lives of Oak Treehoppers on this tree, but today I am thinking about the oak itself.  Here's a shot of an acorn still on the tree, then...

...a few on the ground nearby.  Note the tiny hole in the acorn in the middle.  My students now know this is a sign that there's an insect larva inside.  Chances are this acorn will not produce a tree, although there could still be some edible acorn "meat" inside.  More about seeds undoubtedly coming soon.  Size differences, means of dispersal, and potential in human nutrition are among the many related topics swirling around in my mind.  I'm also getting the urge to put the camera aside and resume drawing regularly.