I was sitting sipping a coffee at an outside table in the cafe at the market the other day and I saw this seed lying on the table.
I thought I’d capture it and share it with you.
Isn’t it amazing? If you look closely, there are two capture devices built into it! At the left end, there’s a tiny, wee hook-shaped hair for grabbing onto something and, at the other end is this delicate and exquisite brush of fine, fair hairs for carrying it far in the wind.
Seeds have always been a source of wonder to me. How can such a tiny object turn into a flower, or a bush, or a tree? I guess if you are knowledgeable about such things you’ll know what this seed might become – I’m afraid I don’t! One of the subjects which enthralled me at university was embryology. How on earth can a single, fertilised cell turn into all the diverse types of cell in the human body and grow in the right places?! Awesome!
Do you think this seed might become a great tree somewhere? Like these ones?
I also went to a garden festival and one of the stalls sold seed pods. Look at their diversity!
So, there’s two things that amaze me about Nature – creativity and diversity. These are such important features of human beings too, aren’t they? How little we guess about the potential of a baby! How little we know about his or her uniqueness! Amazes me every time I think about it!
Heroes Not Zombies 
Hello! I came over from Amy’s. I love seeds as well… Seeds and bread – they are whole worlds in and of themselves.
Funny, though. The seed in your photo so looks like a hand tied fly for a fly fisherman. I’ll show it to my husband. He could probably even name the fly! (We are incredible geeks here!)
You have illustrated this so well here, in words and pictures. How true, huh? How we take this all for granted, getting lost in the maze of the day. Seeing this post, your enthusiasm and sense of wonder is inspiring and infectious–qualities more people could use, and certainly benefit from!
Hi Claudia. Yes it DOES look like a fisherman’s fly – but it isn’t!
Do tell me if your husband can name the fly that looks like this.
Oh, and if anyone can…….I’d love to know what plant this seed comes from!
Thanks steve for that lovely feedback. Sometimes when people ask me what I do, I say “I’m a peripatetic enthuser!” Enthusiasm is my MOST favourite infection!