These are what I used to call "helicopters" when I was a kid. They are the seeds of maple trees that, when they fall, twirl around wildly while slowly descending to the ground. Their fins behave a little like helicopter blades, providing a little lift to the heavy seed so it can fall away from the parent tree, hence the nickname. I would often pick them up and toss them into the air to see them twirl back down to the ground again.
January helicopters.
We have two maple trees on our property. And not a few helicopters. These I saw down by the river, just hanging around. I think the ones in our yard fall in early summer. Yet here it was the middle of winter, and these were still on the tree.
January helicopters.
Ash and sycamore trees also have these keys... it is a very successful method of seed dispersal... but a pain in the ass for gardeners.
ReplyDeleteI love this picture... superb DOF isolating the subject and great,delicate colours. Super shot Walt.
tim, thanks. In fact, I don't really know what species of tree these are from. Could be one of those you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteMy Mother used to hate these. They would hurt her feet when she stepped on them.
ReplyDeletethat is a lovely photograph.
ReplyDeleteHelicopters was the name my friends and I called them, too.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen them with the striated auburn/rust tones, like these - after a freeze. Good shot, Walt.
Mary in Oregon
P.S.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought when I saw the photo was it looked like a fishermen's catch.
Mary in Oregon
I had the same thought as Mary. Fish on a stringer.
ReplyDeleteI've seen those leaves. They're fun. Oh crap, now you've got two words to type. Do you REALLY have that much trouble with spammers?
ReplyDeleteOnce again, thanks for all the comments. I'm sorry about the word verification thing... It's not my doing, just something that Google/Blogger has done. I'm having a hard time reading them myself.
ReplyDeleteCourage, all!
Great shot!
ReplyDelete