July 2011: Nigella Damascena Seed Pods

July 2011: Morning Walk, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

Well, beautiful blue flowers I enjoyed in May are gone - but look at these seed pods!

Palm fruit (Phoenix dactylifera)

 Fresh dates, in my opinion are more tasty than those with sugar

and once eaten... leaving only the seed

Acquerelli su moleskine di Angela Maria Russo

Maple seeds - Elizabeth Smith

Maple seeds, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

Here in Florida, spring seems to come early. Samaras are growing on the red maples – those wonderful little pairs of seed and wing that delight the child in us! Some people call them helicopters, and some call them keys; I’m sure there are many other names in different parts of the world for this type of interesting seed dispersing device.

Amazing what can be found on the internet…I didn’t know maple seeds were edible for one!
**Disclaimer: one should ALWAYS confirm edibility and then positively identify the plant or tree before eating.  Even when sure that it is edible (speaking as one with allergies), try only a small amount and wait to see how you will react.**

Samara definition

How to eat maple seeds

NASA’s make a maple seed "helicopter" page

You can click on the image above to view it larger on my Flickr photostream.

~ Elizabeth Smith, Naples, FL, USA