Shuttle Services for Seeds

Under a tulip tree in the woods, the ground may be littered with tan pods resembling long-scaled pine cones. Check high above in the branches for goldfinches wrestling the pods to reach the meaty kernels within. The slender kite-like seeds drift to the ground aided by the finch feeding frenzy.

Not all wind borne seeds have wings. Some, such as cattails, wear parachutes. A cattail’s distinctive brown head is composed of hundreds of seeds, each wearing a downy coat. Explore the edge of a ponds or marshes to look for them. As the heads dry in late autumn and throughout the winter, they burst open, and the fluffy packets drift through the wetland.

For the most part, these seeds sail out on their own. But in spring, birds will pluck the fluff for a cozy nest lining, releasing seeds into the April breeze.

 

Some of the most mundane seeds are tucked into bright, juicy envelopes. Seeds of wild roses are buried in red, berry-like fruits called hips. In a less romantic version of animal-seed interplay, the hips are eaten by animals, but the seeds pass through their digestive system unscathed and are deposited in droppings (with fertilizer!). In early winter wetlands and woods, winterberry and dogwood berries use the same strategy.

No need to hunt for “hitchhiking” seeds, as they often find you. Pods or seeds, such as burs and tickseeds have tiny spines capable of snagging onto fur. How many mother opossums have groomed seeds from their youngsters’ coats? You have probably picked them off jeans, woolly socks or your pet’s fur.

The round, spiny seed pods from the burdock plant are especially tenacious. Ancient folklore says if you toss a bur onto someone you love, and it sticks, she will love you forever. (Unless, of course, she is wearing her new cashmere sweater.)

One of my funniest animal-seed stories doesn’t involve a wild animal, but my cat, Fillmore. I brought home an armful of unopened milkweed pods to craft natural holiday decorations. I forgot them for a week or so, until Fillmore bounded up the basement stairs one evening with a face full of fuzz. The pods had burst open in the warmth. The cat and the circulating fan had a circus. Unwittingly, I decorated the basement...with a blanket of holiday snow.

 

 

This December, try a Seed Scavenger Hunt with children. It’s a great way to burn off some energy after a big holiday meal.  Look for “kites and parachutes” and “hitchhikers.” Find acorns and hickory nuts, too. Bright colored wild fruit, such as rose hips and winterberry (wild holly) is easy to spot. Cut open wild apples to find seeds inside.

 

Pine cones are “containers” for wind borne seeds. As pine cones dry in late summer, the scales open up, releasing the tiny winged seeds inside. See if you can shake any seeds free.

Gather some pine cones. Draw a chalk circle on your driveway, or make a small circle in the snow. Give each child three cones to toss into the circle. If you want to keep score, play several rounds. The child with the most cones inside the circle wins.

See how many seeds you can name that we eat!