Upside down

 

 

Sure has felt like life has been turned upside down recently.  That feeling made me think about these Pine Siskins (Spinus pinus) feeding on Sweetgum fruits back in December.

 

Seasonal display

 

Happy Fourth of July!

It seemed like sharing the seed head of the local Beach Dandelion (Agoseris apargioides var. eastwoodiae) would be a fun way to help celebrate.  Does it remind you of fireworks or sparklers?

 

 

If you're curious, this is what Agoseris looks like in flower (below).  Note the broad, fuzzy leaves.  You can find Beach Dandelions along Bodega Head's coastal bluffs.

 

Let's split

 

Splitting seed pod of Willow Herb

Willow herb (Epilobium ciliatum) has loculicidal fruit.  The fruit is a long, slender pod that contains the seeds.  Loculicidal means that the pod splits longitudinally (lengthwise), sort of like peeling a banana (according to Michelle).

["Locule" means "little place" in Latin.  In plants, it's a small compartment (a chamber within the ovary) that contains the seeds.]

Here are a few more views of this graceful arching seed pod and its symmetrical arrangement of seeds.

 

Note that each seed has a white hair-tuft to aid in dispersal by wind.

 

Here's the flower itself. On Bodega Head it's found in freshwater marshes and wet roadside ditches.

 

P.S.  Happy Solstice!