Roadsides are waste places where the junk plants grow but even the weeds produce fruit and seeds. Here’s what I found yesterday on a walk in my neighborhood.
The fruits of bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) look like tiny tomatoes, above, or small jalapeño peppers … but don’t eat them!
A close look at burdock reveals the tiny hooks that inspired velcro.
Curly dock (Rumex crispus) shows off its spike of dark brown seeds encased in the calyx of the flowers that produced them. Wikipedia says this flange allows the seeds to float.
And when the wind blows these white snakeroot seeds (Ageratina altissima) will leave the mother plant.
Take a walk around the edges to see roadside fruits and seeds.
(photos by Kate St. John)
Great photos! One of the pleasures of fall walks is looking at the seeds and fruits of the wild plants.
Time to start collecting for my “winter bouquets” !!