Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: maple seed

Ok, I admit it. I'm hopelessly silly...one of the things I like to do is apply fun names to things that I find. For instance, let's take Maple seeds. Don't they look like a strange sort of bat to you? OF COURSE YOU AGREE WITH ME!! :D So naturally, the proper name is Maple Bat. This tree was brimming with them! Now, since these Maple Bats aren't quite mature enough to fly away, they are fledglings! I see you approaching with a straight jacket but don't worry, I'm not totally insane, I promise! I merely have a thriving and imaginative inner child who loves to help out with anything goofy! :) I captured these a couple of years ago on a lovely spring day.

I never realized how beautiful maple seeds are when they are maturing, and here you can see them glowing in the afternoon sun! Did you know that the "wing" part of the maple seed is the "fruit" of the maple tree, called the "samara"? You can clearly see the actual seeds in my picture at the top of each samera! From Wiki: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samara_ (fruit) A samara is a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall. A samara is a simple dry fruit and indehiscent (not opening along a seam). It is a winged achene. The shape of a samara enables the wind to carry the seed farther away than regular seeds from the parent tree

I was delighted to find seeds emerging from pollinated maple blossoms so that you can still see the flower petals and the seed at the same time! The perfect way to understand the formation of seeds is to see it, so I love capturing this kind of image!

A couple of months ago, Steve and I were at the Palmerton Arboretum and I found these lovely maple seeds in clusters all over the lower branches of a huge maple tree which graced the entrance of this wonderful grove. I have always loved these seeds, and upon the tree the look to me like tiny, colorful bats in flight. This image makes me want to duck my head, here they come!! Below are a couple of other pictures of "maple bats", I hope you enjoy them! :