Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: seeds

As kids, a favorite thing we all used to do was finding dandelion seed heads, making a wish, and blowing the seeds off into with wind. Now that we are adults, have you ever stopped to take a close look at these? Such delicate details, such a perfect design for floating on the wind to far-flung destinations. Such an elegant fom. And, as you can see here, just a pair of seed "parachutes" left on a seedhead gives you a chance to see that the fluffy ball to the right is made up of about 100 individual seeds, which are connected to their wind-catching parachutes. Be sure to click on this image to get a bigger view! :)

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.

Though wild grass is something we pull out as a weed, it's very pretty if you take the time to appreciate it. Waving gracefully in a gentle breeze causes the seeds to twinkle as they catch the light. It can be quite a challenge to get something like this in perfect focus with a soft background, so when I succeeded, I was very happy!

Using a macro lens reveals a fascinating new perspective, and will often surprise you with these fresh views. How common, boring and ugly dandilions are...to most people, anyway. Detested, yanked out, and scorned, these enemies to the lawn perfectionist are actually quite beautiful, when seen through a macro lens. I quickly fell in love with these flowers, and all others which make these seedheads of parachutes. This was a picture I took in May of 2012, to show how exquisitely perfect these lovely seedheads truly are. Explored on January 10, 2012. Highest placement, #10.

Aren't poppy pods wonderful to look at? I think they look like little people, and this is just a tiny group of them! I wouldn't be surprised if over 1,000 poppy flowers bloomed in my raised-bed garden this summer. It was an incredible show which was in full explosion through the month of July, and has dwindled to a few here and there now that we are heading to October. I haven't cut down all of the poppy seed pods yet, partly because I enjoy staring at them. The number of pods is just staggering and I'm amazed at the huge amount of seed I've collected from the tiny fraction of all the pods out there. I am interested to find out how much seed I'll get when all is said and done! There are five others doing this project with me! Make sure to check out their streams and see what they've been doing with their 1-10 Project! 1-10 Project Buddies Chrissy Valfal (Valerie) Jenny McIntyre Rachel Lynne Explored on September 23, 2014. Highest placement: #2.

4 more pictures in notes above and 1 text note! :) Have I mentioned lately how much I love poppies? I LOVE POPPIES!!! :D They are beautiful in all stages and have unique and unusual forms as they progress from bud through seed stage. I've been keeping an eye on the poppy seed pods as they've matured, swelled in size, and then dried up, signalling that they have seeds ready for harvesting!! We have plenty of deer who have risked our deer sprayer to eat anything that looks promising and they've chomped up a number of seed heads, but I'm very happy to report that at least half of the seed heads are unmolested! :D However, before harvesting, I wanted to take pictures so that you can see how absolutely amazing they look!!! If you like fascinating shapes and awesome textures, you simply cannot go wrong with these incredible seed heads! I had a great time taking pictures and some of them include water droplets and sunbursts! Today's uploads include three other pictures and a close-up of the main seed head in this image. I hope you enjoy the images as much as I did taking them! Ben Sweetland is an author and psychologist, widely known for his syndicated column, "The Marriage Clinic," and for his many books, including "I Will", and "I Can". He is active on the West Coast as a consulting psychologist, and much sought after as a lecturer throughout the states. Ben Sweetland Explored on August 5, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#29).

2 more pictures in notes above! :) Today Steve had my camera for a work assignment, so when he got home I popped on the macro flash and went out to take pictures. However, when I looked at them on my computer, I didn't think any of them were especially interesting. So, I decided to use one of my "emergency subjects" for times when I'm rushed for a picture and can't go out on another hunt. What do you think of this strange leaf-seed combination that I found one day in Medford?! I looked carefully at the tree this came from, and the regular leaves are quite different. In hindsight, I'm sorry I didn't take one of those leaves home too, it would be good for comparison. (This is a picture of the normal leaves along with the seed-bearing leaves) Anyway, I think the seeds are so cute and fuzzy and hoped they would make a nice picture! Thanks to all of you who helped me to identify this as a Basswood, Linden or Lime tree (not related to the fruit). From Wiki: Commonly known by the names Basswood, Linden or Lime tree, Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Commonly called lime trees in the British Isles, they are not closely related to the lime fruit. Other names include linden and basswood. The genus occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but the greatest species diversity is found in Asia. Tilia species are mostly large, deciduous trees, reaching typically 20 to 40 metres (66 to 130 ft) tall, with oblique-cordate leaves 6 to 20 centimetres (2 to 8 in) across. As with elms, the exact number of species is uncertain, as many if not most of the species will hybridise readily, both in the wild and in cultivation. Limes are hermaphroditic, having perfect flowers with both male and female parts, pollinated by insects. I discovered that many parts of this plant are edible, after reading a fascinating article about the Basswood tree by Samuel Thayer: Basswood: The Ultimate Wild Salad Plant . Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American photographer and environmentalist. His black-and-white landscape photographs of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, and in books. Wikipedia: Ansel Adams Explored on October 24, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.

8 more pictures in notes above! 6 are a series that go with the main image, 2 are my other images that are clickable! A couple of days ago, Steve was out doing some errands and I asked him to pick up some flower seeds for me if he stopped anywhere that had some. Well, as it happened, he stopped at a store that was having a 25¢ sale on their seed packets, so he ended up bringing home 11 different ones!! HOORAY!! :D (3 kinds of Zinnias, Shasta Daisies, Asters, Bachelor Buttons, Morning Glories, Helichrysum, Marigolds, and Sweet Williams!) That evening I got a seed tray out, figured out how many seeds I could use and then counted seeds, laid them out on a paper towel soaked with special seed "juice", and covered them up with more of the same. Plastic wrap to keep the moisture in and then I just needed to wait! Overnight is the minimum but I've usually soaked my seeds for two days. Now, I don't know about you, but to me, seeds are absolutely miraculous! How can something so small and insignificant turn into a TREE! Or, for that matter a PERSON! An ELEPHANT! A BLUE WHALE! It's just the most incredible thing to me. Whenever I've ever started a plant from a seed, the experience just blows me away!! Of course I understand the science behind it and it all makes sense, but when you see a little speck pop open and watch roots and leaves appear...WOWWWW!!!! WHAT A SHOW!!! So, yesterday I began peeking! 11 little paper covers to peel back, just like the Christmas Advent Calendars! What will I find?! HOW EXCITING!! And lo and behold, I would find a seed cracking open, and the hint of a root appearing...WOO HOO!!! THE MIRACLE OF LIFE!!! Day turned to night and before bed I checked again...WHY THERE WAS A PARTY GOING ON UNDER THOSE PAPER TOWEL BLANKETS!! Seeds a'poppin' left and right, little roots trying to dig through the paper towel below...how absolutely cool is that?!!! I couldn't stop smiling and cooing at the little seed babies! :) Today I needed to plant the seeds before the "popped" ones got problems from being exposed to the air, so of course I would just have to take pictures for my 365 before I popped them into the dirt! I didn't want to devote more than one of my photostream spots for my seedlings so I've put lots of pictures in notes to share the experience! I hope you enjoy the show!! (NOTE: Although this series was originally set to Private, they are all now public, so if you want to see them at a larger size, you can! :) John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. Jon Bon Jovi Explored on August 6, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.

[best appreciated at full size against black] Sometimes photographic subjects nearly hit you in the face, and this is an example! I was on a walk with the dogs along our ridge line trail, taking pictures and having a wonderful time. I'd just stood up to continue down the trail when I nearly hit something at eye level. Backing off, this is what I saw! I'm not sure what sort of seeds these are, but I loved the way they were hanging, and their deep, nearly black-rusted-brown color is quite striking. I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) NOTE! I have finally updated my profile and I hope you'll take a look to find out a little more about me and how important all of you are to my experience here on Flickr! Janet's profile (sfhipchick) This image was taken in April, 2012.

The other day I was up on our ridgeline taking pictures of fall colors and I found this group of drying poison oak berries glowing in the afternoon sun. I would say this is one of my better images! :D I've uploaded three more pictures today--I usually post only two, but I found another view of the Foothill Clover where it's standing up and thought it deserved a view! :) I've also posted some macaw pictures and the 150th Flower of Spring & Summer!! :) Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :)

WHAT?! Ok, ok, I'm cheating and I don't care! I think male pine cones look as pretty as flowers and since they release pollen, I'm including this as one of the Flowers of Spring & Summer! :) So there! :D The first thing to know is that pine cones don't have flowers! Instead, these trees have male cones that release pollen and female cones that receive the pollen and produce seeds. Male cones look very different and grow on the lower branches, whereas female cones grow on the upper branches. They are the cones we all recognize. They receive the pollen released by the male cones and produce seeds. Isn't that fascinating?! I always wondered what these things were! If you would like to know more about pine cones, Wiki has a very nice page here: Wiki: Conifer Cone

I found a bunch of small trees which were covered with these beautiful tassels of seeds. I loved the texture and two-tone of black and cream. I was happy to get so many that were crisp, a surprise because it was quite breezy on the river and these tassels waved merrily back and forth, shimmering in the late afternoon sun. I got pictures with various backgrounds: clear blue sky, seed tassels in various bokeh, and this tree in various bokehs. I asked Steve to help me pick and he liked this one the most. I hope you like it! :)

Doesn't this look like an Alien egg that's opening up with a face-hugger inside?! :D But in this case, you'll see the mature seeds inside, ready for dispersal! Isn't that cool?! :D