Keith Burton's photos with the keyword: catkins

Taken on a piece of waste ground near to where I live. These are the catkins of a Common Hazel tree. The catkins are the male flowers........if you view large you will see a couple of tiny red flowers, which are the females. The male flowers carry the pollen, which is used to fertilise the female flowers, which then produce the seeds.

Showing the leaves and the distinctive male catkins hanging in tiered clusters. Male and female flowers are on separate catkins, but on the same tree. The female catkins will appear in the spring. There is a closer view of the catkins in the PiP. These were taken in a local cemetery.

These are the catkins on the small Twistred Hazel Tree in my garden. Thanks to Amelia I discovered that Hazel trees have both male and female flowers. The catkins are the male flowers which carry the pollen. On the same tree will also be female flowers, which are very tiny (just a few mm tall) and which are very easy to miss unless you know about them. I only knew because Hazel had told me and so I was able to find them..........you can see them in the PiP. Anyway, the pollen blows out of the catkins and on to the female flowers which eventually will produce hazelnuts! Magic! You can see Amelia's images and much better explanation here: www.ipernity.com/doc/1021409/51755318

Taken at Wickham, Hampshire.

Taken at WWT Arundel and processed using the Sepia Tone High Contrast pre-set in Aperture 3 and then tweaking in levels.