Norway Maples Go To Seed

Remember the Norway Maples that we looked at in April? Here we can see the self-same tree with fresh green seeds growing in the spring warmth. As kids, we’d refer to these seeds as “helicopters,” owing to their rotary flip-flip-flip motion when they come gliding to the ground.

If you’re interested, you can also revisit our exploration of the Crimson King Norway Maple trees from the Kirkwood Preserve.

A gift

Yesterday while out with the dogs, I found a perfectly-halved black walnut laying in the grass. So freshly opened was this walnut that the meat was still a creamy green-yellow.

I watch the squirrels bus these nuts about and munch them day in and day out. Seeing as how they are rather meticulous creatures, I could only conclude that someone lost half their lunch while eating up in one of the pines, but did not have the opportunity or the means to retrieve it.

Carefully I placed the nut meat-side-up in the crook of the arm of the Eastern white pine outside the window, certain that some lucky squirrel (one of many who traverse this particular tree-highway-on-ramp every day) would score big and enjoy.

Strangely enough, there were very few squirrels out today, likely owing to the much welcome rain (which I thoroughly enjoyed). As I was wrapping up my work for the evening, I saw a flutter out of the corner of my eye, and turned to spot a tiny brown bird (possible a nuthatch), carefully peck-pecking at the meat in the nut-half!

The more he ate the faster he pecked, until he peck-pecked the nut right off the branch! He swiftly followed it down to the earth, apparently ate his fill (I said he was tiny), and then fluttered off into the dusk!

You can see the part he ate on the left, and I’m certain that someone will be along tomorrow to finish off what remains of the nut meat.

Spent

After blooming, the rhododendron flowers do like most flowers do, and produce seeds for the next generation.

Here is an image of our subject rhododendron, in which you see some spent seed pods from the previous years’ flower buds.

[Scroll down a little to yesterday's post for images of the beautiful rhododendron flowers].

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