One of the things that makes this time of year so special is what occurring in nature. If you look closely at what is happening to all of the flowers, shrubs and trees in your garden in late summer/early fall, many of them should be sporting seed pods. Better yet, take a walk through a botanical garden or arboretum and look carefully – you will be astonished at the hundreds of different kinds of seed pods you will find – many quite beautiful. Take your kids for a walk and show them autumn’s bounty – they will be amazed and forever see the natural world with awakened eyes.
Seed Embroidery
Seed embroidery was practiced in Victorian era Germany. Flowers and buds were formed with various seeds, with stems and stalks of chenille connecting them together. The leaves were also worked in chenille. The seeds typically used were Indian corn, pumpkin and cucumber for large flowers, and canary and aster for the small. The seeds were pierced at each end with a carpet needle and attached by these holes to the material.
You can harvest seeds yourself. Keep an eye on when plants in your garden have gone to seed. When the seeds are ripe, nature will disperse them. If you want to collect them yourself, you need to wait until just before they would be dispersed naturally. The seed pods will become dry and will usually change color, typically from green to brown or white, and the seeds inside will change from green or white to brown or black. Once dry, remove the seeds.
If it’s not harvesting season, next time you go grocery shopping, check out the produce section. If you have items such as apples, cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkin or squash on your shopping list – these are all seed pods. Start saving the seeds from your produce. Wash off any food residue and spread the seeds out on a paper towel or newsprint to dry. Once completely dry, spray the seeds with a light coating of varnish; let dry, then turn the seeds over and spray their other side. This will keep the seeds from splitting when pierced with a needle.
Fun Facts: We wear coats to protect us from the elements – so do seeds
The earliest fossil seeds are around 365 million years old from the Late Devonian of West Virginia. The oldest viable carbon-14-dated seed that has grown into a plant was a Judean date palm seed about 2,000 years old, recovered from excavations at Herod the Great’s palace on Masada in Israel.
A typical seed includes three basic parts: an embryo, a supply of nutrients for the embryo, and a seed coat. In addition to the three basic seed parts, some seeds have an appendage on the seed coat such an aril (as in yew and nutmeg) or an elaiosome (as in Corydalis) or hairs (as in cotton).
An essential characteristic of a seed plant is that it begins its life as an embryonic plant inside the protective covering of a seed. When conditions are right—for example, when it has been exposed to water for a period of time—the seed germinates. As the young plant develops, stems and roots grow. The plant reaches maturity when it is able to reproduce by creating new seeds.
Seed plants that reproduce through the pollination of flowers are called angiosperms. Angiosperms (”enclosed seeds”) have male and female parts that work together to create a new plant. However, not all seed plants are flowering plants. Seed plants that do not have flowers—such as cycads, ginkgo, and conifers—are called gymnosperms (”naked seeds”). Conifers are common gymnosperms; no special structure develops to enclose the seeds, which begin their development “naked” on the bracts of cones. As well, not all plants are seed plants. Some plants, such as ferns and mosses, reproduce with spores instead of seeds.
For your pleasure, the following gallery shows over 60 different seed pods. Beautiful, aren’t they?
