The seed heads of flowering plants can rival the blossoms in delicacy and design, especially when viewed up close. Each plant has a distinctive way of forming and protecting the seeds so that they will disperse at the optimum time.
Above is Papaver somniferum, whose blooms last just a few days, already forming the pod which has to be among the most elegant of seed dispersal mechanisms.
The cap of the seed pod protects the little openings directly underneath, which transform the pod into a shaker for the thousands of tiny black seeds.
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| Allium, Mount Everest |
Each floret forms a tiny case which opens in late summer to reveal the seeds.
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| Centaurea montana |
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| Cosmos sulphureus |
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| Monarda didyma |
The seed heads of many plants, including Echinacea, can be left in the garden for birds to snack on during the winter.
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