Our mystery seeds this week are also from a southwestern plant.
It wasn’t the seeds or flowers that caught our eye, but the seed cases.
Does this help?
Please leave a comment if you recognize these mystery seeds.
Edit: The answer is now posted.
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Our mystery seeds from last week must have stumped everyone. They were from a catclaw acacia tree, Acacia greggii.
Catclaw acacias are named for their hefty curved thorns that resemble a “cat’s claws.”
As with many southwestern “trees,” catclaw acacias are somewhat shrubby. They become more tree-like over time, however, and live well over 100 years.
Right now they are in full bloom in Arizona. We encountered these trees while hiking and you could smell them quite a ways away. The flowers have a very strong odor.
Many insects were visiting the flowers. Do you see any in the photograph above?
Have you ever smelled a catclaw acacia in full bloom? What do you think it smells like?
Little brown moths tend to get overlooked.
For example, this one visiting a flower.
Take a little closer look. In the sun the scales on its wings were shining gold.
Check the left wing. When the light was just right, this little “brown” moth was wearing brilliant rainbows of color.
Maybe it was worth a second look after all.
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Interested in moths? National Moth Week (July 20 – July 28, 2013) is a great way to participate in citizen science and celebrate moths.
Go see if there is an event near you. The Kids’ Page has a free coloring book to download.
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.