Dandelion clock
Nature Photo Challenge,  Plants,  Themed galleries

Gallery: gone to seed

August 18, 2023 / 45 Comments

Nature varies the seed according to the variety of the things she desires to produce in the world

Leonardo da Vinci

We photograph flowers for their beautiful colours and shapes. But without seeds we would have no flowers, and those seeds too have their beauty, especially while still on the plant. Their often-dramatic sculptural structures are ideal for macro photography both in colour and monochrome.

In setting our Nature Photo challenge for the week Denzil says that the ‘flowering season may be coming to an end – in the northern hemisphere at least – but the seeding season may just be beginning’. Hmm … here in the UK I’m still seeing many more flowers than seeds. It is after all only mid-August, still the height of summer (if you can call our recent mixed bag of weather ‘summer’!) On a walk yesterday I was on the lookout for seedheads, but found very few. However I was able to add a couple to the selection I’d already pulled out of my archives.

I’ll start with a couple of black and white shots to show off those interesting structures, then move on to colour. I’ve identified those seedheads I recognised, which was only a few of them, and enlisted the help of Google Lens for some of the others.

Pale seed head against a dark background

Cow parsley in Eyam, Derbyshire

[and bonus spider!]

Seed head with lots of spikes against a pale background

Cow parsley in Whitstable, Kent

Spiky seed heads silhouetted against a cloudy sky

Teasel silhouettes in winter, Druridge Bay, Northumberland

Teasel, Brimham Rocks, Yorkshire

Spiky seed head with a few small flowers still attached
Long spiky seed head
Long spiky seed head

More teasels, in Norfolk and at Druridge Bay, Northumberland

Close-up of a dandelion gone to seed

Dandelion in Lammas Enclosure, Ealing

[the one in my feature photo was at Runnymede]

Fluffy cream seed head

In a garden in Wells, Somerset

[I think not a dandelion despite appearances]

Spray of small dry seeds

Seed head by the Beaulieu River, Buckler’s Hard, Hampshire

[according to Google Lens this is either hemlock water dropwort, which is incredibly poisonous, or corky-fruited water-dropwort, which is harmless – I wish I knew which!]

Spiky round seed head

In Ban Houa Done Deng, Laos

Ban Houa Done Deng is a small village on an island in the Mekong. Google Lens suggests this is probably leonotis nepetifolia, (also known as klip dagga, Christmas candlestick, or lion’s ear)

Round fluffy white seed head on fallen leaves

Fallen kapok tree seed head, Corcovado NP, Costa Rica

Two pale green seed pods

Poppy seed heads in Bulgaria

Fluffy seed head

Thistle down at Bolam Lake, Northumberland

[one of the two photos I took yesterday especially for this challenge]

Red stems with tiny green berries

Elderberries in formation, Bolam Lake, Northumberland

[also taken yesterday, and while I know berries hide their seeds, this was too pretty not to include!]

Small vase with spiky seed pods

Vase of nigella seed pods, Pelican Bay Café, Anacortes, WA

[included in part for Lynn of Blue Brightly!]

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45 Comments

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