We like to eat fleshy fruits, and nuts, but there are other strategies. The Witch Hazel family has a different way of doing things. We saw an ornamental Witch Hazel blooming last Winter, but it takes all year for the fruits to ripen. They're encased in these curious capsules, which, upon drying out, pop open explosively, propelling the seeds up to eighteen feet! The capsule below has already blown.










You might not guess that the big Sweetgum tree is in the Witch Hazel family, but it also encapsulates its seeds. Unlike its smaller cousin, however, it groups the capsules into a symmetrical ball, each alcove topped with a spike, like the head of a mace (the weapon, not the stuff surrounding a nutmeg fruit). Here's a squirrel's-eye view of some, still hanging in the boughs. Soon they will turn brown, and the barbs will split open, releasing the seeds. Then they fall, and the husks will litter the ground all Winter.



And then there are some downright odd things up in the trees?