What is that tree covered in brown butterflies, I thought.
A closer look revealed the fruits of Field Maple (Acer campestre) our only native maple. The fruits, rather like sycamore 'helicopters', have a seed at one end and a wing to help spread the seed over a wider area.
These winged fruits or keys are properly known as 'samaras'. As they are carried in pairs until they are ripe, they do look a bit like brown butterflies, or perhaps moths.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I just love getting comments so go ahead.