As I wandered around the arboretum, I noticed that some of the Big Leaf Maple trees still had many clusters of seed samaras or keys. The wings are a golden paper. The seed is enclosed in a protective shell that has a fuzzy husk. I’ll be waiting to see when they decide to take flight and land in an opportune spot for germinating.
Up close, the fuzz on the seed casing takes on the feeling of a potentially irritating quill.