Just pointing this out here at the beginning – without seeds we would not have some of the clothes we wear, we would not have fruits and vegetables, nor would we have beauty to look upon through wildflowers. Some trees we would not have to offer us shade on hot days if it were not for seeds.
Seeds come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, like the cacao seed where delicious chocolate comes from, its entire seed pod fills the entire palm of my hand. Other seeds are so small that hundreds can cover the tip of my index finger. While other seeds actually can carry on a nature symphony when bursting out of their pods after their growth period has been spent.
A lot of genetic information no matter the size of the seed is stored inside each one. If they are able to survive they will carry on all their genetic material and hopefully grow new plants. When seeds are ready, they leave their parent plant and try to begin a new life on their own. Some seeds will drop to the ground. Some seeds actually are carried by the winds like the seeds of a dandelion.
Flyaway seeds are beautiful. Just like making a wish with a dandelion, when you blow on the dandelion head each seed flies away with the wind. These types of seeds act as a tiny parachute to help it float in the air. This helps them disperse in a location far away from its point of origin so it can take root on a fresh area of ground.
Embedded seeds are unique. To collect them you literally have to shake them out or dig them out of dried flower heads. In nature, these types of seeds get distributed by the eventual deterioration of the flower head and often will land near where it emerged and lies in wait for rains to help it grow the following year or even maybe the year after that.
Some seeds get to cheat in the best way possible. They literally get taken for a ride by attaching themselves to animals passing by them or even us when we pass by them. After the ride, the seeds unhitch themselves and land to hopefully remain undisturbed until rains can help them dig into the ground and wait till they can emerge. I’m pretty sure hundreds of seeds have hitched rides on me given all the hiking and exploring I have done. I’ve had wildflowers emerge in my plant beds that I know I did not plant.
Seeds are important. Without them, we would not have the majority of life on this planet. Water is even more vitally critical than ever. If you have flowerbeds around your home or you want to create some flowerbeds around your home then planting some native plants will help you conserve water and provide you lasting beauty from about March to early November. Planting native plants also help pollinators like the Monarch butterfly when they migrate through the area during April and September.
Forgotten Winds 