Not Christmas ornaments, but rain-covered Schefflera seeds knocked to the ground by Hurricane Isaac!
I loved the brilliant red Schefflera seeds with their bright "yellow stitching" around their edges. And months later I found another seed cluster that has dried and darkened and it's wonderful too!
Hurricane Isaac dropped these brilliant red and black/purple seeds to the ground. I love the golden glistening vascular bundles that look like jewels on their ends.
The shapes. The dark blue black color. The textures and details!
Schefflera trees grow rapidly here in South Florida... from house-plant size to giant trees with huge umbrella-like leaves, in only a few years.
Once mature, they produce huge sprays of seeds which I have only seen 20 or 30 feet in the air. Today we had a violent wind and rain storm and one of the seed sprays broke off and fell to the ground. For the first time, I got a very close look at these brilliant red seeds... and their surrounding bright yellow dotted lines!
These seeds are favorites of the flocks of wild green parrots that scream through our neighborhood and then suddenly and silently land in a tree. Hundreds disappear in an instant... camouflaged so they can safely feast on these glorious red seeds.
See my sets, Living in a Jungle and Luscious Leaves, Fruits and Seeds.
Schefflera actinophylla
Biscayne Park, FL