The bur in buffalo bur

Click for greater sharpness.

Last June you saw a picture of Solanum rostratum, known as buffalo bur. The emphasis then was on the bright yellow flowers, but now it’s on the bur in buffalo* bur. Today’s photograph shows the spent remains of one of this plant’s fully open—and fully armed—seed capsules, which I found on February 1 within sight of the place where I photographed the milkweed fluff you saw in the last two posts. I sat on the ground for some time right next to this plant, which had dozens of dry seed heads like this one, and I came away not only with photographs but with some spine tips in my right leg. It’s one of the prices I pay for sharp pictures.

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* As for the buffalo (or more correctly bison), those animals did once roam the hills and plains of Austin, but I’d need a very expensive camera with time machine functionality built in to take a picture of them in my neighborhood.

© 2013 Steven Schwartzman

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