I’m curious to see if anyone can identify the subject of this photo. If you think you know, put your guess in the comments section below and I’ll try to keep an eye out and chime in when someone gets the right answer.
I’ll give you six clues.
- It is neither animal nor mineral.
- It is smaller than a bread box.
- It poses no known danger to humans.
- It will never call you to solicit money or votes.
- It did not appear in any Star Wars movies.
- It was photographed within my square meter photography plot.
Speaking of my square meter photography plot, I’ve just updated my web page for that project. You can click here (or on the Square Meter Photography Project tab in the menu at the top of this blog’s home page) to find out how many species I’ve photographed within that plot as of today. The number has gone up, both because I continue to find more species and because I’ve had more help identifying and separating species from each other.
The Prairie Ecologist 
On Tue, Oct 30, 2018 at 8:08 PM The Prairie Ecologist wrote:
> Chris Helzer posted: ” I’m curious to see if anyone can identify the > subject of this photo. If you think you know, put your guess in the > comments section below and I’ll try to keep an eye out and chime in when > someone gets the right answer. I’ll give you six clues. ” >
This seems so familiar. I’m going to guess that it’s a milkweed plant, and that the little round thingies were the attachment points for the flowers.
Milkweed was my immediate thought also. Specifically, I think it is butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). The part that is shown appears to be where the peduncles that support the follicles have dehisced.
I checked the definition and the peduncles would have abscised and not dehisced (fruit opening).
There you go, James – and others. It is indeed butterfly milkweed. Nicely done.
Years of collecting seed pods (actually follicles) of butterfly milkweed from my garden to donate to a local nature sanctuary have finally paid off while answering one of Chris’ photo trivia posts. :)
That’s it! That’s exactly what I was trying to say. My vocabularly hasn’t kept pace with my eye.
Is it a photo of the immature flower buds of a dodder species (Cuscuta sp.)? But, on on second thought, is dodder ever so hairy?
Three seeded mercury? Looks similar from a quick check of the Mn Wildflower site.
Stem of Asclepias viridiflora after flowers have fallen off.
Plant stamen
….what THEY said! (smile) I was going to say, the bits left over, after the flower-tube-thingies depart and go hence. Being a Goober, best I could explain. Much appreciate others’ words!!!
Part of a dodder vine (Cuscuta sp.)
James McGee nailed it – Congratulations, James!
Milkweed. My entire life this year is about milkweed. Planting growing flicking off aphids marking for collecting collecting de-fuzzing broadcasting.