24 Nebraskaland • November 2022
fruits of those thorny plants, look like small, red light bulbs
against a dull brown background. An even more scarce and
sublime find is a freeze-dried flower. Late in the season,
especially after a shot of rain, some short-lived plants will
make a quick and desperate attempt to bloom and produce
seed before cold temperatures end their life. If a hard freeze
hits while those blossoms are still open, much of the flower
color is preserved for at least a few weeks.
After most leaves have dropped and stems have dried, an
abundance of seeds can still be found on plants or scattered
around the nearby landscape. Windblown seeds in particular,
typically with big feathery plumes attached to them, often
get hung up on neighboring plants. Those pappi (plural
of pappus, the technical term for many of those feathery
plumes) catch the light and glow attractively, especially
early and late in the day.
Even the pods, capsules and husks that hold (or held)
seeds are attractive. Seed heads often stand in stark
