Poppy Seeds

Poppy fields are an inspiring sight. There was one close by some years back next to Hopwas woods but it became a pig field and no more poppies. There are still plenty in my local area growing along the side of the old dry canal bed just outside the city. 

The two yellow Poppies below are currently growing just in front of the study window. Once they have been pollinated the central part of the flower becomes the seed capsule. The flower dies away and the pod hardens forming the seed capsules as in the two pictures below. They look like purpose built seed dispensers slowly dispersing the seeds inside as they are blown about by the wind. Ingenious. Each individual seed is an embryonic plant protected by a hard cover, the seed coat. Each capsule contains hundreds of seeds.

Yellow Poppies growing just outside my front door.

Poppy seed dispenser 1

Poppy seed dispenser 2

This is a seed capsule of a Red Poppy.  Each one contains hundreds of seeds. x10

Seed capsule from a Yellow Poppy x10

Lid of a seed capsule.

Ripe seeds inside the capsule. x30

Seeds in capsule x60

Poppy seeds x10

Poppy Seeds x30

Yellow Poppy seeds x6o

Red Poppy Seeds x60.