...and more seeds

I am very much attracted to these wild cucumber seed pods which I find growing on vines in my backyard and around the area where I live. When they first come out, they are a fresh green and seem to burst with juiciness. But I like them best when they have withered and are shedding their skins. The outer skin is a bit fragile as it decays (although it has protective pricklies) but the inner pod is quite sturdy and you get a glimpse of the dark seed nestled inside through a transluscent web of skin. Delicate, mysterious, protectors. They look fascinating from all angles. I obsessively collect them even though I have no real plans for them yet. I've used a few of the inner pods in my reliquaries. One was just a skeleton, having lost its membrane. A wisp. A few years ago, I compressed a bunch of them in a shadow box with a glass lid. They look quite interesting like this. Beautiful but disturbing. They seem to be crying out with open mouths.