Liquidambar styraciflua, aka sweet gum. From HowStuffWorks: “Its fruit cluster is a round ball often persisting in winter, as if the naked branches had been hung with woody Christmas ornaments.” I’m happy someone else sees it that way: that is precisely why I have persisted to get a shot this week. In this case, I captured the new growth along with the “woody Christmas ornaments.” Thankfully there are none in our immediate neighborhood: the “sticker-balls” are a nuisance!
Retired economics professor (“dismal scientist”). Married 40+ years to the love of my life; we have two grown daughters, both married, two granddaughters and a...
@digitalrn Knock on a sweet gum tree, but I've never had the misfortune! @jendee3 Getting some branches with both was good fortune! @sharkeyshark@exposure4u@sharonlowe@cynak Thank you, Lindsey, Wendy, Sharon & Cindy! I don't know how many images I deleted after I found this one. I really wanted to get one of these prickly guys and the angles from the ground didn't always work well but this one did!
![‘Gray Half-Spot’ [Filler]](https://media.365project.org/1/9510135_chjkuwyz79_sq.jpg "‘Gray Half-Spot’ [Filler]")
@jendee3 Getting some branches with both was good fortune!
@sharkeyshark @exposure4u @sharonlowe @cynak Thank you, Lindsey, Wendy, Sharon & Cindy! I don't know how many images I deleted after I found this one. I really wanted to get one of these prickly guys and the angles from the ground didn't always work well but this one did!