These seeds occur in distinctive pairs each containing one seed enclosed in a "nutlet" attached to a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue. Cliff Cantor. Norway maple. It does however demonstrate that animals are not the only organisms capable of flight. Maple seeds can be tough to clean up due to their quantity and propensity to broadcast. Feb 4, 2017 - Explore Thumper Anderson's board "maple seed crafts" on Pinterest. The helicopters, also called whirligigs, but technically known as samaras, are the outer covering that must be removed when eating seeds from maple trees. After peeling the outer covering of the samara, you’ll find a pod containing the seeds. Maple Seed Helicopter. The distinctive fruits are called samaras, "maple keys", "helicopters", "whirlybirds" or "polynoses". Even poorly-shaped seeds rotate with ease. When maple seed pods fall from a tree, these little maple tree spinners whirl and spin like blades on a helicopter. When they’re young and green, in spring, they’re said to be most tasty. It's fall, the time for maple seeds to come whirling down like helicopter rotors. September 29, 2017. On the left are bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) seeds, which grow in large bunches. Maple Trees Without Helicopter Seeds For best results, select a maple tree within your plant hardiness zone. Where to find: this non-native tree is often found as a street tree and is widely planted in parks and gardens. Many plants have winged seeds that glide or spiral to the ground. Monocopter design takes cues from maple seeds. What some helicopters do with two or more blades this one does with just one--and it's inspired by nature's spiraling maple seed. They are shaped to spin as they fall and to carry the seeds a considerable distance on the wind. Seed appearance: Norway maple seeds grow in pairs on a wider angle than sycamore, but not as wide as field maple. Let's look at why and how these seeds do this — a perfect project for kids and adults. This is a fun project that has nothing to do with bird flight. bigleaf maple seeds. They can even catch an updraft and soar for long distances. These seeds can catch the wind and travel for some distance. They begin rotating almost from the precise moment they are released from the tree. The seed pods under the covering are edible. Are Maple Seeds Edible? See more ideas about seed craft, crafts, nature crafts. Seedless Maple Trees. They are bigger than other helicopter seeds at approximately 10–15mm wide with 30–50mm long wings. Maple seeds earned their name as being helicopters because they are amazing auto-rotating helicopters. But you can stop the formation of seeds using a hormone growth inhibitor. vine maple seeds. Maple seeds: nature's helicopters. And while autumn is the top time to plant maples, spring is an excellent option as well.