The cage.

I have not posted any dry, decomposing plants in a while. But autumn and winter are the best times to go and look for some. I did not have to look far, as these lovely lacey constructions were in my mums garden.

I am not even sure how to call it. It is not a fruit because the fruit is inside (it is a small and very much edible, orange berry). It is also not a flower because flowers are small and pale yellow.

Physalis

It is like a cage that holds the berry inside. When the fruit matures, it is bright orange, and the plant is used as a cut flower. It can also be dried like roses, and it will keep its colour.





And then later, if left in the garden, the very thin orange tissue will disappear, leaving just the veins that hold it together in shape.
It is pretty amazing to look at, and I cannot resist shooting it every time I see it.

There are few other plants that do it that I know of, for example, Hydrangea (yep, I shot it as well).

I actually picked a few of them up and put them in a more sunny spot to get better shots. Most of the stems were lying on the ground under the bushes. They will be left there for the whole winter. By spring, some of them will turn into compost, and the seeds will hopefully become new plants.