We had many rainy days last week, but I did get outside long enough to take a few pictures and to gather some seeds.  Here are two plants that I found fascinating.  The first one is Beauty Berry.  I love the color of the berries.  Apparently once they reach a certain degree of ripeness, they are irresistable to the birds.  About half of the berries have been eaten in the few days since I took this picture! 

The second plant is one that I am growing for the first time this year.  It is Lions Tail.  It grows about 6 feet tall and the flowers are ball shaped and grow one on top of the other, separated by a section of stem.  The flowers turn into seed pods that are sharp and spikey.  I removed the seeds by shaking the seed pod.  There is no way you would want to crush them with your bare hands.