The sex life of Hazel

The Hazel trees are coming into flower, spring must be on the horizon. Hazel trees are monoecious, with  both male and female flowers on the same tree. However, hazel flowers can only be pollinated by pollen from another hazel trees. The yellow male catkins appear before the leaves and hang in clusters. The female flowers are tiny and bud-like with red styles. Once pollinated by the wind, the female flowers develop into the familiar hazel-nut with a woody shell surrounded by a cup of leafy bracts.

The photograph is not as sharp as I would like; I am saving up to get my macro lens unjammed!

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