moonpennies

This spring, my gardens were full of a small plant with bright purple flowers.  I thought it was phlox gone wild, and it took a while to realize it was Lunaria, commonly known as "silver dollar plant" or "moonpennies" because of their circular white seed pods. They had been growing in only one flowerbed, but the new plants germinated in unexpected places everywhere.  It's a biennial (small plant first year, flowers the second year, sets seed, and dies).
(picture from Wikipedia)


Now that they have dried, I pick great bunches, peel off the grey outer layers of the seed pod, and use the branches in dried flower arrangements.  They last so long in the house, that my two-year old dried plants look just like new!
In this picture, the white pods have been peeled, and the gray ones are waiting to be done.

It's a painstaking job peeling off first one side, then the other, of each pod to reveal the bright white shiny interior.  

Each pod contains at least 3 seeds on each side. 

This plant has developed a brilliant method of seed disbursal.  When the seeds mature, the outer layer on each side of the pod drop off, and are so light that they fly with the wind.  The seeds lightly adhere to the outer layers, and drop off after they blow to a new spot.