Cluster of Maple "Bats"

I never realized how beautiful maple seeds are when they are maturing, and here you can see them glowing in the afternoon sun!

Did you know that the "wing" part of the maple seed is the "fruit" of the maple tree, called the "samara"? You can clearly see the actual seeds in my picture at the top of each samera!

From Wiki: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samara_(fruit)
A samara is a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall. A samara is a simple dry fruit and indehiscent (not opening along a seam). It is a winged achene. The shape of a samara enables the wind to carry the seed farther away than regular seeds from the parent tree