Turn up the volume and listen to the sound of exploding gorse seed pods! #WildlifeWednesday Once these yellow flowers fade, black seed pods take their place and burst open in the heat of summer, releasing tiny seeds. Hear the full recording and find out more about the field recordist Richard Beard here: http://ow.ly/9bQe50FfGOw 🔉Recorded by Richard Beard (1953-2018) on the Isle of Wight. BL ref 212269 | British Library

Sandbox trees are a forest tree that grow to 200 feet. Their numerous sharp spines on the bark protect them from predation, and earn them the nickname Monkey No Climb. Their seed pods (above) use explosive dehiscence to spread the seeds as far as 330 feet. They make such a loud noise when exploding that another nickname for this tree is dynamite tree. The seeds, an open one shown above, are commonly found around the trees. Since the side of the seed is shaped a bit like a bottlenose dolphin, art