Foothills, montane, subalpine. Wetlands. Summer.
Near Yellow Jacket Canyon, July 4, 2007.

Cattails are almost as familiar to all of us as Robins are. They grow in dense colonies in ponds, roadside wet areas, and irrigation run-off. They are unmistakable, growing long slim leaves to 5 feet tall and putting forth a giant flower stalk to 7 feet tall with a 6 inch tall seed pod. The very dense, brown pod bears thousands of seeds that are dispersed on tiny fluff when the pod ripens and bursts, from late fall to early spring -- or when the pod is squeezed and exploded by fun-loving humans who are immediately engulfed in a cloud of seeds that stick to everything.

The brown/yellow pollen structures are ready to fertilize the tightly packed green ovules to give rise to the seeds.