My 1st Seabean find

I had occasion to drive around Sanibel Island, FL on Thursday, 09/24/2010.  The island, lush as ever, peeked my interest for unusual botanicals. I had 1/2 hour to look and had to race back with plans to visit again soon. I'll bring my grandkids with me. Kevin likes poking through sea detritus as much as I do. He hunts for reptiles. I look for shells and seabeans.

I stopped along the causeway. I couldn't believe it. I poked through three or four bunches of debris washed up and found my first SEABEAN,  www.seabean.com It was a gray Nickernut  (sea pearl)  about the size of quarter.

Seabeans are seeds and nuts that make their way via the currents of our oceans and end up on far away beaches. The 15th Annual Sea-Bean Symposium will be held on Oct 22-23, 2010 at the Cocoa Beach Public Library in Cocoa Beach, FL. You can read about the seabeans in the Drifting Seed Newsletter
on-line.

Seabeans are more of the inventory as botanical booty.

Plants where I find the booty

It occurred to me that you may not know which plants to look at for weaving booty, so I set out to take a few pictures.

You can visit south FL many times, but not find the weavers because it simply is the wrong season, or the seeds haven't dropped off the branch. I scout these plants and mentally log them in for future reference. I watch for the landscapers to cut down the branches. It is just a passion of mine to BRAKE FOR YARD WASTE. I swear, I am going to have that painted on my van.

The giant Split Leaf Philodendron, or Monstera Deliciosa yields a leaf sheath that is leathery and flexible. I have plucked them from 6" - 14" long. Barring, spiders, snakes, fire ants and palmetto bugs, I get 'inside' of the huge plant and pull the dried spent leaf sheaths from the plant. Usually they fall to the ground as mulch. They don't crumble when fresh but may as they dry further.

I am experimenting with soaking several to flatten them for shipping, and see how they hold up once woven into a basket.

Collecting leaf sheathes

I was on a scavenger hunt today, collecting Split Leaf Phiodendron sheaths before the Lehigh Basketry Group meeting at the library.

I found small sheaths at the doctor's complex and very large leaf sheaths at the golf course condos. A lady yelled at me. She wanted to know what I was doing? I walked over to her to show her the leaf waste I had collected. I told her that I was teaching a class at the library and needed the leaves.

She said I could have all that trash I wanted, that lots of people rummage through their plants and actually cut or steal them. I have no intention other then to harvest the waste. I told her my name was Eve. She said, I could pick through all of the plants behind the condo too. It was a good day and another person who I educated  about yard waste.

Yard Waste Booty

Botanical booty is weaving treasures that come mostly from yard waste; palm frond cuttings, seed pod branches(inflorescences), grasses, vines, and leaf sheaths.

Some of the tresures come from rummaging through seaweed waste and things that wash ashore, such as seeds, shells, egg cases and driftwood.

I feel like a treasure hunter when I go on the search. I carry a small hand saw and extra sharp clippers along with a backpack for the booty.