המועדפים של hmheinz

Drift, attached to bivalve shell, next for Nereocystis luetkeana (blue arrow shows S. latissima).
Second photo shows close-up the two holdfasts. Both highly-branched and “root-like”, but S. latissima holdfast on left has more, thinner, branches (this branched kind of holdfast in kelps is called a “haptera”).
Empress Figurehead, Stanley Park.

What kind of alien pods are attached to my magnolia tree? There are several of them, different sizes. It almost looks like a type of ladybug forming (but not the kind of ladybug larvae I am used to seeing and have learned about, these are different). They are not all over the tree. Though I did not do a full inspection, they seem to be isolated to this one branch.
Apologies for blurry pics — it was windy, and these are the size of a pencil eraser or smaller!

2nd-5th pics are comparisons of key ID features of common dandelion on the left and red-seeded dandelion on the right. Note the red seed bases, red on the stems and sepal tips, and even triangular leaves that look like a cartoon Christmas tree.

I managed to catch the moment where two Juniperus virginiana pollen grains' intines expanded and ruptured their exines. I think the first probably helped trigger the second. Check out this paper for more on the mechanism at work here.
Measurements
Unruptured exines
23–27×21–25 μm; Q=1.01–1.15
Images
All slides in water
1: External intines hydrating and expanding to rupture exines
2: Intact pollen grains
3: Ruptured pollen grains
4: Habit

So, this is a polyergus bilateral gynandromorph! ½ worker caste (red), ½ alate (black). The mandibles, eyes, single wing, and antennae are the more obvious caste traits reflected in each half of this individual. Found them shortly after leaving the colony possibly (I found one a few feet away).
See: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124878696
& https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124879042

Hanging out in a corn field. Saw two adults, one with at least four young and the other with at least one. Another young individual wasn't too far from the second adult, but they blended in well so I imagine there were plenty more we didn't see.