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Mystery blossom #929919

Asked April 28, 2026, 2:03 PM EDT

Hello, on a walk today I saw this blossom on a trail, and I have no idea where it came from, but we are captivated by it. The outside of the petals are brown and velvety. Inside is light green, with a little dark pink. There are 4 petals - the outer two are shorter and the inner two are longer. The last photo is the inside of it - we opened the petals a bit to see more clearly.

Ramsey County Minnesota

Expert Response

Thanks for the question.

I believe these are flower remnants or very early seed structures from a Norway Maple (Acer platanoides). It’s that time of the year. Your first two pics show very early flower structures emerging from the flower bud. A more complete flower is shown in the third picture. You mentioned that you discovered these on your walk earlier today. The Metro Area received heavy rains overnight. I’m guessing that the rain coming down knocked a bunch of these structures off the trees. Furthermore, I would guess that your walk was on a trail where maple trees were present.  See:

https://trees.umn.edu/norway-maple-acer-platanoides

https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/tree/norway-maple

https://www.mda.state.mn.us/norway-maple

. Thanks for consulting our forum.

An Ask Extension Expert Replied April 28, 2026, 2:48 PM EDT

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