Using your natural resources: Fruit of the Sweet Gum

The weather was finally mild enough for my son and I to make a quick run to the park yesterday for him to use up some of his endless energy. While there, we saw literally thousands of these little prickly balls. I thought they were cute, and I've seen them in craft stores painted different colors. I wouldn't dream of buying something that I can find on my own, so we gathered a couple hundred of them for later use. I was curious to know what tree these come from, so after some research on the internet, I finally figured out that these are the fruit of the Sweet Gum Tree. It's not really fruit, and I definitely wouldn't think of eating them, but they are eye catching in an odd sort of way. I plan on using these funny looking things in a a pretty vase or bowl.

On a side note, it is so cold today that I could use my back porch as a freezer.