My first thought is maybe a magnolia flower bud? Not sure it's the right fuzzy though. You might see if you can identify the park trees.
Damn, you nailed it!
Magnolia flower bud!
We're actually sitting under a Magnolia tree right now and I just looked up and saw one still on the tree, so this is now 100% confirmed.
Open it, if it's full of fluffy white filling with seeds, it's a milkweed pod.
It's a favorite among monarch butterflies
I just did, it's filled with a whole bunch of seeds alright, but they're definitely not fluffy.
They are soft however, they measure around 15mm long and about 2mm wide, and are mostly the same color as the outer layer once the peel is removed, except the end of the seeds attached to the core is red.
I tasted one of the little seeds and almost immediately spit it out, it tasted about like pine sap, and had a very green smell to it.
If by chance it actually is a milkweed pod, it has to be an unripened one. Or just something else altogether. 🤷
What is this thing?
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Currently in CHALLENGE mode: If you've got something obscure knocking about, post a picture, and let's see how we do. Please prefix such posts with "CHALLENGE:" so we know we've got a fighting chance.