My new Samara Series drops on Wednesday, October 28, at 9 a.m. PT | 12 p.m. ET.
Nine one-of-a-kind, not-to-be-reproduced mobiles will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
See all nine mobiles before they launch.
Helicopters. Whirlybirds. Whirligigs. No matter what you call them, you likely know their magic.
Samara keys, or simply samaras, are small, flat, and dry winged fruit (seed pods) that grow on trees like maples, ash, and elm.
Come spring and late summer they drop, and – because of their wing shape – they spin through the air (auto-rotate) when they fall from the tree, flying on the wind to seek greener pastures to reseed elsewhere.
The scientific name for this kind of seed dispersal is anemochory (pronounced ah-neh-MOCK-o-ree). The term comes from the Greek words anemos (meaning wind) and chōreīn (meaning to move or spread).
When I was growing up, we had two purple hopseed bushes in our backyard.
I spent countless hours playing with my Hot Wheels and green army men between those trees, hands in the dirt, head in the clouds, feet from my house but worlds away in my thoughts.
Like samara-bearing trees, hopseed bushes have papery winged fruits (seed pods) that float in the air as they’re dropped.
Those reddish sky spinners of my childhood inspired a lifelong fascination with dreamy things that float on the wind, including mobiles.
And that’s why I’m especially excited to share a samara-themed series of mobiles with you.
As you’ll see in daily posts between now and the drop, each incorporates the classic samara shapes as well as vibrant fruits (the orbs).
I think of this series as "Anemoelpis," (anemos for wind + -elpis for hope) or "Hope spread on the wind."
May it be so.
To begin, I’d like to introduce you to Elm.