Enduring beauty

Chinese lanterns. Past, long past, their sell-by date. And still beautiful.

Aka ground cherry.

I collected these from a garden in Comox. Earlier, they were a plant similar to the tomatillo; when the fruit ripened, it was a red cherry inside that papery husk. Now all that's left is the husk and a few dried seeds. The lantern has burnt out. Now they sit on a shelf above my desk. Maybe I'll plant some of the seeds in the spring.