This is the inside of a persimmon seed. When you split them open lengthwise, the flesh in the seed will show either a spoon, a fork, or a knife. Ozark folklore has it that the shape can predict the upcoming winter: a spoon means above average snowfall, a fork means higher than average temperatures, and a knife cold winds that can cut like a knife. We found a spoon.

Seed pods from Baptisia in the prairie

Turtle shell found in the woods. I used to have one by our front steps which I’d found in Forest Park, but the neighbor boy stomped it, two separate times, beyond repair. So this one stays in the woods. 

Cypress knees