Have you ever seen a plant that made you stop and wonder, "What is that?" That happened to me when I was walking near where I was living in Sweden. I noticed a bush covered with tiny red fruits. At first, I thought they might be berries. After looking more closely, I discovered that they were rose hips, which is the fruit of a wild rose plant!
The plant I found is a wild rose bush. It has green leaves made up of several smaller leaves with jagged edges. The branches have sharp thorns, which help protect the plant. The most noticeable part of the plant in the fall is its bright-red, oval-shaped rose hips.
The rose hips form after the rose's flowers have bloomed. Inside each rose hip are seeds. Some wild roses have pink or white flowers before the red fruits appear.
When I first saw it, I was curious and surprised. I even thought for a second, "What a weird tomato!" I had seen roses before, but I had never really thought about what happens to a rose after its flower disappears. Seeing all of the little red fruits made me want to find out what they were.
I also thought they were beautiful because the bright red rose hips stood out against all of the green leaves.
