What are these? (Found in carpet)

November 12, 2017 10:56 PM

An elderly neighbor found these in her carpet, and asked me to see if I could find out online what they may be. Anyone here have an idea? (Originals are smaller than a grain of rice.) carpetthing1 carpetthing2
posted by tenderly to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

Looks like a grass seed of some kind.
posted by rockindata at 3:47 AM on November 13, 2017 [6 favorites]

While it's pretty easy to imagine that Thing 1 and Thing 2 both conceal horrifying amounts of legs, they look more vegetable than animal to me as well.
posted by flabdablet at 4:53 AM on November 13, 2017 [3 favorites]

Try crushing one flat and putting a drop of dilute iodine solution on it (betadine diluted 1:20 will work). If they're starchy, as seeds would be, you should see it turn blue.
posted by flabdablet at 4:56 AM on November 13, 2017 [9 favorites]

But also, if it is by chance some sort of pupae, it will be notably gooey when squished, and seeds will not.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:46 AM on November 13, 2017 [2 favorites]

The second one looks like a seed to me. Try sprouting it on wet paper towel.
posted by wwax at 9:54 AM on November 13, 2017

Those both look more like buds than seeds to me, maybe from something coniferous? Juniper? What sorts of houseplants / landscaping / decorative greenery does your neighbor have around?
posted by momus_window at 9:19 PM on November 13, 2017