what the what?

the first time we walked under a magnolia tree in full fruiting glory i was horrified. what in the world was going on? it looked like a tumor, or a mummified heart with live worms crawling out of it. the seed pods were enormous–the size of  an adult hand, with lipstick-red seeds squirting out from them. the leaves of the trees were unmistakable, but it looked as if the angelic white blossoms of spring had been possessed by some malevolent tree devil.

magnolia tree seed pod