These seed balls on the ground indicate that there's a sweet gum close by. The globose fruits can be confused with those of the sycamore or the london plane tree.
The sycamore or london plane ball is an aggregate of hundreds achenes with tufts of hairs tucked inside (like the seeds on dandelions). When the balls break apart, the achenes are released.
The sweet gum ball is an aggregate of about 50 capsules with a seed or two in each one. As the balls mature, they become woody and holes open up between the two points of each capsule, allowing the release of seeds as the balls shake in the wind. The empty fruiting heads can still be found hanging on branches now. Some will remain on the tree throughout the winter. (
The previous sweet gum post shows the unripe seed ball.)
The sweet gum typically has a single straight leader.
This species is a treat in the fall. From afar, the trees look like pastel rainbows.
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Close up, the color varies from leaf to leaf, and even from one side of a leaf to the other.
These leaves were taken from one tree on the same day.
Near a sweet gum tree, the entire surface of the ground is covered with decaying sweet gum balls that settled in a perfect blanket in the dirt. I'm not sure when this blanket was formed: maybe last fall, maybe the year before. 
The freshly fallen sweet gum balls are still on the surface of the ground - not embedded like the old ones - and are more reddish-brown.
These seed balls on the ground indicate that there's a sweet gum close by. The globose fruits can be confused with those of the sycamore or the london plane tree. 
The sycamore or london plane ball is an aggregate of hundreds achenes with tufts of hairs tucked inside (like the seeds on dandelions). When the balls break apart, the achenes are released.
The sweet gum ball is an aggregate of about 50 capsules with a seed or two in each one. As the balls mature, they become woody and holes open up between the two points of each capsule, allowing the release of seeds as the balls shake in the wind. The empty fruiting heads can still be found hanging on branches now. Some will remain on the tree throughout the winter. (The previous sweet gum post shows the unripe seed ball.) 
The sweet gum typically has a single straight leader.
This species is a treat in the fall. From afar, the trees look like pastel rainbows..jpg)
Close up, the color varies from leaf to leaf, and even from one side of a leaf to the other.
At first glance, I thought this was a type of maple.
I had noticed a lot of woody seed balls on the ground, though, and when I saw an unripe fruit on the tree, I realized it was something completely different.
The sweet gum, Liquidambar styraciflua, gets its name from its thick, balsamic sap. But it's best known for its stunning autumn foliage. The leaves will turn every shade, from orange to red to purple. Its leaf shape does lead to confusion with maple. One easy way to distinguish between the two is to check the leaf positioning. Maple leaves are in opposite pairs (right across from each other) while sweet gum leaves are alternately positioned (staggered).
