The Specimens project has always been about making the unseen or the difficult to see visible. The transformation of natural forms, especially at the beginning and end of life is also a theme. Seed pods and egg casings hold nascent plants and animals. Wildflowers dry and leave skeletal structures. Finally the project is a kind of eulogy for latent image analog photography where negatives and positives were the key to reproduction. 

Channeled Welk - Busycotypus canaliculatus - Egg Casings

The Channeled Whelk is a predatory mollusk common in northeastern U.S. estuaries.

Milkweed - Asclepias - Seed Pods

Milkweed is a truly magical plant and not really a weed at all but an important link in ecosystems that support biodiversity, especially including Monarch butterflies. A good informative piece about gardening with milkweed plants is here. Happy DIY Home is the parent of this article and a great source for gardeners concerned about conserving native species. 

American Sweetgum - Liquidambar styraciflua - fruit and seeds

Channeled Welk - Busycotypus canaliculatus - Egg Casings - a variation 

Milkweed - Asclepias - Seed Pods (a variation)