On Monday I wrote:

Found these guys on a hike along the Palisades yesterday.

One still had a stem. What are they -- seed pods?  If so, what kind? (The quarter is mine, for scale.)

Turns out that I am a. nature nerd. Who knew? (Don't answer that.)

The answer is that these gumball-sized spheres are smoke balls, including one that hadn't been lit.

You can apparently buy them on line.

I cut one of the previously lit ones in half to see what was inside, and I lived to tell the tale. See below.

Congrats to all who answered correctly.