The Pasque flower transformation has begun! And it’s a unique sight indeed!
The wondrous, colorful spring tulips are now winding down. Our late season snow, cool temps and moisture appears to have produced a bumper crop. Even the grounds-keepers of my fav garden to photograph noted the abundance of botanical and wildflower tulips this year.
The cactus are preparing for their bloom. I’ve been scouting and the little red buds have begun to emerge. I excitedly await the arrival of the bright red Claret Cups followed by vibrant magenta Cholla. In the interim, it offers other opportunities such as photographing the unusual conversion of Pasque flowers into their respective seed heads.
Coming Early to the Spring Flower Party
It’s hard to believe these pretty flowers morph into bizarre looking things with silky white filaments.
Coming in shades of purple, pink or white flowers with bright yellow centers, they are some of the first to show up in early spring.
As a low-growing, flowering perennial plant, their stems and buds are covered in tiny hairs to aid in the protection against the wind and cold. The spring elements can be unpredictable around here so having a fuzzy covering no doubt helps!
Comparing the Seed Heads to Phyllis Diller’s Hair
I may be dating myself here, but If you are not familiar with who she was, I suggest doing a google search.
In a nutshell, she “was an American stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her eccentric stage persona, self-deprecating humor, wild hair and clothes, and exaggerated, cackling laugh.”
As you can see by this photo, Phyllis Diller’s crazy hair was rather legendary!
So each time I see a Pasque flower transformation and its resulting seed heads, I think of of her. This photo reference will give you a visual and likely a chuckle 🙂
Pasque Flowers Transformation – Various Stages of Change
The Pasque flower transformation goes through various stages – which is interesting to see. First the pretty purple, pink or white flowers appear right around Easter – hence their name. Then the next stage is morphing into a semi-pod looking thing. And then they explode with the white, feathery, wispy tendrils which is the seed head.
Crazy as it may look, it’s so pretty when the morning sun reflects off the feathery white tendrils of the seed heads. Even the backside of the flowers have a kind of white white fuzz that is accentuated in the morning sun.
The photo to the right was a recent capture. It’s the first time I was able to photograph a cluster of the flowers which actually contained all of the stages of transformation.
After the Bloom…
Flowers are so incredible. We take for granted that the bloom phase is the most beautiful stage of its existence – justifiably so. But sometimes what comes after the bloom is even better and more unique – imho. Pasque flowers are their unusual transformation are definitely an example of this floral phenomenon 🙂