Thursday 26 May 2011

Clocks on the Trail


Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion, grows alongside the TransPennine trail.

After flowering is finished, the dandelion flower head dries out for a day or two. The dried petals and stamens drop off, the bracts reflex (curve backwards), and the parachute ball opens into a full sphere. Finally, the seed-bearing parachutes expand and lift out of it. After the seed is released, the parachutes lose their feathered structure and take on a fuzzy, cotton-like appearance.

We call these "dandelion clocks".

For a closer view see Hyde Daily Photo.

1 comment:

  1. Our two don't trust nature one bit when it comes to cultivating new Dandelion Clocks Gerald!

    ReplyDelete

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