Silverpuff of the type that flares out at the tip of its elongated flower head

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But some varieties of silverpuff do let their white rays curve outward from the tip of the flower head to expose the disk flowers within. Here you see what was obviously a close encounter of that second kind. Like the previous photograph of a constricted Chaptalia flower head, this one came from a February 24th session at Pat and Dale Bulla’s native plant playground.

© 2013 Steven Schwartzman

Silverpuff living within its constraints

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Still another fuzzy thing I found at the Bullas’ place on February 24 was silverpuff, a small wildflower in the genus Chaptalia. Most of the ones I see around Austin keep their flower heads constrained in the way you see here, but somehow, as closed as they remain, they still manage to get themselves pollinated.

In addition to the felt-like texture, notice how many pastel colors there are in this inch-long flower head: green, purple, reddish-violet, and brown. For an explanation of the black background, which is completely natural, see point 4 in About My Techniques.

© 2013 Steven Schwartzman