Berkheya barbata head, late in the day

There is a short while towards the end in the sequence of Berkheya barbata flowerhead development when the yellow ray and disc florets have departed and the narrow, wiry-bearded bracts still remain spread. The inside lower parts of the involucre are pale, like holiday makers on their first day in bathing costumes.

The trident-like bract tips reinforce the marine analogy, suggesting a Neptunian family relationship, or at least represented by replicas of the sea god’s fork.