Pelargonium tetragonum half open

Caught in the act of anthesis (opening), this Pelargonium tetragonum bud is freeing its shorter, lower petals first. It appears as if the bent, red-purple filaments are pushing the lower segments away, while the longer, upper petals still hold firm.

The upper ones are furled around the anthers near the bud tip, protecting the last moments of pollen ripening. The pointed, short-haired sepals, red in lower parts are only half as long as the upper petals and a little shorter than the lower ones.  

The storkbill analogy in Pelargonium only holds for the fruit that develops later, but the sleek elegance of the narrow flower in waiting has bird-like qualities of a different ilk already (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist).