Why does a dandelion change its appearance?

When a dandelion flowers it has a bright yellow head. Gardeners proud of their lawns know this to their cost. To them, dandelions are weeds. The flower stays like this until the whole head has matured. Then it closes up again, to return to the shape it had as a bud. Sometimes it is called a swine’s snout, because it looks like the snout of a pig.

But inside, big changes are taking place. The dandelion’s seeds are growing. When they are all ready, the swine’s snout turns into a snowy-white puff-ball of seeds topped by tuffs of hair. This replaces the yellow flower on top of the stalk. There the seeds wait for the breeze to blow them free, so that they can float off to a new piece of ground and begin growing another dandelion. That is why gardeners are not very fond of them.

 

Picture Credit : Google

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