One flower show...

This plant was like a puzzle for me from the first time I saw it. And when I noticed it it wasn't blooming (so there weren't the flowers that caught my eye).

 

And they weren't light umbrellas of the seed crown too ;)

That was the leaves... These arrow shaped leaves... always caught my attention and made me wonder, how this prickly creature is blooming?

 

But it didn't bloom until mid Summer, so it kept me in a suspense for a loooong time... Until one day I saw not only leaves, but also thin branches with small almost invisible buds on the end of them.

And the day came when I found the small yellow flowers, yet simple but attractive.

 

Don't ask me why, cuz I have no answer. Maybe their small size? Their simplicity? Their pale yellow color?

 

But I really liked their appearance and hardly can pass by without stopping and taking a picture or two...

And their life cycle - these flowers are blooming only for one day and the seeds are ready to fly by afternoon, actually, I am not sure about this part ;), maybe it takes a few days (with multiple flowers it's hard to say which one was blooming in the morning), but... the flowers are mostly opened only in the morning, closing before the sun is burning and killing everything around, start showing their pappus later and releasing fluffy feathery bristles before night.

 

Next day it starts from scratch or at least this is a feeling I have every time in the morning...

Anyway, next time I was walking by I couldn't stop myself from taking one more picture...

By the way, it is called Prickly Lettuce and... it is a long time relative to the lettuce you have on your table for dinner.

 

And... believe it or not, but it's edible ;) I didn't try it but they say it tastes pretty much like the lettuce leaves, so next time you are short on greens - go and grab a couple of these ;)

Pictures were taken in July 2020.