This Hibiscus flower, born on January 1, is our first flower of the new year. We watched her bud near Christmas; then, her petals grew longer into something like a packed parachute.
When her packed petals reached the right length, she unlocked her cell expansion mechanisms to make them swirl open, defiantly showing her entire self to the world.
Her red-buttoned “stigma” was ready to catch pollen atop her “stamen,” the funneling stalk containing yellow-buttoned “anthers” that were ready to produce pollen.
Yesterday, she reversed the dance and swirled herself back into that packed form:
This morning, we found her tightly self-mummified on the floor, never to open again. A brief, but flamboyant life.
(Brooklin, Maine)