Do dandelions really change from the little yellow flower to the white globular flower?

Question

I always thought a dandelion was the little yellow flower, and that the white round one was the one where you blew off all the petals and made a wish was a completely different flower. Are they really the same flower?

If so, why and how do they change?

Answer 1

They are the same. In dandelion each "petal" is actually an individual flower. Once each flower is fertilized the "petals" die away and the little tuft forms so that the seeds can be blown away to grow elsewhere.

Answer 2

the yellow flower is the immature seedpod/fruit  and when it matures the seedpod dries and falls off leaving the fluff ball/ovary and the process is called  turning to seed where those white fluffy floaters contain a seed that would grow into another plant if it landed in a spot with all the right variables to gernimate it. it's designed for aerial transport.