Question about dandelions?

Question

Has anyone seen a dandelion in mid transformation from the flower to the clock? How does it work? Can anyone point me towards a picture of this happening?

Flower

http://www.dphoto.us/forumphotos/data/1286/dandelion-web.jpg

Clock

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominocat/7375722/

Answer 1

Hi!! The transformation happens quickly and appears to be overnight, therefore it will be difficult to photograph the action.

It would require time lapse photography, during the hours of darkness.

That seems to be how it all happens in my garden.

Answer 2

There are two videos here, showing the clock and the flower opening, it's very beautiful. According to wikipedia, it takes 1-2 days after pollination for the seed to mature and the flower head to dry out. So the mechanism is simply drying out of the seed head, the fluffy bits expand and force the structure open.

The dandelion flower is of the daisy type (capitulum), so it's like hundreds of tiny flowers crammed together on one head rather than one big flower. After pollination the flower closes up and the florets develop into fruit/seeds which are what you see on the clock.

Answer 3

regarding dandelions:

we take the french "dent de lion", or tooth-of-the-lion or lion's-tooth and turn it into dandelion.

also, another french name for dandelion is "pis au lit", literally - p**s the bed, or, to be a 'yellow' nusiance -- a dandelion

for whatever all that is worth - it's 2:30 am in Minnesota and I can't sleep