Senecio spiraeifolius after flowering

Post-bloominging the yellow Senecio spiraeifolius flowerheads lose their marketing colours. Brown floral remains are initially clutched by the converging involucral bract tips in each head.

The heads are later transformed into white fluff-balls of fruit pappus bristles, becoming conspicuous at stem-tips for a short while. Fruit production has now taken over, to be followed by the easier but vital stage of fruit flight departures.

This is when the perennial plant can begin to focus on its recovery of overall wellness from the year’s reproductive toils in preparation for those of next season (Manning, 2009; Manning and Goldblatt, 1997; iNaturalist).