Berkheya cuneata dry flower

Blown right off the plant or discarded quietly after serving its purpose? Who knows! This Berkheya cuneata flowerhead or what remains of it retains some appeal lying among stones and sand.

Plants usually exceed animals in the beauty retained in their dead remains, especially with respect to odour. Dry leaves or petals may acquire enhanced delicacy of texture as desiccation and decay remove their moisture and some fibre.

Dry flowers or leaves of certain species are used in floral arrangements in the home worldwide. Benefits over live flowers reside mainly in the durability of the arrangement, not requiring water in the container (and regular topping up as the flower stalks suck and evaporation contributes).

Art forms are highly diversified in human society, aligned to available materials. Floral arrangement features in many cultures for expressing the human aesthetic sense. While flowers themselves require little from hand and eye to bring about a pleasing result, enhancement of natural beauty via a truly artistic touch achieves surprising outcomes.