Gorteria diffusa subsp. calendulacea concealment

The outer surfaces of rays in Gorteria diffusa subsp. calendulacea flowerheads start off dark when they begin to unfold, turning paler when fully open.

The scale-like, broad rays overlap in their half-executed effort at lifting the covers from the disc florets; a busy affair although only thirteen of them are visible. Vertical orange and blackish lines with fuzzy edges alternate in shades of yellow and more on the broad, similar "artists canvasses", the bracts.

The superimposed sheen on the surfaces provides an attractive finish. Art isn’t always meant to last long. No human art lasts forever (Le Roux, et al, 2005; iNaturalist).