Ray flowers burst into action on my Echinacea plant. Disc floret buds spiral out from the disc centre.

Bright pink ray flowers are showy but don't produce seeds. Bees love their bright colour, and the beautiful subtle perfume attracts them in swarms. It took roughly a week for this to happen.

Ray Flowers.

As the ray flower unfolds, it reveals what appears to be a stigma with a long thin style running down to its base. I may be mistaken, as I'm not a biologist.

Meanwhile.

Disc flowers spiral out from the centre. Red-tipped green receptacular bracts shield tiny disc flower buds as they grow.

Next day.

Tiny green disc buds are visible at the base of each erect bract. Feint lines mark where they will split open. The army of spikey flower bracts marches relentlessly along a mathematically programmed curved path from the centre.

The day after.

Green buds are close to maturity.

Later that day. What happens next?

In the bottom left-hand corner of the disc, you can make out new buds as they begin to emerge. What happens next?

The tiny green buds behave like the much larger flower buds. They will burst open to reveal those essential flower parts, anthers and pistils.