Life Cycle of a Blossom

I love peonies so much that even as they die, I find them beautiful. First they seem to lose their color as their petals become more and more translucent. It seems they are taking on water which dilutes their color (this is not science, it's my imagination). Next, they begin to dry out and their color becomes intense -- more intense than when they first opened. This blossom is in the midst of that transition. At the same time, the yellow tassels are turning brown. See my two previous posts for shots of this peony blossom as it first opened.