SUNFLOWER SEEDHEAD - A MACRO VIEW

When the sunflower had done all that it could do, after the birds had kindly sown it earlier in the year, I chopped off its head (ruthless, I know) and placed the head in one of the trays on the bird-feeding station. It's a whole new world under the macro lens of my camera and you can see quite easily the empty places where the birds have taken, presumably, the seeds. 

Small sunflower seedhead, pickings for the birds.

The black 'tufted areas to the left of the above image are the disk florets which were once golden yellow.  When they wither and fall away, the seeds remain, buried in the seedhead.  You can see the tops of the black, ripened seeds to the right, and the white unripened seeds to the bottom centre of the above image.  I think I may have decapitated the sunflower head too early but, no matter, I always provide plenty of food for the birds and squirrels. 

Sunflower disk florets, now separated from the seeds

Black, ripe seeds of the sunflower; just ready for the birds

Small sunflower seed next to a disk floret

The bright yellow petals are called 'ray florets'.