Sunburst

Star of Persia. Native of Iran, Turkey and Turkmenistan. A refugee, then, and a migrant: we have never planted it, it has found its way over the border from our neighbour's garden, and this one has made deeper inroads into a crowded bed with a lot of competition, where it is obviously managing to thrive, as migrants often do. And productive - another migrant trait - a prodigious  source of nectar for pollinators

And eye-catching, both the subtle purple of the youthful flower and the kinetic sculpture of the seedhead, like a frozen firework. In the evening light, it seemed to be catching the sun and concentrating its rays; to my eyes, mimicing the sun's brilliance at its centre. I was surprised the effect worked well even in a photograph