Blue-ming shame!

I have no idea what this flower is, but a few days back it was much, much bigger.
You can see these 2 flowers here, but there were at least 12 all part of the same flower (blurred remnants of the rest can be seen behind).
Unfortunately the rest have been battered, and are now hanging off, looking like they've had a really heavy night on the town.
And worse, it seems they were not damaged by the wind, which would have been a shame but understandable.
No, the owner (or tenant) of the property came out when he saw me taking a photo and told me that 2 schoolkids had taken turns swinging their bags at the previously glorious display, and had laughed as it was destroyed.
She chased them off, with them still laughing. But alas, the poor bloom couldn't be saved.
Just these two parts remain photogenic.

Perhaps I was a weird kid- well, there's no perhaps about it- but I never took pleasure in destroying beautiful things. What a shame that whatever has shaped these two brats has led them to think this kind of thing is funny.

It's a sad episode, but at least some beauty remains for us to enjoy.

I do hope those kids grow out of whatever it is that caused them to do this. The world they'll inherit has enough ugliness, without the adults of the future destroying the remaining beauty.

Though I do have to report, to give contrast, that I know of a group of young teenagers who have planted and are maintaining several areas of wildflowers in Lancaster, Morecambe, and Heysham.
So don't take this as proof that ALL kids are little thugs. There is always hope.