Petunia Stigma

We had a bit of botany in my biology classes at Florida State University. I’m sure we covered a bit of the subject in high school too. But since I’m not particularly good in science or math, many of these related subjects neither stuck with me, nor was I particularly interested. Since we attached a few “coco lined” window boxes to the backs of our patio chairs on the balcony, I now have a birds eye view of the annual flowers planted in them. What interested me the most was a tiny green fluorescent colored ball in the center of the petunias - all of them. Because of the sun, they seemed brilliant. It got me to wonder what it was, so I went about “researching” the subject. I had already read about the best way to keep the petunias flowering by deadheading them correctly. Apparently this green tiny bulb is the stigma, that attracts the pollinators. The names all sounded familiar, but my interest waned after reading a bit more. I was more interested in taking photos of the luscious colors. That in itself tells the story of my brain. I’m more interested in how something looks rather than learn about the function - unless of course, someone tells me about it. Regardless, I’m thrilled to have a tiny garden on our balcony and it’s the first time I can watch everything so closely. I’ve had a lot of time to do that lately - as long as the weather cooperates.