Echinacea is an herbaceous perennial. This means the plant parts above ground will die back once a year, typically in the fall, and return in the spring as new growth. The plants may grow up to 1 meter tall and produce greenish flower buds that mature in early summer through mid-fall.
Flowerheads initially appear as spherical buds. As the central disk expands and becomes more conic, phyllaries are positioned below the flowerhead [phyllaries are reduced leaf-like structures that form one or more whorls immediately below a flower head].
At the end of the season, the spent flowers may be left on the plant. One will be rewarded with visits by goldfinches feeding on the seeds.
Today’s photo shows a developing flower bud of a purple cone flower. Petals reach up above the cone before they droop.