arthritic and beautiful

There are still plenty of sunflowers on the roadsides, but they are starting to show their discomfort with cold nights. The petals on this bloom looked like arthritic fingers to me. At this age, every flower is unique, unlike the undifferentiated beauty of early blooms. Another way of saying: Aging is beautiful.

Jerusalem artichoke sunflower (Helianthus tuberosus)

P.S. Ginny, Steve will definitely be harvesting these roots for consumption (Joseph is back at school). Harvest time is after first frost but before freeze-up. :-)