Peel back the outer, protective layers of a protea flower and be amazed at the powerhouse of internal workings for seed production. The outer layers are tough and leathery to withstand the fierce,drying winds and the flower head must also contend with dehydration from the baking sun.
The Protea family is named after Proteus, the sea-god of Homer’s legends who could change his shape at will. Carl Linnaeus, the famous Swedish botanist was impressed by the amazing variation of this group of plants and was responsible for the naming back in 1735. The Proteaceae are a fascinating family of ancient plants with a lineage which goes back 135 million years to the super continent, Gondwanaland.
To join in the fun and check out other examples of this week’s Photo Challenge. “Layers”, connect here.
Nature on the Edge 
Lovely photos for layers!
Thanks J.
Super interesting macro work!
Thanks Gilly 🙂
Beautiful shots of intricate layers! Well done.
Thanks Tina 🙂
Nice pictures of layers.
Thanks the comment 🙂
Brilliant and fascinating photos for the challenge, Liz. 🙂
Thanks for the comment, Another Day 🙂 I shall check out your blog and see what up in your neck of the woods.
Fascinating!