One of varieties of the annual COSMOS I grow in my gardens is called 'Sea Shells' While I'm not sure how they came up w/ that particular variety name I do enjoy seeing the pretty pink and white blossoms waving in the breeze on their very slender 4' stems.

What I appreciate most about them, however, is the absolute symmetry of the entire flower....both petals and center seed head completely balanced from left to right....top to bottom. It is, in fact, the very reason they were given the name 'COSMOS' by Spanish priests in Mexico who grew them in their mission gardens. Derived from a Greek word meaning 'harmony' or 'balanced universe', the priests reportedly felt that because of their symmetrically aligned petals these flowers were analogous to an 'ordered universe.'

Out in my gardens several evenings ago I couldn't help but be struck by how perceptive those Mission priests were when I began photographing this lovely pale pink, perfectly symmetrical COSMOS blossom.