Sunday Rest: nyctinasty. Word Not To Use Today.

At dusk the flowers close
And keep their sweets 
For butterflies.

Okay, okay, I don't pretend to be much of a poet, but even that's better than: here's an example of nyctinasty, isn't it?

Honestly, some scientists...


Photo of daisy (day's eye, geddit?) by Clément Bardot

Sunday Rest: nyctinasty. Nyctinasty is a term used by botanists with no souls to describe a movement, such as the closing of petals, that occurs in response to the change from day to night and vice versa. It comes from the Greek nux, night, and nastos, which means pressed down.