The Devil's in the detail

Yet another Devil's-bit image, but just about now they are at their best.
Some heads have yet to flower; tightly packed, spherical and deep purple. Others are in flower; lilac anthers floating above pincushion heads, and some are setting seed. It is one of the last flowering herbs in the meadow. 'Tis tinged with melancholy, but I love the feel of ripe seed as it falls into the hand, then onto the soil surface where it will be subject to winter.