The blooming of a powder puff flower

We have all, in all probability seen this flower, popularly called the powder puff flower. As a kid, I've wondered how the bunch of stamens would look like in the bud form.
I recently got a chance to see this first hand and here is a look for you too.

If you notice in the right bottom of this picture you'll see a green bud, made of tiny green beads. Each of those grow and split open to reveal a single bunch of stamens, looking wonderful against the green of the beads.

This then opened up further to make more room for each of the stamens to bloom. At this stage each set of stamens is coiled into a form that loosely resembles a rose bud

In full bloom, there's room for each stamen to stand tall and here is when you see the powder puff in all its glory!

If you see minutely, each stamen too makes a pretty picture. More stamens, more chance for pollen and pollination. 

These wonderful flowers are in bloom from December till April every year. For the technically inclined, they are part of the Mimosaceae (Touch me not) family and the botanical name is Calliandra Haemacephala