The lifecycle of cotton from the seed to the open boll.

All photos courtesy of Linda Russell - Museum Director

Cotton seed and open cotton boll


Cotton Patch at Burton Cotton Gin in Burton, Texas. Cotton seed are planted in April each year - usually after the soil has warmed. It will be about 4 months until the first cotton will pop open. Picking and ginning begins in August and will last until November. The earth will "rest" about 4 months until planting again in April.


New cotton blossoms - just opening - pale yellow in color. Okra and cotton are cousins - the blossoms are similar. Within twelve hours, the blooms will turn a soft pale pink!


New cotton blossom with leaves.


Soft yellow cotton flower just turning pink.


The soft pink cotton blossom has turned to a bright pink in less than 12 hours. After a brief "full bloom" stage, the blossom gets a deeper shades of pink as it dries.


Cotton flower - pink - in early drying stage.


Cotton blossom - drying stage in progress - blossom has gone from yellow to pink and within the drying up stage...all within 24 hours.


Cotton blossom in final drying stage.


Cotton blossom - dried up - will fall off and expose young boll underneath.


Blossoms drying up - will soon fall off - leaving boll underneath to grow.


Dried up blossom - boll is forming underneath.


Dried blossom has fallen off - exposing new cotton boll.


Mature cotton boll ... will open very soon!


Cotton boll - matures to the size of a walnut.


Cotton boll about to pop open!


First cotton boll opened at our Burton Cotton Gin "Patch" on August 8, 2005.


This cotton boll has just opened - note sharp claw-like point on the burr. These sharp burrs made picking cotton by hand quite painful.


Stages of cotton from bloom to open boll


Stages of cotton from bloom to open boll


Burton Cotton Gin & Museum "Patch" Photo taken October 4, 2005


The boll weevil trap is checked weekly by the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation. None have been found!


Cotton Flower Art!