Why Going to Seed is Not Always a Bad Thing at all

I've never understood the hysteria about not letting plants go to seed.  Aside from seed savers, who love it, there's a great emphasis on keeping plants picked, pruned, and generally nagged, so to avoid the dreaded going to seed.  But if you take your harvest and let the rest of your herbs go to seed, you get some lovely sights.

Here's the buds on a ruby lettuce, ready to open and show me what color the flower is.  

And the oregano makes an interesting flower.  

And the peppermint.  

And then this little flower suddenly appeared this week among the blanketflower, and if any blogista can identify her, I'd be pleased.   It's a delicate pink which washed out to white in the pic.