I’m not much of a pine cone photographer (is there such a thing?) but the colors on this cone really caught my eye. It grew from the branch of a fallen tree that was clearly still very much alive.
Pink Orchid
This beautiful pink and yellow orchid was on display at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Orchid Show in Richmond, VA. I couldn’t resist the temptation to try and get a Georgia O’Keeffe style image of it.
Tulip Bloom
Of course tulips are at their peak while the flowers are still slightly closed. This purple tulip, at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, looked pasted its prime but I thought the vibrant colors had a beauty all their own. While it no longer had that new tulip shape, the open flower revealed a lovely contrast between the yellow pollen and the deep purple and blue flower pedals.
Blue Orchid
These blue orchids have an almost unreal color. That’s because the stems are injected with a blue dye before the flowers bloom. While the color may be a bit surreal, they are quite captivating.
Orchid Show
These orchids were on display at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA. Inside an arboretum, their delicate, colorful blooms offered a refreshing break from the bleak, cold weather outside when we visited in February.
Colorful Fungus on Log
This fallen log, in Pocahontas State Park, near Richmond, Virginia, forms the basis for quite an ecosystem of colorful fungus and lichen.
Lichen Bloom
Sometimes it’s the little things in nature that really catch my eye. This lichen was growing on the side of a very large pine tree. I approached the tree to get a closer look at something else when I noticed the tiny, bright red blooms on the lichen. Who knew that lichen actually bloomed?
Seed Pod
I can’t identify the plant which produced this seed pod but I can confidently say it wasn’t a dandelion. It was low, leggy bush with dried up leaves when I took this photo in November. Regardless of my ignorance, I thought the plant’s seed pod was worthy of a close up photo.
Tree Fallen in Water
This tree once stood tall and provided shelter and possibly food to many of its forest companions. Seeing it laying, lifelessly in the water reminded me of the simple truth of mortality. Not in a morbid or depressing way, just as an immutable law of nature. Keeping that in mind, we should all live each moment to its fullest.
Short Mushroom, Long Shadow
This little mushroom, growing on the moss covered base of a tree, was casting quite a long shadow when I found it.