The Pink Cattleheart is a large, black butterfly with striking red, pink and white markings.
Wilting Camelia, I
The camelia flowers have had their run.
Their work is nearly done and their time is running out.
In a few more days this flower will be gone.
Cluster of Roses
This group of roses was one of those small scenes I just couldn’t resist photographing. The composition probably breaks all the rules but I like it just the way it is. To me the three roses in the background on the left seem balanced by the larger, fully blooming rose in the foreground and the opening bud in the upper right.
The dark green leaves of the rose bush are riddled with insect damage. Some photographers might be temped to “repair” them during processing but I like the imperfection of the scene. It reminds me that, upon close inspection, even the beautiful things in life are not perfect.
Rose Buds
Sun, rain, plant, earth, and gardener all played a part in producing these magnificent buds. How many hours of sunlight, drops of rain, atoms of nitrogen, and beads of sweat have gone into them?
Flamingo 1
This flamingo stood out among the group of its peers. It was a bit more relaxed and kept lifting its head, lending itself to a nice avian portrait.
Bumble Bee on Redbud
Over the weekend I sat on my roof to get a better view of the bumble bees pollenating our redbud tree. These trees never cease to amaze me. They are in full bloom in Richmond and quite beautiful right now. The bees will be all over them for the next few weeks. Some of the birds will even eat the flowers. Then, late in the summer they will start to produce seed pods and become nature’s perfect bird feeder. Of course the trees benefit immensely from feeding the birds. We have one full sized tree in our yard and we must get a hundred saplings sprout up every year.
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.
Pokeweed Berries
Pokeweed is such a colorful plant. With it’s pink stems, bright pink flower clusters, and dark blue berries it’s easy to forget it’s poisonous. It wasn’t until after I took this picture I noticed the tiny spider on one of the berries.
Pollination of the Redbud
