Scorching!

Another post! As it turns out, I took over 1,500 photographs over the Memorial Day long weekend. How I managed to do so, I am not completely sure since for two of those days, I was in the city hanging out with friends. This hot weather of late has really brought out a lot of flowers, which is good timing since I won't be around till next weekend.

Let's start today off with a couple of photos with hidden little critters. Both photos are of peonies, albeit different varieties. An unidentified cricket-like insect was crawling around in the first flower while an and was playing hide-and-go-seek in the second peony. 

The next three photos are also of peonies. It's prime-time for peonies right now and the front/backyards are full of them. Compositionally, the more petals a peony has, the closer the shot I like to take. I'm not sure why but that's the trend I've noticed. How do you guys feel about this? 

Next, we have a few shots of poppy flowers. In the last post, we had the orange Oriental poppy and today, we have a pink one. Last year, there was more of the pink variety and this year, it's the opposite. The pink ones open up pretty much all the way while the orange ones tend to remain like a ball.

Like with the other flowers, we have several different types of clematis in the gardens. The below is a close-up of a variety that has not been shown in the other posts. This variety is relatively larger than the others and has wide, flat petals. 

The next two photos are of a clematis variety presented in previous posts. This variety's intricate petals have a mesmerizing effect one me and I can't help but take more photos of them.

This last clematis photo is of the pink variety, which was the first of all the clematis to bloom. As a result, they're also the first to wilt. But fear not, all is not melancholic as even in its end, this flower still commands a certain beauty.

Finally, we have some roses. There's a variety of roses at home - some are rather large while others are tiny. It's hard to tell which is which size in these photos since I have a tendency to take close-up shots. It rained this morning out on the Island, so there was some water droplets on the rose petals.

Well, we've reached the conclusion of today's post. I'm happy to have captured these beautiful flowers in pixel form now and to not have missed them blooming. With any luck, there will be new flowers out for when I return later this week. Till, then!

Hot, Hot,...Hot!

Hello, all! I'm back again today even though we just had a post yesterday. Today's post was rather unplanned but I had the day off and was outside for a few hours enjoying the nice weather. Of course, I had my camera in-hand, giving us today's collection of photographs.

We'll start first with the Oriental poppy, which is a member of the same genus as the opium poppy. The orange-colored variety is the natural form of the flower and a range of other colors have been cultivated over the years. Last year, I saw the pink variety next to the orange ones but didn't see them this year. Perhaps they'll show up later in the season.

Papaver orientale

With the departure of the mudan peonies from the landscape, we have the arrival of other peonies. The most noticeable difference between these peonies is the petal arrangement. The first photo below shows a peony with a single layer of petals, which is a striking contrast to the multi-layered mudan peony.

The single layer of petals appear to be "frosted" along the edge which has quite a beautiful effect. In the immediate vicinity of this peony is one of another cultivar. This type has a couple of more layers of petals that curl in towards the center of the flower.

A little ways away we have yet another type of peony with even more layers of petals. While the previous two peonies have unobstructed centers, this variety has petals sticking straight out from its center. The flower itself is also larger than the previous two but is smaller than the mudan peony.

Remember the "attack of the clematis" from yesterday's post? Well, I couldn't resist and took more photos today. This multi-layered clematis can take over a week to fully open its petals and once it does, it can last for several days. This being said, I'll definitely be taking more photos of these elegant flowers!

Speaking of elegant flowers, here are some iris photos. For some reason, I find myself drawn in by their crests, which look like fingers.

Last but not least, we have some photos of a visitor who might actually be a long-term resident. Over the years, we've encountered a Eastern box turtle just like this one in the front/backyard. This little guy was hanging out under some hydrangea bushes presumable to hide in the shade from the blistering sun. I wouldn't have noticed it had it not been discovered by one of our dogs.

Are you looking at me?!

What struck me the most was the fiery red eyes and unexpected "speed" with which the turtle could move. While trying to take my photos, I had to readjust my position a couple of times since the little guy was trying to get away from me.

Eventually, it did move further and further away from me. Above is the parting shot I snapped. For now, I must do the same since I will be traveling for work next week. Since I won't be home, the next post will likely be in a week or so unless I take more photos in the next couple of days. Until then, happy shooting!