Bursting Forth

I felt like sharing an image from a few years ago, when I was still of a mind to carry a heavy camera around all the time.

We give so much attention to flowers when they are fully opened, and then we mourn their demise and fading.  But flowers often have a very distinct beauty that is only seen as they emerge.

Today we were at the Chicago Botanic Gardens and I came upon a dahlia that was only about 1/4 opened and it was the most amazing combination of deep purple and very nearly a chartreuse color.  I stopped in my tracks to look — and found nearby another of the same flower fully opened — and the fully opened flower had no green whatsoever — not of any tint or shade — the entire flower was deep purple.

That got me to remembering shots I’d taken some years ago and I came home to look this one up so I could share it with you.