The image above features one of our Japanese anemone flowers against an idealized summer blue sky - with a little help from Photoshop. The original image had too much distraction in the background - the blue sky allows the flower to show itself off a little bit.
In the early spring our front yard is blessed with a carpet of fuchsia/pink and white cyclamen flowers. Last year, I spent hours and hours photographing them to obtain a small batch of photos I was very pleased with. Thus, I thought I was pretty on top of the cyclamen population. 
Imagine my surprise when I found this speckled, purple and white specimen behind our garbage can. It was the day before garbage pick-up, and I was in the process of cramming all the yard waste I could into the can when I saw this one tiny flower. 
A Google search of "variegated cyclamen" yielded some very good examples, but nothing quite like this flower. A genetic freak, perhaps?
The dead leaf was found hanging on the side of a tree that had recently been scorched by fire - it is fair to say this is a "crime scene photo". Our neighbors insist on burning copious amounts of yard waste in their back yard - despite the danger inherent in doing so during the usually dry summer and in violation of city law. Our neighbor's behavior has inspired The Boyfriend to take up the mantle of "Neighborhood Asshole" - a role that had recently been played by our next door neighbor until his untimely death by cancer. Considering our neighborhood is a tinderbox of dry pine needles...I can't say that I blame him. Needless to say, I took some more comprehensive "crime scene" photos.
Above: a busy bee hard at work, unaware I've got him in my sights. Clearly, they did not get the memo that Sunday is a day to kick back. If the bee saw my photo, I wonder if he would say: "Does this flower make my butt look big?"
Above: while it looks like the bee is laying down on the job and slacking off, he is really working all six legs! He looks like he's running in place as he gathers pollen.
Above: "Who IS this chick with the friggin' camera????? I'm outta here!"
