Macro Flowers

The subtle shapes of flowers at the macro scale remain an endless source of fascination for me.

This shot of Lilium 'Casablanca', an Oriental hybrid lily, was taken yesterday in my gardens. While the insides are pure white , the back has spokes of dark grey. The blossoms are big: more than 25 cm in length and 20 cm in diameter. This particular blossom seems luminous in the white drapery of its petals and glowing golden pollen.

Unfortunately, a hail storm in June savaged the foliage and flowers of nearly all the plants in my gardens. The storm damaged or bruised the buds of nearly all the Asiatic and Oriental hybrids in the lily bed. As a result, nearly all of what are usually color saturated starbursts of sensuous beauty are mostly mis-shapen this year with holes and oddly twisted shapes. A precious few - like this bright yellow one, were lucky and came through nearly perfect.

Oh well; Hope springs eternal for next year. The colors are no less lovely this year and that is always something to enjoy - especially at macro scales.