Mental Margarita - Red Columbine

I'm really pleased I bought the light tent. My neighbor was highly suspicious when I asked if I could snip this bloom to bring it home to take picture of it, but I'm glad I overcame his weirdness to get it. This is one of those subjects that is so funky on its own, that to have any kind of distraction in the background would be, um, distracting.

This, by the way, is a columbine. My relationship with this flower was limited to the massacre. Until this year, I had no idea that a columbine was such a space-age, trippy looking bloom. So I'm glad I have a new association. (BTW, Wally Lamb's new book on the subject, The Hour I First Believed, is brutal but worth reading if you don't mind getting your a bit heart bruised.)

These are my two other favorites from the bunch:





Peonies are so riotous. I love their disorderliness.

Please check out my fotos site for the rest of the newbies.

Happy July!