Calm Before the Storm...

It must have been an intuitive feeling that JP had early Saturday afternoon. My parents had stopped by to say farewell before they flew back to Seattle. I had placed my new camera on its tripod out in the garden, awaiting to take a few family photos. The weather was beautiful as we said our goodbyes. Then, JP suggested I "play" and take a few photos for fun. And FUN it was!... I snapped all sorts of close-ups which I will share with you here. Then, sprinkles started to fall and as we ran inside, torrents of rain and hail replaced the raindrops, and we watched our garden in dismay. Again, our garden was pelted on Sunday with heavier hail and rain after which flooding took its place. All is peaceful again, but the garden sadly took a beating. There is always hope, and we'll see if the plants will arise to the sun's warmth and rays. For now, the photos offer fond memories and an acute perspective on nature and its wonders...
~ Johanna


* A bee crawls up and over the bloom of a Bachelor's Button flower...


* A Green Lacewing stops to rest on a spent Alium bloom...


* These poppies just "popped" before the storms rolled in. We enjoyed their paper-thin blossoms for only a few hours, all of which have now fallen to the ground...


* A special peek at the life of a roly-poly in his armored suit as he climbs across the yellow bloom of a sedum iceplant...


* A bee extracts nectar from the violet blooms of a wild geranium...


* Yellow Yarrow, just beginning to pop, glows for the camera...


* A bee-like insect with a peculiar hovering habit searches for the center of this tiny Snow in Summer bloom...


* Tissue-light petals in brilliant red open to the skies... I'm afraid most of these flowers were lost in the storm...


* A bee grips the edges of the tiny Catmint flower in search of sweet nectar...

Please click on the images for a larger view. I cropped them all so you could see the intricate detail, but the subjects are interesting shown in their surroundings as well. I do wonder what became of these small insects and how they could possibly survive such a violent series of storms....? If the storms stay away, perhaps my garden will have a chance to recover ~ There is always hope.
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