The Pretender

Hosta bloom & ant...."Peek-a-boo, I see you!"
(Click picture for larger view)

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh (1926- )

The hosta in bloom; its miniature flower, a pretender. I once mistook this flower for a lily, until I saw the black ant peeking out from the center petal. The plant is best known for its rounded shape and love of shade; the tall stems with rows of tiny flowers seem a gangly afterthought. But up close, the blooms are as exquisite as any lily or rose. The petals are white to pale lavender with translucent edging and a "wet look", enhanced by beads of morning dew glistening in the sun. What ant, or fly, or even bee could resist this tiny wonder; so beautiful, yet so soon faded?

Summer is quickly becoming fall. I see it in my pumpkins. (A tease for the "Great Pumpkin Epic", coming soon.) I feel it in the night air, at last. Many gorgeous flowers have come and gone this summer with only a fraction ending up here on this site. I've done that on purpose; save them, for dreary rainy day posts of fall; for something colorful to brighten the bleak gray of winter. This way they are able to bloom year 'round....in my camera, in my mind.

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