203 : Sunflower bloom and bud

Just love how this flower has a full bloom and a bud ready to bloom, with just a touch of sunlight. Love the cold blue backdrop as well.

202 : Sunflower facing down

Seems like the bigger sunflowers tend to 'bow over' under their own weight, causing the flower to face down. Sure makes it tough to get the flower's face in the sun, but makes for an interesting shot nonetheless. Love the texture of the face of the flower against the yellow, and the colors of the bottom half of the frame, notably that bright green of the sunflower's leaf.

201 : Shadows across brown stalk

Not only did I think this stalk had a great color and texture, but some interesting shadows as well! Just love the warm oranges/browns mixed in with the greens and yellows.

200 : Magenta zinna

There's still a few of these zinnia blooming out front... just like this one in the soft light against the green and purple.

199 : Spider in the leaves

Was out front shooting the sunflowers and saw this spider up in the rhododendron leaves. Love all the shapes (and different depths) of the leaves against the cold grey sky, with the sharp spider in the center.

198 : Rainy sunflower

Oh the irony! Well, not really I suppose. I managed to find a break in the rain to get this shot with some sunshine and blue sky (although I think our gutter makes for a nice dark contrast to the clear blue backdrop). Think it's interesting that the sundrops can be seen on both the front and backs of the petals... kind of makes an interesting effect.

197 : Big leaf and purple daisy

Couldn't pass up this shot on the big leaf out front with the purple daisy in the background. Just love the scratchy green lines in the leaf, and the green/purplish of the backdrop.

196 : Brown streaked stalk

I really liked how the other dying stalk shot turned out, so I wanted to try it again with a different plant that had a bit more green but with some yellow and brown streaks. Think all the colors turned out great... even in the background!

195 : (Mostly) opened sunflower

One of the 'real' sunflowers are finally in bloom, so thought it make for a nice shot of this sunny day. It was a little hazy out, which is why i think the sky didn't turn out a bit bluer, but liked how those two petals couldn't quite make it open with the rest of them.

194 : Dying stalk

This time of year some of the stalks out front (these are lucifer I believe) turn from green to yellow to brown, and have some great color and texture while doing so. Love all the war yellows and browns mixed in with the green lines... with with warm and cool colors in the backdrop as well.

193 : Green bee on sunflower

Every now and then I see a certain type of bee that seems to have a green body. Not sure how these differ from their 'normal' counterparts, but sure add a little touch of color to a yellow and brown sunflower photo.

192 : White sunflower centered

Since we couldn't plant sunflowers in the side yard, we planted two batched out front: one close to the house and one close to the sidewalk. Problem is, all but the tallest sunflowers in the batch close to the house are already in shade by the time I get home at night. But luckily the second batch isn't, and it's finally sporting some blooms!

191 : Rose bud

Surprisingly, there's still some roses trying to pop up. Just liked how this one looked in the evening.

190 : Straight on sunflower

Kind of gray out, but still thought a shot of this sunflower would work out. I do like just the yellow and black of the image though...

189 : Peach rose on black

The sun was just high enough to get light on this rose, and have the side of the house all covered in shadow. Certainly make for a dramatic image though... love all the pointed corners of the petals around the edge.

188 : Big leaf against purple specs

Wanted to revisit the big leaf, and really liked how the purple blooms add a bit of color to the frame. Too bad the plant itself probably won't bloom this year... just too late with the summer heat it seems.

187 : Sunflower on black

Had internet problems last night, so this one's up a day late. Finally have some sunflowers blooming out front, but unfortunately it was a bit gray out (feels like autumn out!) Actually like how the dark backdrop turned out though.

186 : Orange rose side

These roses are one of the last flowers left around the house, so I'm sure I'll get a few more shots of these before the month is out!

185 : Rust-rimmed leaf

I love the look of the edges of these leaves... a rough brown running up the side almost as if the leaf is rusting away. Love all the different shadows offered against the leaves at this time of day.

184 : Peach rose with scattered shadows

We've still got a couple rose plants with blooms on them, and loved how this one looked against the new darker shade of the house with some random shadows... definitely helps the yellows and oranges pop.

183 : Bee on cone flower

Seems like most of the bees that fly around our front yard are the big burly bumblebees, but this one almost seemed white, and was having a go at one of the few remaining cone flowers.

182 : Little white sunflower

We planted a few sunflowers out front, and looks like the smaller ones are finally blooming. By the time I got home it was in the shade, but I like all the cool colors nontheless.

181 : Cotton candy zinnia

Really just love the great color scheme of this bloom... so bright with the yellow and magenta, especially against a cool green backdrop. Just wish they were a little larger so I could get in a little bit closer!

180 : Young and old purple daisy

The purple daisies kind of age similar to the zinnia it seems... the petals turn almost white, and the center turns dark (like the bloom in the back.)

179 : Magenta bell flowers

Seems like I shoot these a decent amount, but they either turn out overexposed (white spots) or I just prefer a different shot that day. But today I finally got a nice crisp and colorful shot of these again the bright green lucifer stalks.

178 : Faded zinnias

I mentioned yesterday how the petals of the zinnia fade as they age... here's a couple more examples of that. And in the back (upper right) there's a white flower with a dark brown center, which is a really old zinnia!

177 : Magenta zinnia and purple bloom

As the magenta zinnias age, their petals actually turn to white, which actually makes for a pretty neat striped effect. Not sure what the purple bloom is... will have to ask Jill on that one!

176 : Vibrant cone flower

Really loved the low angle that the sun was hitting the petals, making all sorts of interesting shadows along the ridges in the petals, as well as how bright all the colors turned out.

175 : Sun-spotted leaves

Just liked how the sun hits these leaves, with that little brown stalk poking out.

174 : Shadowed orange zinnia

There's not much blooming out front nowadays, so back to this orange zinnia for now, with just a couple touches of sunshine! Not sure what I'll shoot once the front yard is done since I've got no sunflowers growing in the side yard since we knew we were going to paint the house... yikes!