Leaves

You've probably heard the expression, "can't see the trees for the forest," and I think that is so true when it comes to flowers (and trees) and their leaves. We admire and appreciate and photograph colorful flowers and trees, but, oftentimes, we overlook the leaves.

With that in mind, I'd like to share some of my pictures that focus primarily on leaves (I was surprised by how many I have in my photo files).

Take, for instance, Hydrangeas, with their large showy flowers.

Very pretty ...
but look a little closer at the leaves.

Amazing, aren't they!

In the fall, we admire glorious fall foliage displays, but, again, overlook the beauty of the individual leaves that create those displays.

Like the golden fan-shaped leaves of this old Ginkgo Tree.

I took the next picture last November. I'm not sure what kind of tree these leaves fell from, but I love the way they were resting on a bed of moss, all snuggled up against the trunk, as if they were waiting for winter.

One of my favorite "leaf pictures" in my collection is this one I captured of leaves floating on a lake behind my parents' house in Louisiana. Only God could create those colors.

I'm sure we're all familiar with the saying, "Leaves of three, let it be!" And although they're pretty little leaves, you don't want to get too close a look at Poison Ivy ...

I love using pots of Crotons in the fall for splashes of color in our courtyard. The leaves are absolutely gorgeous ...

The next two pictures were taken last December when we received an early, and completely unexpected, snowfall. My Asparagus Ferns were still pretty and green and looked like they were encased in ice bubbles.

This is a closeup of a leaf on our Japanese Maple tree that was dusted with snow.

My last pictures feature a tree whose leaves are almost as beautiful as its blossoms, and there's no way you could overlook them when admiring the flowers.

Yes, I'm talking about Magnolia Trees, with their shiny and lush dark green leaves, with velvety copper undersides.

They are especially popular this time of year for use in floral arrangements and garlands for weddings and wedding receptions. In warmer climates, they are used for decorating year-round.

Yet another old saying comes to mind -- "Stop and smell the roses," and I hope I have inspired you to take time to "stop and look at the leaves." I know I will ... especially this fall.

Lantana

I braved afternoon temperatures hovering in the mid-90s and a 107-degree heat index yesterday to capture some pictures of my Lantana plants which are in full bloom. I was hoping there would be some butterflies fluttering about, too, but I guess they were smarter than I was and were in a nice shady place trying to stay cool.

I did manage to get a few close up pictures of the Lantana blooms and made an amazing discovery in the process. Have you ever noticed how similar Lantana and Hydrangea plants are?

The blossoms of both plants grow in clusters, although the Lantana flowers are much smaller, of course ...

Their leaves are quite similar, too ...

[Lantana Leaves]

[Hydrangea Leaves]

As I looked at the different flowers through my macro lens, I was amazed by how many different stages the blossoms go through before being in full bloom.

I think this one looks like one of those rides at a fair with the little bucket seats that twirl round and round ...

And some of the buds reminded me of miniature bridal nosegays.

Can't you just imagine a sweet little fairy bride carrying one of those tied with tiny pink ribbons! Well, perhaps not ... but I can! (And while we are imagining, I can even picture tiny fairies riding in the little buckets of the "merry-go-round" flower shown above).

One of the things I like about Lantana is that it blooms here in Mississippi in late spring, summer, fall, and into winter. This last picture obviously wasn't taken yesterday. It was taken on December 5th last year when we received an unseasonably early snowfall.

That makes me wish for some of that snow and December temperatures, but I don't think that's going to happen any time soon. Unfortunately, we still have a long, hot summer ahead of us.