Maureen Budney, in North Reading, Massachusetts, is a talented amateur photographer and often shares the sights she captures with us.
I love how this photo of a hardy hibiscus (Hibiscus hybrid, Zones 5–10) makes you stop and take in all the details of this beautiful bloom. Hardy perennial hibiscus are hybrids of species native to eastern North America and make imposing plants with their huge summer blooms.
This clematis (Clematis, large-flowered hybrid, Zones 5–9) bloom has deep velvety purple petals, and its central mass of anthers is just beginning to open for pollination.
Moving to fall, the leaves of a cutleaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9) are flush with red.
These Japanese maple leaves in fall are more gold with just a hint of red on them. Color depends on the specific cultivar of Japanese maple, and there will be more red in leaves exposed to direct sun, less on leaves in a more shaded location.
This garden light probably creates great views all year, but its illumination of these fall leaves make the tree look like it is on fire.
As they first emerge, the leaves of lilies (here, a Lilium hybrid) can be almost as beautiful as the flowers if you take the time to look at them closely.
Cherry blossoms (Prunus sp., Zones 5–8) are the epitome of spring. The fleeting nature of their display only makes them all the more beautiful and precious.
A beautiful wasp feeding milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, Zones 3–6). I believe this is a great black digger wasp or a blue-wing wasp. In either case, like most wasps, it doesn’t sting humans but does feed on garden pests like grasshoppers or Japanese beetle larva.
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