The Heat of Summer

______It's neat how when you visit the same place during different seasons, you're able to sniff out new things.  In autumn, there are warmer colors to the trees, a crisp scent in the air, and little to no flora; in the heat of the summer, trees are bearded with moss and crusted with lichen in subdued shades of mint and cream, and the flowers that have survived have brittle linings on their petals.  There's something lovely about a bright rose that's wilting slightly from the heat opposed to one completely in tact.

______I know that macro nature pictures can be so horribly cliché, but it's no wonder--nature is so pretty up close, especially when the same species of flower has variations in gradients and petal shapes, or when lichen can clutch its frail little hands around a tree in patterns more diverse than sandwich combinations.  Even when it's dying, decaying, or otherwise wasting away, it still seems so alive.



______I took these awhile ago when I was on little journey to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I went there last summer, too, and did my best to find some new things to snap.  It was the middle of the day and I perspired more than an old man in a sauna full of attractive young ladies, but I think it resulted in a few decent photos, some bright with life and others a bit more solemn!



______Do you guys have any places you like to frequently visit, whether it be for picture-taking, day-dreaming about Fabio and his swooshy golden locks, or hiding away from the world for a moment's respite?