I'll end this series with another bee shot. This shot marks my 500th post. When I started this blog in July of 2006 I had imagined that I would be posting more regularly than I have. But a lot of life has happened in these last 6 years. I'm incredibly grateful that I am able to take photographs (for a long time when I was recovering from a broken back I wasn't sure that I would be able to again). I'll never stop appreciating the wonders of creation. Randolph, New Jersey. 15 June 2012.

What is it about bees that is so darn fascinating? Randolph, New Jersey. 15 June 2012.

These are all the same type, under a very lovely corkscrew willow tree. Randolph, New Jersey. 15 June 2012.

Another of the teeny-weeny bees. Randolph, New Jersey. 15 June 2012.

Isn't their translucence cool? Randolph, New Jersey. 15 June 2012.

Don't you just love this little guy? Randolph, New Jersey. 15 June 2012.

Most photos I've ever taken of iris have had an overhead perspective, so I  was pretty determined to do something else with these. The fact that it was such a gorgeous day made the decision to shoot up from below rather easy. Randolph, New Jersey. 15 June 2012.

I'm not sure I did a very good job explaining how a polarizing filter works to my friend Pat, but this does help illustrate the deep blues. I should have done some "with" and "without" versions to clarify. Randolph, New Jersey. 15 June 2012.

Some folks would Photoshop out the sun flare, but I kind of like it. Randolph, New Jersey. 15 June 2012.

I have some friends who have some spectacular iris. I got to spend some time (not enough!) soaking in the colors and considering how to best capture them. These were part of an area that had several different colors-- I love the 'pureness' of this color, and especially the gentle curves at the edge of the blossoms. Randolph, New Jersey. 15 June 2012.

One last photo from the Longwood Garden collection. The variety and diversity was amazing, so it was difficult to choose which to feature, but these passion flowers were cool. Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

I love the patterns of this. Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

It was REALLY hard to choose which water lilies to put on this blog. The abundance was amazing! Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

I've never seen such an amazing collection of water lilies before. The one disappointment (and it was minor) was that they all had rather large ID tags, placed very close to the blossoms. Shooting around them was a bit frustrating. Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

I clipped an article about this 'living wall' out of a newspaper last year, unaware that I was so close to it. Seeing it in person was better than reading about it-- surprise! Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

This little guy was hiding out by some iris. Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

And another of the lovely fountains. Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

Apparently the fountains get shut down during droughts, but fortunately that's not the case this summer. Or yet, anyway. Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

The bees were very busy. Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

Fairy Fan Flower (Scaevola aemula). Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

These were at the beginning of our visit, and outdoors, but I have no recollection of where they were. Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

A Memorial Day Weekend trip to Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia was a visual feast. It was a hot and steamy day, but the gardens were very impressive. Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 26 May 2012.

Aren't these cool? Amazingly delicate, but not fussy or perfect. Randolph, New Jersey. 26 May 2012.