well, not actually a mountain, nor made of anything hard like crystal – this is actually a very closeup shot at the edge from where a flower petal was torn. the tear left little shards of protruding flesh that when brightly lit, the whole thing glowed like an ice sculpture. this particular shard measures 0.046 inches tall (less than the thickness of a DVD) and you can see the elongated cells of white and purple that made up the flower petal.

a couple of tiny frogs taking a nap on a tree branch

i'm no giraffe expert, but i think the left one wants a kiss.

Columbines, in general, are a lovely flower coming in wide assortment of colour combinations. This giant columbine was growing all by itself and appeared very proud to be doing so well on it's own.

a grouping of vibrant hot-pink oriental day-lilies

occasionally when an Eastern Redbud tree (which has pinkinsh-purple blooms instead of the more typical red blooms) gets rather old, clusters of blooms squeeze out from every part of each branch, limb, and trunk. it's a great find if you happen to find one during the right moment of spring (then it's just a matter of getting the camera equipment up in the tree).

a lovely and unique treasure discovered while roaming the hawaiian rainforest

This is truly in the middle of nowhere and reachable only by foot (or perhaps parachute). It's hard to believe that rock could form in such fluid shapes but it sure makes for a great find for those willing to bare the elements of the desert.