It was late in the day and I had been shooting a garden until my surroundings became dim. On my way out, I passed by a patch of primrose flowers next to a large boulder. I was amazed at their vibrant glowing colour even though the surroundings were in dull evening light. Being reasonably certain that they were not battery-powered, my only rationalization was that these petals were made of the same fluorescent substance on firefly tails. I returned the next day to shoot them in bright sun, but the flowers appeared quite average. So, I waited until they were once again in the dim evening shade and captured their neon colours on film.

It is slow and tiresome hiking through miles of these steep rows of sandstone walls. it's a very beautiful location, speckled with small trees and interesting formations, but relentless with it's heat and giant maze-like features. most of my time is used climbing up & down (and winding to & fro) than actual forward progress (if forward is even a possible direction).

along coast of Lake Michigan

close-up shot of the plentiful blooms on a Rainbow Shower tree in Hawaii

After the boiling hot mineral water oozes up from the earth, it eventually starts to cool and the mineral elements fall out of suspension. Since the edges are cooler than the middle, the sediment builds up a little perimeter wall one grain at a time. Over time, large cascading pools are created as they overflow and puddle to create more.

huge canopy over Japanese garden creating a perfect balance of shade and sun for comfort.

foliage on the tropical island of HaiNan

I'm certainly not a marine biologist, but am informed that this is a 'Dactylometra Quinquecirrha' type jellyfish, so I'll take their word for it. Their tentacles are covered with stinging cells that attach themselves to anything that touches them and injects a venom into it's prey. Fortunately I didn't get the opportunity to experience this in action even though I'm told it's not fatal. My biggest problem capturing this image is that there is absolutely nothing stable to attach a camera to underwater. Tripods are useless, I'm moving, the camera is moving, the sea creatures are moving, all at different rhythms (guess I didn't need to bring the cable release). All in all, this was probably the most serene and beautiful creature I've ever witnessed; it's pulsating motions and delicate nature were extremely enjoyable.