This beauty was taken this summer at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle. Such delicacy contrasted with the massive strength and armed protectiveness of the cactus itself.

Visit Cactus Monday, Macro Monday and Mellow Yellow Monday for more neat photos with a theme.

As long as you’re here, try a new tag or category, or a search, for things you like. Returning to the latest post is easy; just click on Sara’s Fave Photos here or above.

We’ve had a LOT of rain. Seattle doesn’t actually get very much rain per year, only about 36″ in an average year. What we have a lot of, usually, is cloudy and dim. But this month has been quite rainy, and due to the late onset of summer, the plants were looking better than they usually do at this time.

Here’s a shot of my backyard cosmos after a recent downpour.

Visit Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday for more great photos with a theme. And if you feel like it, try a new tag or category here, first. Return to the latest post here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos here or above.

I like this photo very much, the graceful arc of the stem decorated with the rain gems really speaks to me, so I’ve tagged this post Best Post of the Week.

This was on a roadside dahlia flower stand, pretty simple operation, gorgeous blooms. I love the way a sort of gray day was transformed into an explosion of light.

Macro Monday, Color Carnival, SOOC (straight out of the camera) and Mellow Yellow Monday are very worthwhile sites to visit. And they’re good categories to check out, too, here at Sara’s Fave Photos blog.

As I mentioned in the post just below, I love going to garden club flower shows to ooh and aah at the “hort” (horticulture or plant displays). This picotee begonia was four or five inches across and it was just gorgeous.

Visit Pink Saturday for more perfect pinkness, Today’s Flower for flowers around the world and SOOC Sunday for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots.

The latest post can always be found here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above. And I always encourage you to try something new here each visit. Perhaps a category like Pink Saturday?

I belong to a garden club and every few months the various local clubs get together and do a flower show. It’s one of my fave places to find perfect flowers to photograph.

Visit Macro Flowers Saturday for more great close ups, SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots,  and Color Carnival for more brilliant color. And you might try the “close up” tag while you’re here.

If you’ve arrived at this page from a link or search engine, it’s easy to find the latest post. Just click on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

Here is a  magenta and white waterlily for your enjoyment, seen at Hendricks Garden in the Federal Way Garden Tour last month.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, Today’s Flowers and SOOC for more great photos. And try clicking on a tag like My Garden, perhaps, for a new photo selection. If you’ve gotten here via the permalink, you can find the latest photos always at Sara’s Fave Photos above.

Sometimes the back of a flower is at least as interesting as the front, don’t you think? This pretty thing was at that dahlia garden in Volunteer Park in Seattle.

Visit Macro Flowers Saturday and Pink Saturday for blog photo fun. While you are here, try a category like Flowers (a big one!) or maybe SOOC, or straight out of the camera, just for fun. You can always find the latest post at Sara’s Fave Photos above.

The Volunteer Park Conservatory had a great “Luau” event last evening, complete with behind-the-scenes tour. The flowers were ravishing as usual. That place is so magnificent. If you are in Seattle, you must go there. It’s even free, but they do accept donations. Their plants and flowers are not only perfectly at the peak of bloom, but they are arranged and displayed so beautifully and artistically. Hats off to them!

Macro Flowers Saturday, Color Carnival and Pink Saturday are entered today.

Try a search for “lily” while you are here. Why not? The latest post always lives at Sara’s Fave Photos above.

This year the seed-started cosmos plants have done very well. The cool wet spring helped them to get established, especially since the slugs don’t seem to like them. Some of the plants had a real problem, like the petunias, but the cosmos all stood undevoured. Now they are beginning to take off. Don’t forget that they are good in bouquets, too!

Visit Macro Monday for more wonderful close ups of all kinds. Color Carnival has more bright colors. Mellow Yellow Monday thinks everything is better with a splash of yellow. Isn’t it? The Shadow is kind of neat, too. And this one is SOOC, or straight out of the camera.

Try a new link or category while you are here. Why not? The latest post is always at Sara’s Fave Photos.

I was browsing through my archives trying to create a slideshow of flowers for the garden club I belong to and found this image. Neat, isn’t it? But I have no idea what it’s called. Anyone?

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Color Carnival and Today’s Flowers for great sites in blogland. Browse around here while you’re already here, perhaps something like “sunset” or “rose.” And if you’ve landed here via the permalink, an easy way to the latest post is by Sara’s Fave Photos, above.