We drove to Florida last week-end, staying out one night and eating all our meals from our stash of food in our car. I was nervous about the drive but felt safe except when we had to purchase gasoline. We are taking the same safety precautions we took while in Michigan – except we can go outdoors and see friends from a distance.

Tuesday morning I was off to the Naples Botanical Garden – with a reservation for 8:00 am member early entry for me and my son & daughter-in-law. The humidity was really high with some light fog so there were beads of water along the edges of the flowers, along spider webs and large drops of water falling off trees. There were only a few members walking their dogs so my tripod didn’t get in anyone’s way as I focused on some of the flowers. This camellia caught my eye early in my walk, and I was excited to see a lot of buds so there will be more flowers on future visits.

I think I use up-close photography more often to show the beauty and personality of plants and critters than showcasing the minute details. But both are important to me and I am beginning to think about when it works better to take a few steps back for a more inclusive image.

I’m not a big bug lover (neither big on liking them nor liking big bugs) but close-ups sometimes gives me a greater appreciation for their complexity. I’m not sure the little critter below is a moth staying out late (9 in the morning) or a butterfly that looks a lot like a moth. Maybe one of you will educated me.

This last close-up is of rice, taken a year ago. The Botanical Garden grows rice in small paddies in the Asian Garden but also in big, round planters on the boardwalk through the lily garden. I have been trying for several years to capture their beauty and personality and this is the best so far. I will try some more this year. It is so nice to have such a photogenic place to go week after week, year after year. It definitely keeps my spirits up!

I am connecting this post with Becky’s “square-up” month that is just about to end. Kind of like a “last call-up.”