Dotted Horsemint

At sunrise, these Dotted Horsemint (Monarda punctata) really shine. After several months of waiting, I am impressed with its floral display. This is a great, low-maintenance plant native to Florida. Click on an image to see it bigger.

A few different angles/compositions.

Grasshopper

While strolling around the backyard, Vanessa and I came upon this great grasshopper. We always see lots of cool insects, but this was the first time I've seen something this big and bright. It turns out it is a fairly common American Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana).

A standard full length shot just to give you a good look at the insect. In the shade it wasn't quite bright enough, so I added some light with the built-in flash on the camera. It's been a while since I used that thing, but they do pretty well in these macro situations.

And here's a closer look.

If you are looking for pictures of Vanessa, this is a reminder that she has started blogging herself. You can read her posts and see the latest images here.