Friday, March 9, 2007

Eureka!

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After yesterday's post, a little bird (OK, a big bird) told me that I can find a white hibiscus right in my neighborhood. So I dropped everything (the things I do for you...) and rushed right over. And voilà! Isn't it stunning? The lizard's included at no extra charge ;-)

"People from a planet without flowers would think we
must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us."

Iris Murdoch


Update: In your comments, some of you questioned the authenticity of the lizard. Let me assure you - the lizard is real (not photo edited-in, not a trained pet (!), not a figment of your imagination). As soon as I whipped out my camera, he scampered out from under the petal and posed for me, smiling ;-)

29 comments:

Deb said...

Okay first-stunningly beautiful flower!
Second-I'm now convinced you have at least one trained pet lizard and at least one trained pet alligator!

Jing said...

wow!!!
what an amazing shot!!
beautiful flower, stuning lizard!i guess it is really tiny...??

cooool shot!

jing
shanghai daily photo

alice said...

Each time, i laugh reading Chris and Deb's comment! One more time, Isabella, your photo me laisse sans voix...Un vrai bijou.

Anonymous said...

Oh, you! This kind of action I like!
( namely you rushing finding your camera, thinking clothes on or not, running out and so on - action ! )
And teaching biology nowadays could be so fun because of your blog for instance.
Thank you for these wonderful colours and action!

~tanty~ said...

Wow! This is stunning! What a beautiful flower. Still thinking how did you do your yesterday's post.

Anonymous said...

A white hibiscus is a beautiful picture.

Olivier said...

impressionnante ta photo, bravo pour cette macro, et puis cela change des alligators ;o).
Je te souhaite un bon weekend (à la plage ?)

impressive your photograph, cheer for this macro, and then that changes alligators; O). I wish you a good weekend (with the beach?)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful flower and beautiful lizard. He looks like he's lying on a soft mattress.
And he is your pet isn't he?
Great shot!

Unknown said...

yikes! i was looking at it without noticing the lizard in it.

great shot!

The Wellspring said...

I love the lizard touch! This is a spectacular shot.

~Lisa

Pat said...

HAHAHAHA! Lovely! Thanks for telling me you found it! Lizard and all!

Shammickite said...

oooo that is SO lovely. Are you sure that's a LIVE lizard, and not a stuffed one you use for photgraphic enhancement??

isa said...

Chris & Deb - you forgot my pet snake ;-)

Anonymous said...

Fabulous. The center of the flower especially. And the lizard. Couldn't be better.

Chuckeroon said...

So, Izzy.....is this a "Brief encounter" for a lizard on a hibiscus growing by an old UK steam railway line: what's he spying on? And....I know you were really scared. Admit it! ;-)

Dsole said...

Dammm it! This is a really amazing shot!!! breath taking!!

Jilly said...

That is stunning. Fantastic. What a serendipity moment, or maybe Chris and Deb are right.

Amazing image, amazing photograph.

Makes my heart leap!

Jilly x

Kate said...

Is that lizard for real on that beautiful flower. I am not very educated in a technological way and can't tell usually if something is enhanced, but this is so unusual I have to ask.

Fay said...

With all that have been said, I would say this is a very unexpected combination and I believe that it's a natural picture with no artificial alternation...

But I do love Chris & Deb's sense of humor! Or maybe they could even be right?

Carlos Lorenzo said...

This is one of the best. The arched body matches perfectly the edge of the flower to the right and the stigmas look like lizard sticky fingers.

Nikon said...

Absolutely fabulous shot.

freelancer said...

Great shot, very nice macro !

Meg said...

My, my, Isabella, commiserations to us both! I think the worst part is since Paul (the dentist, not Nikon) told me this is semi-serious, it started to hurt more! So far I'm on over-the-counter pain killers sporadically , but I got my emergency antibiotics yesterday just in case it gets bad over the weekend.

My options were to A) dismantle the crown and the 'stud', rework the root canal, get a new stud and crown; OR B) cut the gum from the side and put a 'stopper' below where the roots used to be, above where the swelling is.

Paul said medically Option A is better, but because my stud is so firmly in place he wasn't sure if he wanted to proceed. With Option A, there is always the chance the stud/crown might not work and my having to have a bridgework instead. Option B takes less time and therefore fewer $s.

I already have two more bridgework, so that was the deal-breaker for me: I'm going with Option B.

Good luck to you, dear Isabella. So far the earliest appointment I could get is 11 April, but I'm on the waiting list if something comes up. When is yours?

Meg said...

Isabella, I don't really either either A or B is permanent. Your Option C wasn't a real option for me, because Paul said it's a little too far back for implant. Option D - that still doesn't eliminate our pain, though, and I don't think we want to be on antibiotics forever.

Oh, Paul did have Option E: pull tooth out and forget about it; not really an option, is it?

I'll be thinking of you Monday and Tuesday (your Monday), then.

PS - Dentistry is all private, but Paul is kind of popular, ergo the long wait and the hefty bill. Yikes...

kuanyin333 said...

You must have what is called lizard medicine to attract such perfect models! Ever since I saw your green lizard, I've been stalking them, but alas..no luck whenever I have my camera with me. I must need some lizard medicine.

Ming the Merciless said...

Amazingly detailed and clear photo. I can almost count the hairy filament on the flower reproductive thingies. :-) Sorry, the last botany class I took was in the 80s.

Anonymous said...

This is just fantastic Isabella, I declare you queen of hibiscus!

Anonymous said...

Ok, what are the chances of THAT, right when you ran over to snap a photo! You must live right, my dear. I must say that is quite a delicate lizard for such a delicate petal. The juxtaposition is incredible. Kudos for the best shot of the week!

Oya said...

Wouuw, you got lucky there with the lizard. Not to mention you are becoming a "professional":)