Autumn blossoms (& berries)

Things are still blooming. I hate that it'll end soon, but... there's still time. I actually have a few stalwart perennials that be going in November, but the last month of having blossoms all over the yard of every shape & color is generally October.

Some of the October garden:

FAIR RESULTS

Yes, the results were fair! No, my plant photo that got the vote here did not get the vote at the fair. (What won? A photo of a weed! Um, uhhhh...wildflower, I mean.) Altogether, the kids & I had 15 entries. Drumroll, please:

Aislinn:

Art: drawing -- crayon 2nd place

Pumpkin extravaganza -- painted/decorated, not carved 1st place!Keegan:

Specimen plants -- cultivated berried branch 2nd place

Lynette:

Specimen plants -- favorite flower honorable mention (4th)

Specimen plants -- Chrysanthemum: single/daisy, sm/med honorable mention (4th)

Specimen plants -- fresh bloom collection, 5+ species 3rd place

Photography -- black & white: reflection, refraction, shadow 2nd placeSpecimen plants -- Rudbeckia 1st place

Specimen plants -- fresh bloom collection, 5+ species, perennials only 1st place

And of course we all left with plenty of ideas for what we'll do next year...!

Unionville Community Fair

Every year the kids & I enter the Unionville Community Fair (http://ucfairinc.org/). This year, one of the categories I thought it would be fun to try is:

SECTION 003
Adult Photography
Color
1981 Flowers(s) Plant(s)

I'm not much of a photographer -- to me it's about the plants, not the pictures of them! -- but since I already have all of these plant photos anyway....

I've chosen a few from this year's blog posts, & reposted them below. To the right of this (top of the column), you'll see a poll asking you which photo you think I should enter. (I should've done this sooner, I know -- have to turn it in two days from now! Like I say every year at fair time: NEXT YEAR!) I need help to choose the photo that best fits what they're basing the judging on, as described here:

RULES AND REGULATIONS

9. Each exhibit will be judged on the following:
a. Technical aspects such as composition,
lighting, cropping, etc.
b. Meeting the stated class description/theme.
c. Impact on the viewer – does it catch and
hold your interest?

I started with 10 photos, but I realized that when I look at them I can't help but think of the live plant. I tried to narrow it down based on the impact of the photo itself. Here are the four I'm considering: