Back in the fragrant California spring of Berkeley from the winter snows of Yosemite and the Sierra, it is great to see my garden coming to life. This photo is a close-up of a peony bud on our tree peony unfurling. Of course, the peony is a beautiful flower when it opens. At this stage, I think it looks a little firghtening, almost like an alien life form.
Here are some stories showing the flowers from this peony bush last year: Peony Glowing, Fairly Abstract Peony, Peony Revealed, Peony Parade, and here’s my Peony set on Flickr. Strange what beauty this gangleous thing grows into!