Passion flowers

Good afternoon Friends ~ I hope you all are keeping cool as much as possible, in the hot parts of the world. July and August are really awful down here, and September, October can be rather miserable too. I always think cool weather should start in September, but that's not so down here in the tropical climes.

Today it is hot, humid, breezy, partly cloudy. Sure wish it would rain, but so far it is going around us. Other parts of FL are getting rain, they are blessed.

This morning I went out to trim the hedge on the north/back side of our secret garden and sweat buckets. Again I had to take breaks, drink water, and try not to over extend myself. I saw more I wanted to do around the property, but NOT in this kind of weather. It was around 10 and I'd had enough.

As I was trimming, I came upon some passion flowers. I love this vine. We have two kinds. This is my favorite. I believe it is 'Incense'.

I was hot and sweaty, tired, and the sun was beating down, so these pictures are not the greatest. It was just about all I could do to set the macro setting, point and shoot. :-)

Click on pictures for a larger view.

This is a bloom starting to unfurl.
As the petals open everything else starts spilling out.

"Blessed be the Lord
for the beauty of summer and spring,
for the air, the water, the verdure,
and the song of birds."
Carl von Linnaeus

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL