Another spicy orange flower seems appropriate today....so close to Halloween. This is a COSMOS- an annual I start inside then plant the little 'starts' in my gardens in June and again in July. This spreads out the blossoming time of these very bright, easy to grow flowers.

The variety of COSMOS pictured here is known as 'Cosmic Orange' and while orange is a fairly common color in my late-season gardens these little guys (about 2' tall) quite literally glow once the sun goes down.

During a recent after dark jaunt through the gardens I found several 'Cosmic Orange' COSMOS had not yet curled up for the evening and was able to get images of this striking little flower w/ very ripe seed heads at the center. As always, the stark black background is simply my gardens in the evening...unadulterated by neighbor's homes or street lights.