Ex-clematis flower and “L” stories voting reminder

The “L” Stories voting has ground to a halt.

I don’t think that COVID-19 resurgence, social unrest, impending economic catastrophe, impending climate catastrophe, a government at odds with itself and its constituents, and global tensions are affecting people’s motivation to vote, so I’m at a loss as to why we’ve stalled.

If you’re bored and you want to participate in the process, you can find links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge L-Stories” HERE.<<<Link

Clicking on the above link will take you to the post with the poll where you can cast your vote. The post also contains links to the individual stories.

So . . . for them who don’t know, a clematis <<link flower looks something like this . . .

That’s a photo I snapped with my phone in my yard, literally a few days ago.

And, I’ve shared what they look like after they lose the petals . . .

Yes, that’s a seed head. Once it dries, the individual strands open up and look like this.

These seed heads are from last year. Note: clematis seed heads have a personality (see THIS<<link post, about halfway down).

The above photo looks like the seed head is mourning the loss of one of its seeds (the seed is at the base of what looks like a feather). By the way, this is how to germinate these seeds<<link . . .

. . . as you can see in the above photo, the seed head tried to revive the fallen seed . . .

. . . and when it couldn’t, it grabbed a rag and cried . . . 

Then, up and resolute, flag in hand, it’s leading a charge against them who would hurt its seeds.

This next clematis works for the Weather Channel and is on-site where a hurricane is about to make landfall . . . battling fierce winds, it is.

That wind is really doing a number on its head of seeds!

And, here it is grabbing a quick respite in the eye of the hurricane.

And, yes, I used the extension tubes on these subjects as well. Here’s some close-up shots.

I’m a little annoyed because I didn’t notice the thin piece of string/lint that had settled in the seed head and seed. Oh, well. Next year I’ll be more careful.

You can see the full-size photos in the SmugMug Gallery HERE.<<<Link

Or, you can click on the individual photos for a larger (but not-full-size) view, or just scroll through the gallery below:

I know some (mighty few) people miss my long posts . . . but, if you are one of the few, there are many posts worth revisiting. THIS POST from 2015, for example. WARNING: only open the link if you have a few hours to spare.

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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