13th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Stages of life

This is a simple petunia from the garden in upstate NY. What makes me stop to admire is the symbolism of the stages of life. One bud is birth, then the next is the peak of beauty and blossom. There is then the sunset days of the withered bloom that still holds. Finally, there is nothing left, but the stem with a promise of another life.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 05.2015
Date Uploaded: 11.2015
Photo Location: Oneida Lake , New York, United States of America
Camera: HC-V520
Copyright: © Karen Teachout