122/365 Close-up on a green bean leaf

When I first found this leaf in our row of green beans, I knew I wanted to focus on the veins running through the underside. The sun was shining through the top, highlighting it perfectly.

As I studied it more closely, though, the actual pattern of the veins grabbed my attention. I noticed, as this shows most clearly in black and white, that the veins don't merely branch out to the edge of the leaf and stop. Instead, they curve toward the vein above and connect at the end, forming a loop.

In this shape, they actually remind me of some of Mom's quilting designs, which are meant to flow as completely from one shape to the next in one continuous motion.

So if you look at the shape of the veins, it actually looks like a rounded leaf inside a leaf. Or the swirl of soft-serve ice cream in a cone, depending on how hungry you are.

Who knew?

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 200 in direct sunlight at about 8:00 p.m.