85/365 Surprise flowers

I love surprises. It's the best part of Christmas and birthday gift giving and receiving.

Even when I was a kid, I never snooped for hidden Christmas gifts, because in my book, discovering them early took all the fun out of Christmas Eve and morning.

And yet, I have still managed to accidentally stumble upon hidden gifts on a regular basis. It's so disappointing.

But these flowers are a true surprise. I don't know what they are, and even Dad doesn't remember what they are, and he's the person who planted them years ago. They've never bloomed before now. And they're interesting and different!

Looking down at them from above, as in the top photo, reminds me a little of a snowflake scene, but instead of cool whites and blues, the colors are fresh pinks and greens.

The blossoms are even shaped like pink Christmas trees. How fun!

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens, 1/125s, f/4 at ISO 320 and 1/125s, f/2.8 at ISO 200, both at about 7:30 p.m. under cloudy skies