Purple Gladiator Allium 6-23-2017

While walking through Lower Manhattan back in June 2016, I decided to duck into a quiet church courtyard to escape the noisy city streets for a few minutes. Tucked into the landscaped garden beds was a massive Gladiator allium in full bloom, completely alive and buzzing with local insect activity.

I moved in close to frame the dense spherical blossom against soft, out-of-focus garden greenery. A hardworking bumblebee is captured right along the left edge among dozens of tiny, star-shaped purple florets, highlighted by gentle sunlight filtering through the canopy above to reveal subtle textures across the entire floral globe.