Fusion!

In the garden I've achieved cold fusion. Or, rather, Lilium 'Fusion' is blooming. This is a man-made hybrid between the Easter lily (L. longiflorum, a native of Japan) and the leopard lily (L. pardalinum, a native of California), a cross made possible by a technique called embryo rescue (the parents are naturally incompatible).

Lilium 'Fusion'

While staking one of the plants, which flopped over due to rain and possible over-fertilization, I knocked off a flower accidentally, so I brought it inside to keep in my room. Later on, I tried taking photos of it using my camera's bulb mode. I made these in a dark room and lit the scenes using flashlights, safety goggles, and my iPad screen. Some are kind of psychedelic, but I promise I was completely sober.

My favorite

There are also other lilies blooming in the garden:

Lilium regale (and weeds)

Daylilies 'Hyperion' (top) and 'August Orange' (bottom), both cultivars from the early-mid 20th Century

'Hyperion'

'August Orange' (not so late-blooming in Alabama)