Second best

Came across these Chinese Lantern pods in the Union Cemetery, that adjoins the Reader Rock Garden, on 29th September 2010. I thought the light and bokeh were quite pretty. Needed a bright, sunny image to upload this morning, as winter has returned once again, bringing SNOW. I never like hearing the sound of a shovel or snow-blower when I've just woken up and haven't yet looked out the window, lol.

""Popular for the papery bright-orange lantern pods that develop around the ripening fruit, these are often cut and used for Thanksgiving and Halloween arrangements. Plants are aggressive spreaders, and best kept out of the perennial border so they don't take over. Also can be grown in tubs. Small white flowers appear in midsummer, over a bushy mound of coarse green leaves. Pods are green at first, but should be harvested as soon as the orange colour develops, the leaves stripped then stems hung upside down to dry in a warm dark room." From www.perennials.com.