Surprising Details of the Hot Pink Matsumoto Aster

Steve and I went to our friend's garden in the lovely town of Ashland, Oregon, and she had incredible flowers everywhere! When I saw these, I wanted to try to take a picture that wasn't the obvious angle. This flower is so beautiful that you're almost FORCED to take one from straight above. So...I refused! Instead, I tried for a very short depth of field with the hopes to get just the tips of the petal edges in focus, something like I tried with the Dianthus flower yesterday. However, when I got home and looked at this on my computer, I nearly fell out of my chair! The petals are like STRAWS!!! Totally MIND-BLOWING!! And...I got the tips in perfect focus, just as I was hoping, hip-hip-hooray!!! :D What a wonderful surprise this gorgeous flower was!