In which I discover how to use my camera two years too late for Paris

I have mastered close-ups in my front yard. Click on any picture for a larger view.

A Texas star hibiscus bud that will bloom tomorrow morning:

Cherry sage:

Yellow lantana:

Red and yellow and orange lantana:

Mexican bird of paradise (I shouldn't be proud of this one, since it grows quite easily all by itself, sometimes in ditches by the side of the road, but it's pretty, and I am. Proud, that is):