Reflections ...

High 77 F
Low  52 F

Click on pictures to enlarge
This morning was a perfect morning with filtered light,  lush foliage, blue skies and cool but warming temperatures.  The fish pond now has a few very small fish and while it is running and the water is very clear due to a new cannister filter, it still needs a bit of primping before the long shots are shown.  In looking at this morning's pictures I thought the pond surface was interesting as the camera sees what the eye does not as it shows the  reflections of the sky and trees.  You can see one of the new aquatic inhabitants in this picture.  The water is so clear that you can sometimes even see frogs stretched out on the bottom of the pond.  They are not visible in this picture but I will try to get a shot of them in the future.  Here is another shot of the pond with the running water over the rocks at the top of the picture.  I need to hide the tubing with a plant or two and take out the cinder block which had the lily pot sitting on it.  Tucker is looking for frogs.  He likes the pond and sometimes sneaks in for a quick dip if he thinks no one is looking.   The other reflective surface which caught my eye this morning is the gazing globe in the corner garden near the swimming pool.  I loved these globes when I was a child and while some find them tacky, and I understand why, I find their curved reflections curious.  I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to rid this corner of these poppies but this morning, I wondered why. Even though they bloom just a brief time, their bright orange color and tissuey petals are beautiful.  The blooms have lasted quite a bit longer this year as the temperatures have been moderate.  The centers of the flowers are otherworldly when viewed in a closeup shot.  All my named poppy cultivars died a few seasons ago when we had an unusually warm January.  I think they sprouted up and then froze when the temperatures dropped suddenly.  These basic poppies survived and they  spread.   Once the blooms pass, the foliage dies back which can leave rather large gaps in a small garden.  What would you do?  Would you get rid of these or keep them?