and not one of them drinking guiness..........how patriotic is that....lol

lol.then you have to tame it and grow it in tubs. The crown of thorns plant is another thorny one, I like them too!

nice bloom, but the shot is lacking something imo......

good composition, nice light and dof, well done.

is this 'guille'...........?

good effort, imo, there is too much oof subject in the fg.

lovely take on the theme.

spot on theme.............nicely composed..........good luck.

sorry, this is lost on me!

and it is so well portrayed here by you my friend..........good luck!

nice concept..not sure about the choice of background for the small subject though, it is rather overpowering imo

superb composition....

Yes, I agree................The shot is simple, well executed, and with so many meanings, well done.

this looks familiar, where was it shot.

yes it does, but I think you might have been able to shoot it in a more artistic way, rather than just full on.......imo

artistic take, well done.

excellent take on the theme............good luck.

sorry author, I have to agree........

a fabulous macro, well done.

............what can one say..............perfection!!

I am so pleased I suggested this contest, there are some fantastic entries in it, and this is one of them.

it seems that this contest has pulled out the skills we like to see in or contests.....this is magnificent. well done.

an amazing macro............the best of luck with it, it is fabulous.

nice shot, but, imo, the light is a little harsh

author, remember, the definition of a weed is 'a plant or flower somewhere it is not wanted'.....I would be happy to have something this lovely growing in my garden.

excellent shot, but have you used filters on it?

excellent catch............lovely colors. well done.

I hav eseen this thistle before, the leaves grow so tight to the bud, it is impossible to shoot it without them, it is as if it past of the bud. I think there are times when we have to be a little bendable when it comes to the 'rules'......I would say this is acceptable in the circumstances.

superb, lovely work, well done.

excellent............right on topic. well done.

another superb entry..well done.

a better entry, yoou might try altering the blown highlights top of shot!

wow..........I wish I could get my missus to look like this with just a dodge and burn tool...............

I used to visit this line regularly when I lived in England......

sorry author, I have to agree!

you need to remove your name from the desciption.......

very seasonal............lol

MMM, I have these lips firmly embedded in my memory from another contest.......this shot is nice too......., well done.

not the most interesting shot around........

nice attempt at a close up, but, imo, it could b sharper.

good effort, well done

good catch..well done.

what enhancements did you use.....?

nice effort, well done. dof could have been better, it is more to the back of the bloom, and therefore throwing the foreground oof.....it might have been better to focus on the centre of the bloom.

nice effort........imo, you might have been better doing the levels manually, and also giving it a litle more contrast.

nice, but imo, a little more contrast would not go amiss here.....it might bring out more detail in the bud.

excellent work, well done.

great catch.lovely colors.

excellent catch, good colors and dof. well done.

nice colors.....imo, you could adjust the contrast a little,and reduce the light levels, it would bring out the detail