Brilliant Early Fall Afternoon

It was a stunning afternoon here in Portland, Oregon today. It cleared up after a bit of murk this morning - the sky was crystal blue, warm, with a gentle breeze. The pollinators were out in force as I did a bit of maintenance on the garden. 

This dahlia has finally opened. It has spectacular chocolate colored leaves. I finally realized that the slugs were eating it to the ground so a bit of slug bait and six weeks later, here's the first bloom. I shot it from underneath (obviously) since the sunlight seemed to be setting it on fire. 

This is one of my favorite times of year!