Virginia Creeper

Parthenocissus (Ampelopsis). Deciduous vines. Cling to walls by sucker discs at ends of tendrils. Superb and dependable fall leaf color, orange to scarlet ( from Sunset New Western Garden Book). In the dead of winter, this plant doesn't look like much; all you see is the naked vine with what I call gecko feet clinging to the walls. It's as though the plant needs to climb something in order to grow. Before dropping all of its leaves for the winter, it does put on a brilliant color show. I keep trying to capture just the right image on film, but I'm not sure if I've gotten it yet. I tell myself that there's always next fall for another pass at getting that shot. Somehow, there is a bit of a lesson to take with us in life from this plant; it has the ability to hang on tight, yet grow and soar to remarkable heights. These images were taken on my digital camera, imported into Photoshop and given several 'translations' via the filters. Today's car tunes: Sound track from Cirque de Soleil's show, "O".