Dahlia Flower Close-up

My best friend loves to paint watercolors. She started learning about watercolors with the desire to paint a bird of paradise and she has made several beautiful images. Now she has been eying Dahlias. She has been looking for a good model to inspire her so I have been grabbing shots of them whenever I see them. I can't wait to see the masterpiece she creates!

Apparently these are the National Flower of Mexico. The mountains of Guatemala and Mexico are their ancestral home. Must be a beautiful place!!

There are quite a few different kinds, this seems to be some sort of "Cactus Dahlia"

• American Dahlia Society
  Dahlia Basics
• Cal's Dahlia Page
  Lots of Dahlia Pictures and classifications