Pretty bold, Rick. I think everyone in the contest knew it was your photo. I was curious to see how that might impact the voting.

It really is a great photo.

Are those bugs or buds????? I have always wondered.

I just adore this image. Great photography. It's a winner in my book.

Cozy. Very unique.

I thought it was the most amazing photo in the contest, and definitely the one I spent the most time admiring and studying. I bet there are Nat Geo photogs who would be impressed. The burning question is, Did you pose 4 frogs, or just happen upon this? It was my 1st time seeing this pic. What kind of flower is it?

Edit: Apparently a senior moment, I have seen this before. Guess you should show it to me again next week, it'll seem fresh & new again?

Thanks very much, you're very flattering! There was no skill involved, they did the posing and I just kept clicking until I had so many shots that one was good. I doubt I'll ever take another shot as nice.

I think the frogs should get all the credit.

What was spooky is that it was the almost the only time I saw even one tree frog in my yard, though I hear a few cheeping many nights.

It is usually dry in the summer, and that was true that year. Then we had a big rain, and those Zinnia blooms held the water longer than anything else. The tree frogs found the water.

Why did all four pose like sardines in a can, all on one bloom? I don't know.

As to frogs being neither bugs nor birds, I figured that Dave would kick it out if it didn't meet the intent of the category. I wonder if tree frogs can pollinate blooms by licking water from them?

TY! Zinnia, wow, they really were small frogs! The pose? Circling the wagons against potential predators?

I used the same logic in uploading a pic of an anole in that category. It was tough to decide that, or the category of the kind of plant it was on since, like you said, anole is neither bird nor bug. Just too darn cute to not share though, if deemed an acceptable entry.

Yes, cute little buggers, with the emphasis on "little".

I admit to considering disqualifying the photo but I figured it was close enough. The spirit of the category was to showcase living things on blooms and this photo definitely qualified.

@Dave, your contest, you decide. I think that was made clear, and naturally expected. Somebody has to wield some rules.

TY for all of your effort in making this so fun, and slick & smooth, in regard to bells'n'whistles in the programming of it. If the wait is less than a year until the next one, I wouldn't mind at all! Spring is an especially lovely time for pics... :+)

Maybe next time it could be more clear. I didn't enter photo's that were not of a bug or bird, and I imagine that some others probably didn't either.

It is an adorable photograph tho and very unique but I would have liked to have know that Froggies, Anoles, Lizards would have be OK.

The bugs are in the frogs (or lizards). Rules didnt say they have to be visable. anyway, I agree with daves approach to the dilemma.

I guess I should have asked if the face/s were animate or inanimate. I truly did not know they were frogs.
Have often thought the shot was fascinating, just did not know what it was.
Mystery solved

Yup, little tree-frogs.

The tree-frog-zinnia hybrid is very rare and does not produce viable seeds.

;-)

well, my thoughts went like this...birds come from dinos/..lizards are related ..hence allowable. frogs are similar so a little stretch, but close enough. i am very glad it breezed thru! that was my fave also!

Ultimately it's the voters who decide. When someone casts a vote for a photo, they are giving it their okay.

There were pictures of children in this contest and I didn't feel like it was in the spirit of the contest and those photos didn't win, not because of my opinion, but because not enough people felt like it was worthy of winning the contest.

I like texaskitty's explanation that the bugs were inside the frogs and lizard.

People are very kind!

BTW, here are two wider shots. You can see that the first one was focused on the wrong bloom.

Yes, incredible photo!

I had the most trouble in this category. In future episodes I was hoping would could split reptiles off from birds and bugs.