Copyright © Mike Valentine –   Lovely Wilting Tulips (edited in BrushStroke App on iPhone)

I’ve always loved the way cut flower arrangements look when they’ve reached the end of their robust bloom and begin to fade and droop into another form. We tend to quickly trash them as soon as the first brown edges appear on the flowers. But wait a minute – they still look like extremely exotic life forms with changing color combinations and new unusual shapes. We can still appreciate this incredible life form in this slightly wilted condition. I routinely ask everyone not to throw them away as they start their inevitable decline because they are often still quite lovely forms, colors and textures. Enjoy them for longer and also photograph and preserve the decaying beauty to preserve it even longer. Sometimes I like to edit in “Painting” apps as was done here, because then the harshness of decay can be softened and blended and even enhanced. There is a hashtag used on Instagram #LovelyDeadCrap which inspires many to shoot mostly dried plants and they are fascinating this way too. Often frozen, usually brown, littered in inhospitable surroundings and still lovely.