Cacti and succulents

What a tremendous specimen of life on earth. This saguaro seems to be hundreds of years old to me, such a visual treat of texture and breadth of space. You did a wonderful job capturing its magnificence and presence, and I think black and white really serves the image well especially with the stark black background. This is a great example of a stunning subject matter and well-executed photograph that come together into quite an impressive work of art all around.

I absolutely love this shot, the stinky flowers of this family of plants are such a strange, alien facet of life on earth. My favorite little detail in this image is the presence of the fly, such a perfect addition to the image to heighten it to another sensory level. While the viewer cannot smell this ethereal looking ball of flowers, the fly helps to evoke the correct sensations when reading the image. Well shot!

This image has it all: a great subject matter, balanced composition, smooth background and perfect lighting. I really enjoy seeing all the little toes of the frog gripping onto the succulent. While he is undoubtedly the highlight of the photo, I think the plant itself has just as much presence, making this a perfect shot for this contest. The beautiful red and green leaves provide a much needed pop of color to set off contrast from the background and it compliments the frog nicely.