California Gold
Before summer, the plants and grasses of the coastal and inland hills and Sierra foothills of California are baked into a golden brown by the sun. The thistle shown here once had a vibrant red flower --- now it is a perfect addition to a dry-flower arrangement, where it will last for many years.
What is unusual here is the "triple" thistle; usually, they grow in singles or in bushes, and never before (or since) have I seen one like this.
What the camera allows (and also limits) is a small "window" on the world, to the exclusion of all else that our wider-vision eyes can see. That is why "looking through the camera" is a method the photographer often uses to discover how beautiful the "ordinary" can really be.