What's That Flower?

There are wonders all around.

The other day I was walking through Victoria Ward park when I saw a flower that was new to me.

What stood out were the perfectly symmetrical paddle shaped petals, each clearly articulated, with no overlap, and resembling a windmill fan. They were light orange and waxy in appearance, like a crayon, and evenly colored throughout. In fact the petals were so uniform that I had to take a closer look to see if they were real.

But what startled me even more was that right next to the orange flower was one that was pure white. Were these from the same bush? I had to look closer to verify that they were in fact from the same plant.

Not only were the colors contrasting but there was a subtle difference in the shape of the petals, with the white flower having petals that were more pointed at the top so that each one resembled a spade more than a paddle.

As luck would have it, I also passed the flowering shrub at just the right moment because today when I passed it again, the flowers had all withered or fallen to the ground.

Had my eyes not been open that morning, I could have missed the whole spectacle.