An annual, a Marigold is not expected to go on from year to year. However 19 months ago in the Spring of 2010, I put this flowering plant into an outdoors pot. Since it looked healthy at the time of the killing freeze Fall 2010, I brought it inside to allow it to spend the Winter in my home where it surprisingly thrived. In Spring 2011, the Marigold again went back outside with my house plants to spend the Summer on the deck. Unfortunately, I was out of town when the first killing freeze came this year, and my husband failed to bring the Marigold back inside again with the house plants. The leaves are now brown and dried out. For all normal purposes, the poor Marigold plant now seems to be pretty much dead. Nevertheless, I spotted it still producing a few flowers out of the ruin.

I marvel at how life refuses to give up. This tough, little Marigold continues on even after 2 weeks of hard freezes and a draught with no water. I wonder if I'd been there to save it earlier, if it could have continued on for another year...

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NOTE: This photo is in the "Low Light Gallery" because it was photographed "in the dark" at night.
There was ambient cam lighting in the over hang against my house. However, the marigold was 12 feet away from those lights on the dark deck. No flash. Hand held.