I don't know what these are, but I thought they were neat. This photo was taken in the garden behind the Smithsonian Castle. I visited Penn Camera, played with the Fuji S2 and Nikon D100. Tested my Coolpix with various manual settings. I photographed the boring usual suspects and then a fire hydrant which I'll revisit for sharper focus another day. Liked it though. Some people ice skating, it was about 60+ degrees today. My sneakers for more experimenting. A series of this plant, most photos were not in focus. Then through security (aarrgh!!) at the US Botanical Gardens for a few more photo ops. Finally, had a burger and a beer at Marty's on Eighth St--a new, non-smoking bar.