It helps in that apparently there's more than one way to skin a cat. I don't have comparable equipment but note other things like your ISO. Thank you.

I'd be glad to know your camera setup for this shot

A shadowed glimpse past a laurel leaf shows the pink, veinous surface of a flower petal

Glimpse of a petal
I've been struck by how urgently flowers call for suitors. This glimpse of a petal under foliage points out the strenuousness of the flower

this crossberry blossom has started to fade. The once plump purple sepals, now drooping to a depleted lilac, fall away. At the core of the flower, the stamens still drive upwards, gold at the base, then red, then a deeper golden at the tips. An absurdly green pistil surmounts the display. It's like the last firework against a black sky.

a crossberry firework

a closeup of some cape honeysuckle blossoms. the flowers are brilliant orange with delicate red stamens, and are offset by deep green buds and foliage

cape honeysuckle blossoms

Thanks. I've been skeptical of mobile phones for photos, but that's probably just showing my ignorance. Good shot

beautiful

wow

The brilliant white, almost symmetrical, explosion of a dandelion gone to seed, dead center on the frame against the green of its environs. A slightly blighted leaf from a neighboring plant intrudes from the right, like a pointer.

a dandelion gone to seed, Los Angeles

smack dab in the middle of the frame

Could you say something about your camera/lens/setup for the shot?

astonishing

a closeup of the fiery red and gold heart of a hibiscus blossom. A ghostly aphid gropes its way down the underside of the white-and-gold stamen

inside a hibiscus blossom

closeup of a decaying crossberry blossom against a dark background. A couple petals in the upper right from an adjoining blossom were electric orchid in hue once, but they've faded. So have the stamens of the main blossom, which has shed all its petals. Some of the pistols still have their golden glow

a decaying crossberry blossom

a closeup of a western honeybee hanging horizontally from the stamens of a bladder plant flower. The flower is deep yellow. The bee's head is outlined in profile as she extends her glossa, or tongue, toward a petal

a honeybee

a closeup of a bladderpod plant's golden flower with very long, whirling stamens. A seed bladder, slightly out of range, hovers in the background

a bladderpod flower and bladder, Los Angeles

thank you

Astonishing. How did you get it? I assume you had to lie prone, but I'd appreciate details.

another shot of a honeybee at work in the golden heart of a brittlebrush flower. She is facing the camera

a honeybee at work

Gorgeous.

astonishing. How did you get it?

Would you be willing to describe your photo & lens & shooting setup?

a top-view closeup of a bee working in the yellow-and-black heart of a brittlebush flower. The bristles of her muzzle are clearly visible.

a bee working in a brittlebush flower, Los Angeles

I've found a place where bees are working, even though, even in California, the weather is cool for them this time of year.

Boy. What an astonishing grab-bag of naturally-selected traits

sunlight illuminates the tracery of veins in a loquat leaf, as well as the scars caused by parasites

a loquat leaf

a closeup of some white lantana blossoms against a dark background

lantana blossoms, Los Angeles

a closeup of a rhododendron blossom

a rhododendron blossom

To my great frustration, I had a similar opportunity and I bungled the shot.
Would you be willing to describe your photo & lens setup and talk a little bit about your process?

closeup of some dittrichia seedpods, emphasizing their wispy white tendrils

dittrichia (fleabane?) seedpods (I'm not familiar with this plant and don't want to misidentify it) Los Angeles

a closeup of a rhododendron bud that is just starting to open

a rhododendron bud

That's helpful, both with respect to the lens and the ISO and the absence of flash. I'll experiment with that.Thank you.