This purple coneflower has a secret. Look really close at its spiny center. See the little ring of tiny yellow stars? How cool is that?! Get this — I didn’t even know it was there until I pulled it up on the computer and saw it really big. I felt like the flower had given me a little gift. It made me wonder how many other secrets nature has tried to share with me that I’ve failed to notice.

Yay! Each of my donations to the auction sold for the estimated value or higher. And my goal was met: my donations raised more for the cause than I could have afforded to give on my own.