Gentians

Gentians are like the last hurrah of summer, but in a positive way. In a "You thought we were done? Well, take THIS!" kind of way. They're like candelabras of blue flame, except cooler, because they are alive. They are like pieces of the night-time sky in the middle of a sunny, late-summer field.

Photo:
http://www.plantsystematics.org/Tompkins_main.html