Mars came to opposition in early March 2012 in Leo, which of course means this was an aphelic opposition, very unfavorable for telescopic observation.  Nevertheless, Mars still gets as bright or even slightly brighter than Sirius, so it makes for an interesting view with the unaided vision.  I caught it about 5 weeks after opposition, right at the end of its retrograde loop at its closest point to Regulus, from Chiefland, Florida.

This chart shows the opposition loop Mars makes in early 2012 through Leo; note how the pattern is still a discernible loop but skewed significantly.

I wish I could take pictures like Tunc Tezel of TWAN LOL!  This image he created was featured on the Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 9 of that year.