https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/album/433339 https://cdn.ipernity.com/p/101/C3/7B/293827.buddy.jpg https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/album/433339 Sat, 08 Aug 2026 02:20:02 +0000 Sat, 08 Aug 2026 02:20:02 +0000 https://www.ipernity.com https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34881287/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-06,doc-34881287 Sat, 06 Sep 2014 15:54:53 +0000 2014-08-26T18:22:48-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34881287/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/12/87/34881287.939ca921.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="179" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I really prefer to not have people in my photos, but sometimes people just don't move away, lol. I waited and waited, hoping that I would soon have the view to myself, but it never happened. They do give an idea of the size of the creek at Red Rock Canyon, though. Unfortunately, we got to this location a bit too late to catch the sun on both sides of the creek - how the colour changes when in shadow.<br /> <br /> "The rock layers in Waterton are primarily eroded sediments laid down particle by particle at the bottom of an ancient sea which existed 1,500 million years ago. Evidence of this ancient seabed is provided by fossilized ripple marks and salt crystal casts. These rock layers make up the park's geological foundation.<br /> <br /> The park's unusual red and green rocks are shaly siltstones called argillite. The red rocks contain oxidized iron; the green rocks contain unoxidized iron. Beige/grey/brown rocks are limestone or dolomite. A noticeable black band seen on the face of some park mountains, called the Purcell Sill, is igneous rock."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/a.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/a.aspx</a><br /> <br /> Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, spent two nights (26 & 27 August 2014) in Waterton, driving the four different roads within the park for those two days, including the Red Rock Parkway. The third day, we drove eastwards from the park before driving all the way back to Calgary. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore during our three days! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit! We had driven eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. The storm was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m., and when we tried to get away from it, it quickly engulfed us. Someone from The Alberta Tornado Watch identified this storm as a Mesocyclone. Thankfully, we were not right in the very centre of it, but it was still a very scary experience.<br /> <br /> A few of the things we saw during our three-day trip included fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the village of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the endangered Burrowing Owls (new to all three of us), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators.</div> Red Rock Canyon, Waterton <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34881287/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/12/87/34881287.939ca921.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="179" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I really prefer to not have people in my photos, but sometimes people just don't move away, lol. I waited and waited, hoping that I would soon have the view to myself, but it never happened. They do give an idea of the size of the creek at Red Rock Canyon, though. Unfortunately, we got to this location a bit too late to catch the sun on both sides of the creek - how the colour changes when in shadow.<br /> <br /> "The rock layers in Waterton are primarily eroded sediments laid down particle by particle at the bottom of an ancient sea which existed 1,500 million years ago. Evidence of this ancient seabed is provided by fossilized ripple marks and salt crystal casts. These rock layers make up the park's geological foundation.<br /> <br /> The park's unusual red and green rocks are shaly siltstones called argillite. The red rocks contain oxidized iron; the green rocks contain unoxidized iron. Beige/grey/brown rocks are limestone or dolomite. A noticeable black band seen on the face of some park mountains, called the Purcell Sill, is igneous rock."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/a.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/a.aspx</a><br /> <br /> Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, spent two nights (26 & 27 August 2014) in Waterton, driving the four different roads within the park for those two days, including the Red Rock Parkway. The third day, we drove eastwards from the park before driving all the way back to Calgary. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore during our three days! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit! We had driven eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. The storm was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m., and when we tried to get away from it, it quickly engulfed us. Someone from The Alberta Tornado Watch identified this storm as a Mesocyclone. Thankfully, we were not right in the very centre of it, but it was still a very scary experience.<br /> <br /> A few of the things we saw during our three-day trip included fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the village of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the endangered Burrowing Owls (new to all three of us), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089921/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-19,doc-35089921 Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:59:45 +0000 2014-09-18T14:21:36-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089921/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/99/21/35089921.7ce330c5.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday was the first time this year that I had managed to get out to the mountains as far as Forgetmenot Pond - really an on the spur of the moment decision. The weather called for some sun and some cloud, which sounded good. After the two heavy snowfalls on 9 and 10 September, I wasn't sure what to expect before I reached the beginning of the mountains, but every bit of snow had disappeared. Forgetmenot Pond is the only mountain drive I will do on my own and it's one of my favourite places. It only takes about an hour to get from home to the Pond, so makes a very pleasant half-day drive. The bridge over the river, just before Allen Bill Pond, has now been repaired. The high banks of the river had been totally washed away during Alberta's Flood of the Century in 2013. <br /> <br /> On the return drive, I called in at a place not far from the pond, where I have found a few mushrooms in previous years, and managed to find several, including this one, that were in good enough condition to photograph. Other than that, I didn't see a whole lot during the few hours I was out. The scenery is spectacular and there were patches of trees that have turned yellow. Some of the trees looked as though their leaves were past their fall prime, and I came away wondering if I was a bit too early or a bit too late to see the best of the fall colours. <br /> <br /> The final place I called in at was Maclean Pond, but the light was fading somewhat and so I didn't feel like going far into the forest. I had just got back into my car when I happened to look up just in time to see a family of beautiful Bluejays not far from the parking lot. Managed to get a few shots, but distant and not as sharp as they should have been. A nice way to end the day, though.</div> Looking a lot like fall <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089921/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/99/21/35089921.7ce330c5.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday was the first time this year that I had managed to get out to the mountains as far as Forgetmenot Pond - really an on the spur of the moment decision. The weather called for some sun and some cloud, which sounded good. After the two heavy snowfalls on 9 and 10 September, I wasn't sure what to expect before I reached the beginning of the mountains, but every bit of snow had disappeared. Forgetmenot Pond is the only mountain drive I will do on my own and it's one of my favourite places. It only takes about an hour to get from home to the Pond, so makes a very pleasant half-day drive. The bridge over the river, just before Allen Bill Pond, has now been repaired. The high banks of the river had been totally washed away during Alberta's Flood of the Century in 2013. <br /> <br /> On the return drive, I called in at a place not far from the pond, where I have found a few mushrooms in previous years, and managed to find several, including this one, that were in good enough condition to photograph. Other than that, I didn't see a whole lot during the few hours I was out. The scenery is spectacular and there were patches of trees that have turned yellow. Some of the trees looked as though their leaves were past their fall prime, and I came away wondering if I was a bit too early or a bit too late to see the best of the fall colours. <br /> <br /> The final place I called in at was Maclean Pond, but the light was fading somewhat and so I didn't feel like going far into the forest. I had just got back into my car when I happened to look up just in time to see a family of beautiful Bluejays not far from the parking lot. Managed to get a few shots, but distant and not as sharp as they should have been. A nice way to end the day, though.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089919/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-19,doc-35089919 Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:59:44 +0000 2014-09-18T15:21:48-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089919/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/99/19/35089919.d00b98c0.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday was the first time this year that I managed to get out along the whole length of the Elbow Falls Trail - really an on the spur of the moment thing. The weather called for some sun and some cloud, which sounded good. After the two heavy snowfalls on 9 and 10 September, I wasn't sure what to expect before I reached the beginning of the mountains, but every bit of snow had disappeared, except on the mountain peaks. The furthest point of my drive was Forgetmenot Pond, one of my favourite places to go. This drive is the only one I will do on my own and it only takes about an hour to get from home to the Pond. This photo was taken at a place just before the Pond, along the gravel road leading to Cobble Flats. In the distance, you can see the main road. <br /> <br /> On the return drive, I called in at a place not far from the pond, where I have found a few mushrooms in previous years, and managed to find several that were in good enough condition to photograph. Other than that, I didn't see a whole lot during the few hours I was out. The scenery is spectacular and there were patches of trees that have turned yellow. Some of the trees looked as though their leaves were past their fall prime, and I came away wondering if I was a bit too early or a bit too late to see the best of the fall colours. The final place I called in at was Maclean Pond, but the light was fading somewhat and so I didn't feel like going more than a few steps into the forest. I had just got back into my car when I happened to look up just in time to see a family of beautiful Bluejays not far from the parking lot. Managed to get a few shots, but distant and not as sharp as they should have been. A nice way to end the day, though.</div> Where I was, yesterday <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089919/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/99/19/35089919.d00b98c0.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday was the first time this year that I managed to get out along the whole length of the Elbow Falls Trail - really an on the spur of the moment thing. The weather called for some sun and some cloud, which sounded good. After the two heavy snowfalls on 9 and 10 September, I wasn't sure what to expect before I reached the beginning of the mountains, but every bit of snow had disappeared, except on the mountain peaks. The furthest point of my drive was Forgetmenot Pond, one of my favourite places to go. This drive is the only one I will do on my own and it only takes about an hour to get from home to the Pond. This photo was taken at a place just before the Pond, along the gravel road leading to Cobble Flats. In the distance, you can see the main road. <br /> <br /> On the return drive, I called in at a place not far from the pond, where I have found a few mushrooms in previous years, and managed to find several that were in good enough condition to photograph. Other than that, I didn't see a whole lot during the few hours I was out. The scenery is spectacular and there were patches of trees that have turned yellow. Some of the trees looked as though their leaves were past their fall prime, and I came away wondering if I was a bit too early or a bit too late to see the best of the fall colours. The final place I called in at was Maclean Pond, but the light was fading somewhat and so I didn't feel like going more than a few steps into the forest. I had just got back into my car when I happened to look up just in time to see a family of beautiful Bluejays not far from the parking lot. Managed to get a few shots, but distant and not as sharp as they should have been. A nice way to end the day, though.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089897/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-18,doc-35089897 Thu, 18 Sep 2014 13:33:10 +0000 2014-07-20T10:28:51-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089897/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/97/35089897.b2b47b4f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I CAN'T GET MY FLICKR ACCOUNT TO AUTOMATICALLY RENEW!!! I have the old Pro Account, which is supposed to automatically renew unless you let them know you don't want it to do that. When I checked my account, I noticed that since then (I paid for a 2-year extension), my credit card was updated, so I changed this new expiry date in my Account. Nothing is happening! I had an e-mail from Flickr stating: "we're we're having trouble authorizing payment to renew your subscription. To fix this problem, please update your payment information or use a different payment method in your Flickr Wallet." I have done that, but still no new extension of my account has happened. Can anyone HELP - please! Today, my old subscription ran out!! Have visions of my 10,000+ images vanishing at any moment! A bit later: I clicked on Reactivate and that looks promising. I've heard horror stories about some people losing their original Flickr account when somehow a new account was started for them. I never look forward to renewal time, as I've had problems several times, which is why I took out a 2-year renewal last time!!<br /> <br /> I love this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line (not seen in this photo) leading up to the front from the parking lot. It was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it:<br /> <br /> "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta.<br /> <br /> The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history".<br /> <br /> After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta</a><br /> <br /> On 20 July 2014, I plucked up courage to do a drive that I’d never done before. I had been that route before when I carpooled with others. A good part of the drive was in familiar territory, but I’d never driven the last part of the journey myself. I had met my daughter at 9:00 a.m. and we were both eager to see a display of birds of prey that had been brought up from the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre. <br /> <br /> This year, there were fewer birds, but it was great to see any at all. This year, there was a Burrowing Owl, a Barn Owl, a Great Horned Owl, and a Golden Eagle. Another real treat that was an amusing one, was seeing a baby Barn Owl that was just 45 days old! This little ball of fluff was acting as a great ambassador, letting young kids get a close view and ask questions, and fall in love with it – and to hopefully, in the future, do everything they can as adults to protect our precious wildlife. The enjoyment of seeing these birds up close reminds one that the reason these birds are not free to live in the wild, is because of some kind of interaction with humans – such as permanent injuries from being hit by a vehicle, pesticide use, or even worse, being shot by a human! This is what happened to “Spirit”, the magnificent Golden Eagle, shot and blinded by someone. <br /> <br /> This exhibit was our first destination in the park, though on the drive from Calgary, we had stopped at the small McDougall Church seen in today's photo After seeing and photographing the birds of prey, we then drove to Middle Lake that’s in a different part of the park. We walked the very short distance to the edge of the lake, but didn’t walk around it. From there, we drove to the Many Springs Trail and did a very slow walk around the lake, stopping to look at different flowers and photograph a few butterflies. Though slow, it was still further than I should have walked. Certain wildflowers were already finished, including various Orchid species, but there were still plenty of other species to see and enjoy. Even the weather cooperated, though the forecast had been for isolated showers. Not too hot, nice clouds in the sky and lovely to have my daughter’s company for the day.<br /> <br /> Thanks so much to the people down at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre (near Lethbridge, down towards the Canada/US border) for bringing your gorgeous birds of prey for us to see! I have been south to the Centre three times I think, and always long to go back again, but it's not somewhere I can drive to, so this was a much-appreciated treat!</div> McDougall Church on a sunny day <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089897/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/97/35089897.b2b47b4f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I CAN'T GET MY FLICKR ACCOUNT TO AUTOMATICALLY RENEW!!! I have the old Pro Account, which is supposed to automatically renew unless you let them know you don't want it to do that. When I checked my account, I noticed that since then (I paid for a 2-year extension), my credit card was updated, so I changed this new expiry date in my Account. Nothing is happening! I had an e-mail from Flickr stating: "we're we're having trouble authorizing payment to renew your subscription. To fix this problem, please update your payment information or use a different payment method in your Flickr Wallet." I have done that, but still no new extension of my account has happened. Can anyone HELP - please! Today, my old subscription ran out!! Have visions of my 10,000+ images vanishing at any moment! A bit later: I clicked on Reactivate and that looks promising. I've heard horror stories about some people losing their original Flickr account when somehow a new account was started for them. I never look forward to renewal time, as I've had problems several times, which is why I took out a 2-year renewal last time!!<br /> <br /> I love this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line (not seen in this photo) leading up to the front from the parking lot. It was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it:<br /> <br /> "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta.<br /> <br /> The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history".<br /> <br /> After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta</a><br /> <br /> On 20 July 2014, I plucked up courage to do a drive that I’d never done before. I had been that route before when I carpooled with others. A good part of the drive was in familiar territory, but I’d never driven the last part of the journey myself. I had met my daughter at 9:00 a.m. and we were both eager to see a display of birds of prey that had been brought up from the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre. <br /> <br /> This year, there were fewer birds, but it was great to see any at all. This year, there was a Burrowing Owl, a Barn Owl, a Great Horned Owl, and a Golden Eagle. Another real treat that was an amusing one, was seeing a baby Barn Owl that was just 45 days old! This little ball of fluff was acting as a great ambassador, letting young kids get a close view and ask questions, and fall in love with it – and to hopefully, in the future, do everything they can as adults to protect our precious wildlife. The enjoyment of seeing these birds up close reminds one that the reason these birds are not free to live in the wild, is because of some kind of interaction with humans – such as permanent injuries from being hit by a vehicle, pesticide use, or even worse, being shot by a human! This is what happened to “Spirit”, the magnificent Golden Eagle, shot and blinded by someone. <br /> <br /> This exhibit was our first destination in the park, though on the drive from Calgary, we had stopped at the small McDougall Church seen in today's photo After seeing and photographing the birds of prey, we then drove to Middle Lake that’s in a different part of the park. We walked the very short distance to the edge of the lake, but didn’t walk around it. From there, we drove to the Many Springs Trail and did a very slow walk around the lake, stopping to look at different flowers and photograph a few butterflies. Though slow, it was still further than I should have walked. Certain wildflowers were already finished, including various Orchid species, but there were still plenty of other species to see and enjoy. Even the weather cooperated, though the forecast had been for isolated showers. Not too hot, nice clouds in the sky and lovely to have my daughter’s company for the day.<br /> <br /> Thanks so much to the people down at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre (near Lethbridge, down towards the Canada/US border) for bringing your gorgeous birds of prey for us to see! I have been south to the Centre three times I think, and always long to go back again, but it's not somewhere I can drive to, so this was a much-appreciated treat!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089881/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-18,doc-35089881 Thu, 18 Sep 2014 13:33:10 +0000 2014-09-14T18:15:00-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089881/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/81/35089881.58990d71.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Though Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is a weed that grows in our parks and natural areas, I still like coming across it, with its beautiful bright yellow, button-like flowers. This particular plant was photographed at Lafarge Meadows, Fish Creek Provincial Park, on 14 September 2014. In Alberta, this plant is listed as Noxious. It was a beautiful, sunny day - hard to believe that we had had two heavy, late-summer snowfalls on 9 and 10 September.<br /> <br /> "Introduced from Europe in the 1600’s, its pungently aromatic foliage has been used medicinally, as an insect repellant, and for embalming. Common tansy forms dense stands and the plants contain alkaloids that are toxic to both humans and livestock if consumed in large quantities. Cases of livestock poisoning are rare, though, because tansy is unpalatable to grazing animals. Because of its long medicinal and horticultural use, Common tansy is still available in plant nurseries and from herbal remedy suppliers. Gardeners should not purchase Common tansy."</div> Fall colours of Common Tansy <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089881/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/81/35089881.58990d71.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Though Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is a weed that grows in our parks and natural areas, I still like coming across it, with its beautiful bright yellow, button-like flowers. This particular plant was photographed at Lafarge Meadows, Fish Creek Provincial Park, on 14 September 2014. In Alberta, this plant is listed as Noxious. It was a beautiful, sunny day - hard to believe that we had had two heavy, late-summer snowfalls on 9 and 10 September.<br /> <br /> "Introduced from Europe in the 1600’s, its pungently aromatic foliage has been used medicinally, as an insect repellant, and for embalming. Common tansy forms dense stands and the plants contain alkaloids that are toxic to both humans and livestock if consumed in large quantities. Cases of livestock poisoning are rare, though, because tansy is unpalatable to grazing animals. Because of its long medicinal and horticultural use, Common tansy is still available in plant nurseries and from herbal remedy suppliers. Gardeners should not purchase Common tansy."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089863/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-18,doc-35089863 Thu, 18 Sep 2014 13:33:10 +0000 2011-05-02T14:10:47-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089863/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/63/35089863.d2e8b769.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">These are large, rather fancy butterflies, and I like its striped eyes - but not so much its furry body. Taken on 2 May 2011 in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. The tropical butterfly season at the Zoo must be just about over by now. The staff and volunteers do such a superb job of putting on a great display of tropical plants and butterflies for us over the summer. I know that I, for one, appreciate this so much - a wonderful chance to see and photograph things I would otherwise never see. Unfortunately, I haven't made it over there this year!<br /> <br /> "Butterflies in the genus Caligo are commonly called owl butterflies, after their huge eyespots, which resemble owls' eyes. Owl butterflies are found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central, and South America.<br /> <br /> Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few metres at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly in dusk, when few avian predators are around. The Latin name may possibly refer to their active periods. Caligo means darkness." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly</div> Owl butterfly <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089863/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/63/35089863.d2e8b769.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">These are large, rather fancy butterflies, and I like its striped eyes - but not so much its furry body. Taken on 2 May 2011 in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. The tropical butterfly season at the Zoo must be just about over by now. The staff and volunteers do such a superb job of putting on a great display of tropical plants and butterflies for us over the summer. I know that I, for one, appreciate this so much - a wonderful chance to see and photograph things I would otherwise never see. Unfortunately, I haven't made it over there this year!<br /> <br /> "Butterflies in the genus Caligo are commonly called owl butterflies, after their huge eyespots, which resemble owls' eyes. Owl butterflies are found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central, and South America.<br /> <br /> Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few metres at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly in dusk, when few avian predators are around. The Latin name may possibly refer to their active periods. Caligo means darkness." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089861/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-17,doc-35089861 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 16:44:55 +0000 2014-08-27T15:39:26-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089861/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/61/35089861.44a8658c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The hamlet of Waterton is some distance off this photo, to the left. This is just one view taken from along the Chief Mountain Highway in Waterton Lakes National Park, on 27 August 2014. This park is about 276 km south of Calgary and roughly a three hour drive. During the time we were there, we explored all four drives in the area: the Akamina Pathway that leads to Cameron Lake; the Red Rock Parkway; the Chief Mountain Highway which takes you up to the US/Canada Customs; and the Bison Paddocks. This was a driving trip, not a hiking trip - which is just as well, as a young woman was attacked on one of the days that we were there, by a Cougar on one of the trails!<br /> <br /> During three days away (26, 27 and 28 August 2014) with friends Cathy and Terry, we saw so many things, including breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the town of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including these endangered Burrowing Owls (way east of Waterton, on our last day), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon in the park. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Oh, and we got caught in a storm like nothing we'd ever seen before - a mesocyclone, apparently.<br /> <br /> "In 1932, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was formed from Waterton and Glacier. It was dedicated to world peace by Sir Charles Arthur Mander on behalf of Rotary International. Although the park has a lot of diversity for its size, the main highlight is the Waterton lakes—the deepest in the Canadian Rockies—overlooked by the historic Prince of Wales Hotel National Historic Site.<br /> <br /> In 1979, Waterton and bordering Glacier National park in the US were designated as World Biosphere reserves, preserving mountains, prairie, lakes and freshwater wetlands ecosystems. Habitats represented in the parks' range include: prairie grasslands, aspen grove forests, alpine tundra/high meadows, lower subalpine forests, deciduous and coniferous forests.<br /> <br /> The park is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, designated as World Heritage Site in 1995 for their distinctive climate, physiographic setting, mountain-prairie interface, and tri-ocean hydrographical divide. They are areas of significant scenic values with abundant and diverse flora and fauna"<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterton_Lakes_National_Park" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterton_Lakes_National_Park</a></div> View over the Waterton Valley <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089861/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/61/35089861.44a8658c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The hamlet of Waterton is some distance off this photo, to the left. This is just one view taken from along the Chief Mountain Highway in Waterton Lakes National Park, on 27 August 2014. This park is about 276 km south of Calgary and roughly a three hour drive. During the time we were there, we explored all four drives in the area: the Akamina Pathway that leads to Cameron Lake; the Red Rock Parkway; the Chief Mountain Highway which takes you up to the US/Canada Customs; and the Bison Paddocks. This was a driving trip, not a hiking trip - which is just as well, as a young woman was attacked on one of the days that we were there, by a Cougar on one of the trails!<br /> <br /> During three days away (26, 27 and 28 August 2014) with friends Cathy and Terry, we saw so many things, including breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the town of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including these endangered Burrowing Owls (way east of Waterton, on our last day), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon in the park. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Oh, and we got caught in a storm like nothing we'd ever seen before - a mesocyclone, apparently.<br /> <br /> "In 1932, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was formed from Waterton and Glacier. It was dedicated to world peace by Sir Charles Arthur Mander on behalf of Rotary International. Although the park has a lot of diversity for its size, the main highlight is the Waterton lakes—the deepest in the Canadian Rockies—overlooked by the historic Prince of Wales Hotel National Historic Site.<br /> <br /> In 1979, Waterton and bordering Glacier National park in the US were designated as World Biosphere reserves, preserving mountains, prairie, lakes and freshwater wetlands ecosystems. Habitats represented in the parks' range include: prairie grasslands, aspen grove forests, alpine tundra/high meadows, lower subalpine forests, deciduous and coniferous forests.<br /> <br /> The park is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, designated as World Heritage Site in 1995 for their distinctive climate, physiographic setting, mountain-prairie interface, and tri-ocean hydrographical divide. They are areas of significant scenic values with abundant and diverse flora and fauna"<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterton_Lakes_National_Park" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterton_Lakes_National_Park</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089851/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-17,doc-35089851 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 16:44:54 +0000 2014-09-14T19:32:36-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089851/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/51/35089851.c955510b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 14 September 2014, almost on the spur of the moment, I decided to join friends for a birding walk. The weather was so perfect, especially compared to the two consecutive snowstorms we had had on 9 and 10 September, that damaged thousands of trees in the city! After a quick look for birds along the avenue of trees near Fish Creek Provincial Park headquarters, we drove down to the Boat Launch area and from there we walked south along the Bow River. The Ospreys were flying near the river ad we saw one of them carrying a fish to take back to their nest. We saw 30 bird species, but nothing close enough for photos. After an enjoyable walk, a few of us called in at Tim Horton's for coffee and a snack.<br /> <br /> From there, I called in at a different part of the park and watched a family of Beavers swimming in their pond. While I was waiting, hoping that they might appear, so many American Robins were flying from branch to branch in the nearby trees and bushes. I always feel that Robins are so much taken for granted. Eventually, after a long wait, the Beaver's appeared. Such a treat to watch this family, especially the young ones. The photo above shows two of the three youngsters. Unfortunately, the light was not good, and most of my photos are blurry and need to be deleted : ( We were amazed, at one moment, when an old wooden pallet started moving in the pond and blocked a small passageway between the banks. One Beaver was pulling this discarded structure all on its own. I wonder if they had originally found it washed up nearby, after the Alberta Flood of the Century last year (2013).<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_beaver" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_beaver</a></div> Young Beavers at play <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089851/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/51/35089851.c955510b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 14 September 2014, almost on the spur of the moment, I decided to join friends for a birding walk. The weather was so perfect, especially compared to the two consecutive snowstorms we had had on 9 and 10 September, that damaged thousands of trees in the city! After a quick look for birds along the avenue of trees near Fish Creek Provincial Park headquarters, we drove down to the Boat Launch area and from there we walked south along the Bow River. The Ospreys were flying near the river ad we saw one of them carrying a fish to take back to their nest. We saw 30 bird species, but nothing close enough for photos. After an enjoyable walk, a few of us called in at Tim Horton's for coffee and a snack.<br /> <br /> From there, I called in at a different part of the park and watched a family of Beavers swimming in their pond. While I was waiting, hoping that they might appear, so many American Robins were flying from branch to branch in the nearby trees and bushes. I always feel that Robins are so much taken for granted. Eventually, after a long wait, the Beaver's appeared. Such a treat to watch this family, especially the young ones. The photo above shows two of the three youngsters. Unfortunately, the light was not good, and most of my photos are blurry and need to be deleted : ( We were amazed, at one moment, when an old wooden pallet started moving in the pond and blocked a small passageway between the banks. One Beaver was pulling this discarded structure all on its own. I wonder if they had originally found it washed up nearby, after the Alberta Flood of the Century last year (2013).<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_beaver" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_beaver</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089849/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-16,doc-35089849 Tue, 16 Sep 2014 16:31:32 +0000 2014-09-06T15:20:25-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089849/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/49/35089849.6fb03f4c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">With a weather forecast of rain and snow for the following two or three days, there were a couple of places that I thought I had better get to on Saturday, 6 September 2014. (Little did we all know that we were in for two days of heavy snowfall that has caused a huge amount of damage to thousands of trees and shrubs throughout the city.) The first place I wanted to get to was Brown-Lowery, to check if there were any mushrooms. The previous time I went, I had only found a couple of things. <br /> <br /> On 6 September, it was a little more rewarding and I found several large clusters of tiny mushrooms growing on tree stumps or at the base of trees and various tiny mushrooms growing in the moss, including the small one in the macro shot above. Also found several patches of bright orange Coral Fungi. Quite a few people were in the park, so I felt safer going a very short way in. Far enough, as it turned out, to watch an adult and a juvenile Three-toed Woodpecker, feeding together on a tree trunk. The young one was copying Mom or Dad, but its soft squeaking sound resulted in the adult feeding it, too. This Woodpecker species seems to be reasonably tolerant of people. They are rare birds here, so I feel very lucky to have seen these two and any others in the past. <br /> <br /> A few days ago, 13 September, I called in at Brown-Lowery again, just to check how much snow was on the ground from our two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September. Stood in the muddy parking lot and peered through the trees. Lots of snow, unfortunately, so all plants and mushrooms are now buried beneath a blanket of white.<br /> <br /> On the way home, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park, hoping to find a Beaver or a Mink that a friend had told me about. Though I did see a couple of Beavers, I wasn't able to get a decent photo of them. One of them was a huge animal - this was the one that was very recently found in a trap, biting off one of its front legs that was caught in the trap. Someone had been there when this was happening and she made several reports about it. Thanks, Linda, for doing this. Such a cruel way to deal with any Beaver problem! The now three-legged animal seems to be doing reasonably OK. I was luckier with the Mink, catching it in a couple of quick shots. No sign of it since then.<br /> <br /> On the walk back to my car, I was lucky enough to see a distant doe with her two fawns. Apparently, there is another doe with triplets.</div> Backlit <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089849/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/49/35089849.6fb03f4c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">With a weather forecast of rain and snow for the following two or three days, there were a couple of places that I thought I had better get to on Saturday, 6 September 2014. (Little did we all know that we were in for two days of heavy snowfall that has caused a huge amount of damage to thousands of trees and shrubs throughout the city.) The first place I wanted to get to was Brown-Lowery, to check if there were any mushrooms. The previous time I went, I had only found a couple of things. <br /> <br /> On 6 September, it was a little more rewarding and I found several large clusters of tiny mushrooms growing on tree stumps or at the base of trees and various tiny mushrooms growing in the moss, including the small one in the macro shot above. Also found several patches of bright orange Coral Fungi. Quite a few people were in the park, so I felt safer going a very short way in. Far enough, as it turned out, to watch an adult and a juvenile Three-toed Woodpecker, feeding together on a tree trunk. The young one was copying Mom or Dad, but its soft squeaking sound resulted in the adult feeding it, too. This Woodpecker species seems to be reasonably tolerant of people. They are rare birds here, so I feel very lucky to have seen these two and any others in the past. <br /> <br /> A few days ago, 13 September, I called in at Brown-Lowery again, just to check how much snow was on the ground from our two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September. Stood in the muddy parking lot and peered through the trees. Lots of snow, unfortunately, so all plants and mushrooms are now buried beneath a blanket of white.<br /> <br /> On the way home, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park, hoping to find a Beaver or a Mink that a friend had told me about. Though I did see a couple of Beavers, I wasn't able to get a decent photo of them. One of them was a huge animal - this was the one that was very recently found in a trap, biting off one of its front legs that was caught in the trap. Someone had been there when this was happening and she made several reports about it. Thanks, Linda, for doing this. Such a cruel way to deal with any Beaver problem! The now three-legged animal seems to be doing reasonably OK. I was luckier with the Mink, catching it in a couple of quick shots. No sign of it since then.<br /> <br /> On the walk back to my car, I was lucky enough to see a distant doe with her two fawns. Apparently, there is another doe with triplets.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089847/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-16,doc-35089847 Tue, 16 Sep 2014 16:31:32 +0000 2014-09-06T16:20:35-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089847/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/47/35089847.3fee5a02.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">When I went back and had a better look through the photos I took at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 6 September 2014, I came across this shot that is somewhat sharper and better than most of that day's photos. The weather forecast was for upcoming rain, so I decided that I had better get over to the park straight away, as I wanted to check for any mushrooms. I had been there fairly recently, and only found a couple of things. The visit on 6 September was a little more rewarding and I found several large clusters of tiny mushrooms growing on tree stumps or at the base of trees. Also found several patches of bright orange Coral Fungi. Quite a few people were in the park, so I felt safer going a very short way in. Far enough, as it turned out, to watch an adult and juvenile Three-toed Woodpecker, feeding together on a tree trunk. The young one was copying Mom or Dad, but its soft squeaking sound resulted in the adult feeding it, too. Not sure if this is the adult or the young one in this photo. You can tell this tree has been used by the Three-toed Woodpeckers, as some of the bark has been stripped, leaving the orange/brown wood below. This Woodpecker species seems to be reasonably tolerant of people. These are rare birds here, so I feel very lucky to have seen these two and any others in the past. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://birdsofalberta.com/List/detail.php?id=226" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">birdsofalberta.com/List/detail.php?id=226</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Three-toed_Woodpecker/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Three-toed_Woodpecke...</a><br /> <br /> On the way home, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park, hoping to find a Beaver or a MInk that a friend had told me about. Though I did see a couple of Beavers, I wasn't able to get a decent photo of them that day. One of them was a huge animal - this was the one that was recently found in a trap, biting off one of its front legs that was caught in the trap. Someone had been there when this was happening and she made several reports about it. Thanks, Linda, for doing this. Such a cruel way to deal with any Beaver problem! The now three-legged animal seems to be doing reasonably OK. I was luckier with the Mink, catching it in a couple of very quick shots. <br /> <br /> On the walk back to my car, I was lucky enough to see a distant doe and her two fawns. Apparently, there is another doe with triplets in the area.</div> Three-toed Woodpecker <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089847/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/47/35089847.3fee5a02.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">When I went back and had a better look through the photos I took at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 6 September 2014, I came across this shot that is somewhat sharper and better than most of that day's photos. The weather forecast was for upcoming rain, so I decided that I had better get over to the park straight away, as I wanted to check for any mushrooms. I had been there fairly recently, and only found a couple of things. The visit on 6 September was a little more rewarding and I found several large clusters of tiny mushrooms growing on tree stumps or at the base of trees. Also found several patches of bright orange Coral Fungi. Quite a few people were in the park, so I felt safer going a very short way in. Far enough, as it turned out, to watch an adult and juvenile Three-toed Woodpecker, feeding together on a tree trunk. The young one was copying Mom or Dad, but its soft squeaking sound resulted in the adult feeding it, too. Not sure if this is the adult or the young one in this photo. You can tell this tree has been used by the Three-toed Woodpeckers, as some of the bark has been stripped, leaving the orange/brown wood below. This Woodpecker species seems to be reasonably tolerant of people. These are rare birds here, so I feel very lucky to have seen these two and any others in the past. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://birdsofalberta.com/List/detail.php?id=226" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">birdsofalberta.com/List/detail.php?id=226</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Three-toed_Woodpecker/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Three-toed_Woodpecke...</a><br /> <br /> On the way home, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park, hoping to find a Beaver or a MInk that a friend had told me about. Though I did see a couple of Beavers, I wasn't able to get a decent photo of them that day. One of them was a huge animal - this was the one that was recently found in a trap, biting off one of its front legs that was caught in the trap. Someone had been there when this was happening and she made several reports about it. Thanks, Linda, for doing this. Such a cruel way to deal with any Beaver problem! The now three-legged animal seems to be doing reasonably OK. I was luckier with the Mink, catching it in a couple of very quick shots. <br /> <br /> On the walk back to my car, I was lucky enough to see a distant doe and her two fawns. Apparently, there is another doe with triplets in the area.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089839/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-16,doc-35089839 Tue, 16 Sep 2014 16:31:31 +0000 2014-07-27T15:41:14-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089839/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/39/35089839.232f4e35.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This photo was taken on 27 July 2014, in a friend's back garden that is full of vegetables. I like seeing Garlic plants - both fascinating and quite beautiful. I wonder how much damage was caused to everything by the two snowstorms we had on 9 and 10 September. Or maybe my friends had already pulled most of the vegetables - hopefully.<br /> <br /> "Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. With a history of human use of over 7,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. It was known to Ancient Egyptians, and has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.<br /> <br /> Garlic is grown globally, but China is by far the largest producer of garlic, with approximately 10.5 million tonnes (23 billion pounds) grown annually, accounting for over 77% of world output. India (4.1%) and South Korea (2%) follow, with Egypt and Russia (1.6%) tied in fourth place and the United States (where garlic is grown in every state except for Alaska) in sixth place (1.4%).[17] This leaves 16% of global garlic production in countries that each produce less than 2% of global output. Much of the garlic production in the United States is centered in Gilroy, California, which calls itself the "garlic capital of the world"." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic</a></div> Garlic <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35089839/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/39/35089839.232f4e35.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This photo was taken on 27 July 2014, in a friend's back garden that is full of vegetables. I like seeing Garlic plants - both fascinating and quite beautiful. I wonder how much damage was caused to everything by the two snowstorms we had on 9 and 10 September. Or maybe my friends had already pulled most of the vegetables - hopefully.<br /> <br /> "Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. With a history of human use of over 7,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. It was known to Ancient Egyptians, and has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.<br /> <br /> Garlic is grown globally, but China is by far the largest producer of garlic, with approximately 10.5 million tonnes (23 billion pounds) grown annually, accounting for over 77% of world output. India (4.1%) and South Korea (2%) follow, with Egypt and Russia (1.6%) tied in fourth place and the United States (where garlic is grown in every state except for Alaska) in sixth place (1.4%).[17] This leaves 16% of global garlic production in countries that each produce less than 2% of global output. Much of the garlic production in the United States is centered in Gilroy, California, which calls itself the "garlic capital of the world"." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025885/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-15,doc-35025885 Mon, 15 Sep 2014 16:33:08 +0000 2014-09-14T18:12:23-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025885/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/58/85/35025885.231b697d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Thanks to Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis Jr, who sang the song that had this title (1927). Have to admit it was never (i.e. many years later) "my" kind of music : ) However, that title came to mind when I saw this shot.<br /> <br /> Almost on the spur of the moment, I decided to join friends yesterday afternoon for a birding walk. The weather was so perfect, especially compared to the two consecutive snowstorms we had on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week! After a quick look for birds along the avenue of trees near Fish Creek Provincial Park headquarters, we drove down to the Boat Launch area and from there we walked south along the Bow River. The Ospreys were flying near the river ad we saw one of them carrying a fish to take back to their nest. We saw 30 species, but nothing close enough for photos. After an enjoyable walk, a few of us called in at Tim Horton's for coffee and a snack.<br /> <br /> From there, I called in at a different part of the park and watched a family of Beavers swimming in their pond. While I was waiting, hoping that they might appear, so many American Robins flew from branch to branch in the nearby trees and bushes, sometimes landing, like this colourful male, on the rocks at the edge of the pond. I always feel that Robins are so much taken for granted. Eventually, after a long wait, the Beaver's appeared - one adult, who crossed the path where I was standing (photo posted today), who took me off guard as I had my camera well zoomed. This huge animal walked faster than I was expecting, so it's not the greatest photo. Better than almost all my photos taken of them, though, as the light was quickly fading and the pond area was too dark. Hope your photos came out much better than mine, Phil! Such a treat to watch this family, especially the young ones. We were amazed, at one moment, when an old wooden pallet started moving and blocked a small passageway between the banks. One Beaver was pulling this discarded structure all on its own. I wonder if they had originally found it washed up nearby after the Alberta Flood of the Century last year (2013).</div> Me and my shadow <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025885/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/58/85/35025885.231b697d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Thanks to Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis Jr, who sang the song that had this title (1927). Have to admit it was never (i.e. many years later) "my" kind of music : ) However, that title came to mind when I saw this shot.<br /> <br /> Almost on the spur of the moment, I decided to join friends yesterday afternoon for a birding walk. The weather was so perfect, especially compared to the two consecutive snowstorms we had on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week! After a quick look for birds along the avenue of trees near Fish Creek Provincial Park headquarters, we drove down to the Boat Launch area and from there we walked south along the Bow River. The Ospreys were flying near the river ad we saw one of them carrying a fish to take back to their nest. We saw 30 species, but nothing close enough for photos. After an enjoyable walk, a few of us called in at Tim Horton's for coffee and a snack.<br /> <br /> From there, I called in at a different part of the park and watched a family of Beavers swimming in their pond. While I was waiting, hoping that they might appear, so many American Robins flew from branch to branch in the nearby trees and bushes, sometimes landing, like this colourful male, on the rocks at the edge of the pond. I always feel that Robins are so much taken for granted. Eventually, after a long wait, the Beaver's appeared - one adult, who crossed the path where I was standing (photo posted today), who took me off guard as I had my camera well zoomed. This huge animal walked faster than I was expecting, so it's not the greatest photo. Better than almost all my photos taken of them, though, as the light was quickly fading and the pond area was too dark. Hope your photos came out much better than mine, Phil! Such a treat to watch this family, especially the young ones. We were amazed, at one moment, when an old wooden pallet started moving and blocked a small passageway between the banks. One Beaver was pulling this discarded structure all on its own. I wonder if they had originally found it washed up nearby after the Alberta Flood of the Century last year (2013).</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025877/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-15,doc-35025877 Mon, 15 Sep 2014 16:33:08 +0000 2014-09-02T10:44:05-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025877/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/58/77/35025877.9b05943f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Just an ordinary shot of this invasive weed, but I loved seeing the tiny bug (Tarnished Plant Bug?) hiding in its bright and cheery surroundings. I always enjoy seeing the heart-shaped marking on the "back" of these tiny, common insects. This photo was taken on 2 September 2014, when I was on a birding walk at Carburn Park. The parking lot at Carburn is closed to the public at the moment, while workers are constructing a "rain garden" or "water garden". It will be interesting to see what this is, when it's all finished.<br /> <br /> Also known as Common Toadflax, this plant was introduced from Europe as a garden plant, but has now become an aggressive weed.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-CommonToadflax.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-CommonToadflax.pdf</a></div> Butter-&-eggs <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025877/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/58/77/35025877.9b05943f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Just an ordinary shot of this invasive weed, but I loved seeing the tiny bug (Tarnished Plant Bug?) hiding in its bright and cheery surroundings. I always enjoy seeing the heart-shaped marking on the "back" of these tiny, common insects. This photo was taken on 2 September 2014, when I was on a birding walk at Carburn Park. The parking lot at Carburn is closed to the public at the moment, while workers are constructing a "rain garden" or "water garden". It will be interesting to see what this is, when it's all finished.<br /> <br /> Also known as Common Toadflax, this plant was introduced from Europe as a garden plant, but has now become an aggressive weed.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-CommonToadflax.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-CommonToadflax.pdf</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025871/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-15,doc-35025871 Mon, 15 Sep 2014 16:33:07 +0000 2014-09-14T18:49:51-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025871/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/58/71/35025871.2f35fd9d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Almost on the spur of the moment, I decided to join friends yesterday afternoon for a birding walk. The weather was so perfect, especially compared to the two consecutive snowstorms we had on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, that damaged thousands of trees in the city! After a quick look for birds along the avenue of trees near Fish Creek Provincial Park headquarters, we drove down to the Boat Launch area and from there we walked south along the Bow River. The Ospreys were flying near the river ad we saw one of them carrying a fish to take back to their nest. We saw 30 bird species, but nothing close enough for photos. After an enjoyable walk, a few of us called in at Tim Horton's for coffee and a snack.<br /> <br /> From there, I called in at a different part of the park and watched a family of Beavers swimming in their pond. While I was waiting, hoping that they might appear, so many American Robins flew from branch to branch in the nearby trees and bushes, sometimes landing, like this colourful male, on the rocks at the edge of the pond. I always feel that Robins are so much taken for granted. Eventually, after a long wait, the Beaver's appeared - this adult, who crossed the path where I was standing, took me off guard, as I had my camera well zoomed. This huge animal walked faster than I was expecting, so it's not the greatest photo. Better than almost all my photos taken of them yesterday, though, as the light was quickly fading and the pond area was too dark. Hope your photos came out much better than mine, Phil! Such a treat to watch this family, especially the young ones. We were amazed, at one moment, when an old wooden pallet started moving in the pond and blocked a small passageway between the banks. One Beaver was pulling this discarded structure all on its own. I wonder if they had originally found it washed up nearby, after the Alberta Flood of the Century last year (2013).<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_beaver" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_beaver</a></div> Quick march <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025871/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/58/71/35025871.2f35fd9d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Almost on the spur of the moment, I decided to join friends yesterday afternoon for a birding walk. The weather was so perfect, especially compared to the two consecutive snowstorms we had on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, that damaged thousands of trees in the city! After a quick look for birds along the avenue of trees near Fish Creek Provincial Park headquarters, we drove down to the Boat Launch area and from there we walked south along the Bow River. The Ospreys were flying near the river ad we saw one of them carrying a fish to take back to their nest. We saw 30 bird species, but nothing close enough for photos. After an enjoyable walk, a few of us called in at Tim Horton's for coffee and a snack.<br /> <br /> From there, I called in at a different part of the park and watched a family of Beavers swimming in their pond. While I was waiting, hoping that they might appear, so many American Robins flew from branch to branch in the nearby trees and bushes, sometimes landing, like this colourful male, on the rocks at the edge of the pond. I always feel that Robins are so much taken for granted. Eventually, after a long wait, the Beaver's appeared - this adult, who crossed the path where I was standing, took me off guard, as I had my camera well zoomed. This huge animal walked faster than I was expecting, so it's not the greatest photo. Better than almost all my photos taken of them yesterday, though, as the light was quickly fading and the pond area was too dark. Hope your photos came out much better than mine, Phil! Such a treat to watch this family, especially the young ones. We were amazed, at one moment, when an old wooden pallet started moving in the pond and blocked a small passageway between the banks. One Beaver was pulling this discarded structure all on its own. I wonder if they had originally found it washed up nearby, after the Alberta Flood of the Century last year (2013).<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_beaver" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_beaver</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025847/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-14,doc-35025847 Sun, 14 Sep 2014 15:11:34 +0000 2014-08-28T17:40:35-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025847/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/58/47/35025847.3ed6ae2e.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Skiff is a hamlet in southern Alberta. Before friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, set out on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park (26, 27 and 28 August 2014), I had discovered that we would be quite near to Skiff and its old grain elevator. I had mentioned this to my friends, asking if a quick stop to get a couple of shots might be possible if we had time. However, little did we know that we would end up having to stop in Skiff anyway, as Skiff was the closest place for us to get to after we got caught in a severe storm. We stopped at some kind of machinery warehouse to ask something and one of the workers said that he had never seen a storm like this one! A couple of minutes away, we found the beautiful, old elevator. You could still feel the tail end of the storm, with very strong winds blowing, barely letting me open my car door and walk with great difficulty to get my photos. I was surprised that my photos came out at all, I was being blown so much off balance.<br /> <br /> The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit! We had driven eastwards from Waterton, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. The storm was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m. just before we started our return trip to Calgary. It was like nothing I had ever seen before - a menacing cloud that was travelling fast and furious. I have recently posted a couple of photos of the storm. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning, and tremendously strong winds. There was nothing to do but sit tight in the car, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, "exciting" (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Fortunately, we weren't caught in the very centre of it. Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Later, I contacted the Alberta Tornado Watch and posted a photo for them to see. They said the storm that happened that day was a mesocyclone. <br /> <br /> This elevator is the sole remaining elevator in Skiff and, though now wearing Parrish & Heimbecker colours, may well have been an Alberta Wheat Pool elevator originally. If so, it was built in 1929 with a 40,000 bushel capacity. The annexes were added in 1948 (East) and in 1952 (West). The larger one is on the east side. The elevator appears to still be in use. There is very little information online about it, unfortunately. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMKTFF_Alberta_Wheat_Pool_1_Skiff_AB" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMKTFF_Alberta_Wheat_Pool_1_S...</a></div> Skiff Elevator, after the storm <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025847/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/58/47/35025847.3ed6ae2e.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Skiff is a hamlet in southern Alberta. Before friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, set out on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park (26, 27 and 28 August 2014), I had discovered that we would be quite near to Skiff and its old grain elevator. I had mentioned this to my friends, asking if a quick stop to get a couple of shots might be possible if we had time. However, little did we know that we would end up having to stop in Skiff anyway, as Skiff was the closest place for us to get to after we got caught in a severe storm. We stopped at some kind of machinery warehouse to ask something and one of the workers said that he had never seen a storm like this one! A couple of minutes away, we found the beautiful, old elevator. You could still feel the tail end of the storm, with very strong winds blowing, barely letting me open my car door and walk with great difficulty to get my photos. I was surprised that my photos came out at all, I was being blown so much off balance.<br /> <br /> The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit! We had driven eastwards from Waterton, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. The storm was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m. just before we started our return trip to Calgary. It was like nothing I had ever seen before - a menacing cloud that was travelling fast and furious. I have recently posted a couple of photos of the storm. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning, and tremendously strong winds. There was nothing to do but sit tight in the car, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, "exciting" (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Fortunately, we weren't caught in the very centre of it. Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Later, I contacted the Alberta Tornado Watch and posted a photo for them to see. They said the storm that happened that day was a mesocyclone. <br /> <br /> This elevator is the sole remaining elevator in Skiff and, though now wearing Parrish & Heimbecker colours, may well have been an Alberta Wheat Pool elevator originally. If so, it was built in 1929 with a 40,000 bushel capacity. The annexes were added in 1948 (East) and in 1952 (West). The larger one is on the east side. The elevator appears to still be in use. There is very little information online about it, unfortunately. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMKTFF_Alberta_Wheat_Pool_1_Skiff_AB" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMKTFF_Alberta_Wheat_Pool_1_S...</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025807/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-14,doc-35025807 Sun, 14 Sep 2014 15:11:34 +0000 2010-08-27T10:13:43-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025807/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/58/07/35025807.da6122e8.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Posted mainly for a splash of bright colour, which I'm needing at the moment : ) Our weather has calmed down after our two days of severe snowstorm a few days ago. Yesterday, 13 September 2014, I finally got out for a drive. I hadn't been out of the house for a few days and was beginning to get cabin fever. Driving down my street, I finally got a look at just how much tree damage the late summer snowstorm (actually two storms, on 9 and 10 September) had caused. My street is lined with huge piles of cut-down branches, waiting for the city's machines to come and remove them. <br /> <br /> My drive took me as far as Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, SW of the city, as I wanted to see how much snow was on the ground in the forest. From the muddy parking lot, I could see that the ground between the trees was covered with a lot of snow, hiding everything that might have been there, including wildflowers and mushrooms. It will take some time for all this sheltered snow cover to melt. I saw practically nothing during my drive, other than a Magpie, the Red-tailed Hawk that I'm posting today, horses and cows. Looks like we may have to wait till spring arrives next year before getting the chance to photograph much, if anything, other than snow photos. Many parks and natural areas are now closed because of the damage caused by the snowstorms. It's feeling rather like the situation last summer, when everywhere was closed for months because of the damage caused by the Alberta Flood of the Century. <br /> <br /> This Poppy photo was taken way back on 27 August 2010, during a visit to the wonderful homestead and gardens belonging to the late Jim Coutts, near Nanton, Alberta. I used to look forward so much to our occasional visit, especially seeing Jim's beautiful Poppy gardens. Interesting to note that Jim used to be the former principal secretary of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.</div> Coming in to land <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025807/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/58/07/35025807.da6122e8.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Posted mainly for a splash of bright colour, which I'm needing at the moment : ) Our weather has calmed down after our two days of severe snowstorm a few days ago. Yesterday, 13 September 2014, I finally got out for a drive. I hadn't been out of the house for a few days and was beginning to get cabin fever. Driving down my street, I finally got a look at just how much tree damage the late summer snowstorm (actually two storms, on 9 and 10 September) had caused. My street is lined with huge piles of cut-down branches, waiting for the city's machines to come and remove them. <br /> <br /> My drive took me as far as Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, SW of the city, as I wanted to see how much snow was on the ground in the forest. From the muddy parking lot, I could see that the ground between the trees was covered with a lot of snow, hiding everything that might have been there, including wildflowers and mushrooms. It will take some time for all this sheltered snow cover to melt. I saw practically nothing during my drive, other than a Magpie, the Red-tailed Hawk that I'm posting today, horses and cows. Looks like we may have to wait till spring arrives next year before getting the chance to photograph much, if anything, other than snow photos. Many parks and natural areas are now closed because of the damage caused by the snowstorms. It's feeling rather like the situation last summer, when everywhere was closed for months because of the damage caused by the Alberta Flood of the Century. <br /> <br /> This Poppy photo was taken way back on 27 August 2010, during a visit to the wonderful homestead and gardens belonging to the late Jim Coutts, near Nanton, Alberta. I used to look forward so much to our occasional visit, especially seeing Jim's beautiful Poppy gardens. Interesting to note that Jim used to be the former principal secretary of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025779/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-13,doc-35025779 Sat, 13 Sep 2014 15:14:03 +0000 2014-09-06T15:23:14-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025779/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/57/79/35025779.804d3317.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">With a weather forecast of rain and snow for the following two or three days, there were a couple of places that I thought I had better get to on Saturday, 6 September 2014. (Little did we all know that we were in for two days of heavy snowfall that has caused a huge amount of damage to thousands of trees and shrubs throughout the city.) The first place I wanted to get to was Brown-Lowery, to check if there were any mushrooms. I was there recently, and only found a couple of things. <br /> <br /> On 6 September, it was a little more rewarding and I found several large clusters of tiny mushrooms growing on tree stumps or at the base of trees and various tiny mushrooms growing in the moss, including the small, white one in the macro shot above. Also found several patches of bright orange Coral Fungi. Quite a few people were in the park, so I felt safer going a very short way in. Far enough, as it turned out, to watch an adult and a juvenile Three-toed Woodpecker, feeding together on a tree trunk. The young one was copying Mom or Dad, but its soft squeaking sound resulted in the adult feeding it, too. This Woodpecker species seems to be reasonably tolerant of people. They are rare birds here, so I feel very lucky to have seen these two and any others in the past. <br /> <br /> On the way home, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park, hoping to find a Beaver or a Mink that a friend had told me about (thanks, Phil!). Though I did see a couple of Beavers, I wasn't able to get a decent photo of them. One of them was a huge animal - this was the one that was very recently found in a trap, biting off one of its front legs that was caught in the trap. Someone had been there when this was happening and she made several reports about it. Thanks, Linda, for doing this. Such a cruel way to deal with any Beaver problem! The now three-legged animal seems to be doing OK. I was luckier with the Mink, catching it in a couple of quick shots. <br /> <br /> On the walk back to my car, I was lucky enough to see a distant doe and two fawns. Apparently, she had three young ones, so we were wondering if something had happened to one of them. Maybe a Coyote?</div> Just a little mushroom <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025779/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/57/79/35025779.804d3317.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">With a weather forecast of rain and snow for the following two or three days, there were a couple of places that I thought I had better get to on Saturday, 6 September 2014. (Little did we all know that we were in for two days of heavy snowfall that has caused a huge amount of damage to thousands of trees and shrubs throughout the city.) The first place I wanted to get to was Brown-Lowery, to check if there were any mushrooms. I was there recently, and only found a couple of things. <br /> <br /> On 6 September, it was a little more rewarding and I found several large clusters of tiny mushrooms growing on tree stumps or at the base of trees and various tiny mushrooms growing in the moss, including the small, white one in the macro shot above. Also found several patches of bright orange Coral Fungi. Quite a few people were in the park, so I felt safer going a very short way in. Far enough, as it turned out, to watch an adult and a juvenile Three-toed Woodpecker, feeding together on a tree trunk. The young one was copying Mom or Dad, but its soft squeaking sound resulted in the adult feeding it, too. This Woodpecker species seems to be reasonably tolerant of people. They are rare birds here, so I feel very lucky to have seen these two and any others in the past. <br /> <br /> On the way home, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park, hoping to find a Beaver or a Mink that a friend had told me about (thanks, Phil!). Though I did see a couple of Beavers, I wasn't able to get a decent photo of them. One of them was a huge animal - this was the one that was very recently found in a trap, biting off one of its front legs that was caught in the trap. Someone had been there when this was happening and she made several reports about it. Thanks, Linda, for doing this. Such a cruel way to deal with any Beaver problem! The now three-legged animal seems to be doing OK. I was luckier with the Mink, catching it in a couple of quick shots. <br /> <br /> On the walk back to my car, I was lucky enough to see a distant doe and two fawns. Apparently, she had three young ones, so we were wondering if something had happened to one of them. Maybe a Coyote?</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025767/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-13,doc-35025767 Sat, 13 Sep 2014 15:14:03 +0000 2014-07-23T19:44:17-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025767/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/57/67/35025767.544db75e.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Perhaps I should whisper that this is my favourite Thistle, seeing as it is a weed : ) It is called Nodding Thistle, also Musk Thistle, and was introduced from Europe and North Africa. A member of the Aster family, it grows to 60-250 cm tall, with flower heads that are 1.5-8 cm across. This particular plant was growing on 23rd July 2014 at the Erlton/Roxboro Natural Area. It was past its prime, as the purple disc florets have died, but I am always fascinated with the spine-tipped, inner and outer bracts. This time that I went, the sun was in the wrong position to try and photograph the plants from the other side.<br /> <br /> After a volunteer shift on that day, 23 July 2014, I wasn't too far away from the Erlton/Roxboro Natural Area, where I was finally going to go on a botany walk. Having been to this location several times before, I knew it was a short, easy, flat trail, and that I could go as far as I wanted and then turn back early, which is what I did. I've missed pretty well all the botany and birding walks the last few months, which is quite depressing. The main thing I wanted to see were these Nodding / Musk Thistles.<br /> <br /> With a couple of hours to "kill" after my volunteer shift, I spent them at the Reader Rock Garden, which was just a few minutes' drive away from the evening botany walk at the Erlton/Roxboro Natural Area.</div> The fancy web work of a spider <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025767/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/57/67/35025767.544db75e.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Perhaps I should whisper that this is my favourite Thistle, seeing as it is a weed : ) It is called Nodding Thistle, also Musk Thistle, and was introduced from Europe and North Africa. A member of the Aster family, it grows to 60-250 cm tall, with flower heads that are 1.5-8 cm across. This particular plant was growing on 23rd July 2014 at the Erlton/Roxboro Natural Area. It was past its prime, as the purple disc florets have died, but I am always fascinated with the spine-tipped, inner and outer bracts. This time that I went, the sun was in the wrong position to try and photograph the plants from the other side.<br /> <br /> After a volunteer shift on that day, 23 July 2014, I wasn't too far away from the Erlton/Roxboro Natural Area, where I was finally going to go on a botany walk. Having been to this location several times before, I knew it was a short, easy, flat trail, and that I could go as far as I wanted and then turn back early, which is what I did. I've missed pretty well all the botany and birding walks the last few months, which is quite depressing. The main thing I wanted to see were these Nodding / Musk Thistles.<br /> <br /> With a couple of hours to "kill" after my volunteer shift, I spent them at the Reader Rock Garden, which was just a few minutes' drive away from the evening botany walk at the Erlton/Roxboro Natural Area.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025759/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-13,doc-35025759 Sat, 13 Sep 2014 15:14:03 +0000 2014-08-28T13:52:05-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025759/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/57/59/35025759.8ab5866f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">There are 38 images in my Burrowing Owl album, but this photo shows one of the two first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses, or in this case, against the stubble in the field. They are a true delight when, or if, they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a pair of bright yellow eyes peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, one of them this juvenile. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so most of my photos tend to be of "eyes". Such a great pity that this is an endangered species!<br /> <br /> "As a result of its ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, the Burrowing Owl has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_owl</a><br /> <br /> During three days away (26, 27 and 28 August 2014) with friends Cathy and Terry, we saw so many things, including breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the town of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including these endangered Burrowing Owls (way east of Waterton, on our last day), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon in the park. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Oh, and we got caught in a storm like nothing we'd ever seen before - a mesocyclone, apparently.</div> Young Burrowing Owl <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35025759/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/136/57/59/35025759.8ab5866f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">There are 38 images in my Burrowing Owl album, but this photo shows one of the two first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses, or in this case, against the stubble in the field. They are a true delight when, or if, they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a pair of bright yellow eyes peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, one of them this juvenile. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so most of my photos tend to be of "eyes". Such a great pity that this is an endangered species!<br /> <br /> "As a result of its ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, the Burrowing Owl has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_owl</a><br /> <br /> During three days away (26, 27 and 28 August 2014) with friends Cathy and Terry, we saw so many things, including breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the town of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including these endangered Burrowing Owls (way east of Waterton, on our last day), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon in the park. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Oh, and we got caught in a storm like nothing we'd ever seen before - a mesocyclone, apparently.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34959809/in/album/433339 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-12,doc-34959809 Fri, 12 Sep 2014 17:01:24 +0000 2014-07-29T15:25:46-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34959809/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/09/34959809.548c51a3.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I came across this photo last night, when I was trying to find a photo that had some bright colour in it. I cropped it, but found the darkish grey-blue background so unpleasant. Normally, I don't change backgrounds, and with the couple of photos that I have done so, I always say what I have done. Took me forever to remember how to do it, too. Anyway, this image shows two different leaf-tip colourings that were on a Venus Flytrap plant, taken on 29 July 2014. The tips were maybe half to three-quarters of an inch.<br /> <br /> "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap</a><br /> <br /> David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo</a><br /> <br /> Yesterday was sunny with blue sky, which was so welcome after the very damaging summer snowstorm that hit Calgary hard the previous two days. I haven't driven anywhere since before the storm, so still haven't seen "the big picture". Just on my street yesterday, city crews were out on foot, marking the trees that needed branches removed. Now the edge of the street is lined with endless piles of cut branches, waiting for the trucks and equipment to come and deal with them. And that's just a tiny section of my street - makes you realize how many thousands of trees were damaged across the whole city. Not sure what happened to the sun today, as the sky is very overcast. It's supposed to return tomorrow, though. Later: it rained this afternoon, which helped get rid of more of the snow, but I suspect that down in our parks and natural areas there will be still be snow and slush. The weekend is looking good so far : )</div> Almost like art <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34959809/in/album/433339"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/98/09/34959809.548c51a3.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I came across this photo last night, when I was trying to find a photo that had some bright colour in it. I cropped it, but found the darkish grey-blue background so unpleasant. Normally, I don't change backgrounds, and with the couple of photos that I have done so, I always say what I have done. Took me forever to remember how to do it, too. Anyway, this image shows two different leaf-tip colourings that were on a Venus Flytrap plant, taken on 29 July 2014. The tips were maybe half to three-quarters of an inch.<br /> <br /> "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap</a><br /> <br /> David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo</a><br /> <br /> Yesterday was sunny with blue sky, which was so welcome after the very damaging summer snowstorm that hit Calgary hard the previous two days. I haven't driven anywhere since before the storm, so still haven't seen "the big picture". Just on my street yesterday, city crews were out on foot, marking the trees that needed branches removed. Now the edge of the street is lined with endless piles of cut branches, waiting for the trucks and equipment to come and deal with them. And that's just a tiny section of my street - makes you realize how many thousands of trees were damaged across the whole city. Not sure what happened to the sun today, as the sky is very overcast. It's supposed to return tomorrow, though. Later: it rained this afternoon, which helped get rid of more of the snow, but I suspect that down in our parks and natural areas there will be still be snow and slush. The weekend is looking good so far : )</div> Anne Elliott