A happy farm dog
Sunrise start to a Christmas Bird Count
Look what I found yesterday : )
A few brave souls
Hiding in the grasses
The joy of colour
Mrs. Claus busily knitting
Farm cat
Gray Jay
Why they are hard to find : )
Freeze-dried
Such gorgeous eyes
Love a red jacket
No owls in barn windows - only House Sparrows : )
Great sighting, poor light
Northern Shrike - Butcher Bird
The beautiful Whaleback
The long and the short of it : )
Hidden Long-eared Owl
The end of an amazing day
Happy Christmas, everyone!
Footprints in the snow
Long-eared Owl
Above the treeline
Honey Mushrooms
Winter along the Smith-Dorrien road
Whiskey Jack, alias Camp Robber, alias Gray Jay
A little past their prime
Love those legs
Short-eared Owl
Peaks and clouds
Columbian Ground Squirrel
Pink
Parched
Summer bokeh
Up close with a Snow Leopard
Such a good Mom
Follow the leader
As beautiful as it gets
Saskatoon in May
Rooster at the Saskatoon Farm
A little touch of sunshine
Looking towards the treeline
Peregrine Falcon
Frosted snow
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Milk Thistle / Silybum marianum


On the Internet, I saw a couple of photos of flowers just like this one, that were identified as Purple Star Thistle, Centaurea calcitrapa, but lots of photos of a different plant that had this name. So, I don't think I do have the right name. Could it be Silybum marianum? Yes, I think that is what it probably is - also called Milk Thistle. Anyway, I thought it was a beautiful plant, though the purple flower was on its last legs. Taken on 28 September 2013, when I spent a most enjoyable few hours at the Saskatoon Farm with my youngest daughter and two members of the photography group that she leads. It's a fascinating place to visit, maybe 20 minutes' drive south from the southern edge of Calgary, with all sorts of things to photograph, a gift shop, a food shop, and a restaurant that offers delicious food! I love their quiche. So nice to just wander at leisure and have lunch together. This was the very first time that I had driven there, though I had been with various friends maybe three or so times before. So, that's one more place I can now drive to, which feels good.
"Silybum marianum (milk thistle) is an annual or biannual plant of the Asteraceae family. This fairly typical thistle has red to purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins. Originally a native of Southern Europe through to Asia, it is now found throughout the world. The medicinal parts of the plant are the ripe seeds. Other common names for this species include blessed milk thistle, Marian Thistle, Mary Thistle, Saint Mary's Thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle.
"Milk thistle has also been known to be used as food. Around the 16th century the milk thistle became quite popular and almost all parts of it were eaten. The roots can be eaten raw or boiled and buttered or par-boiled and roasted. The young shoots in spring can be cut down to the root and boiled and buttered. The spiny bracts on the flower head were eaten in the past like globe artichoke, and the stems (after peeling) can be soaked overnight to remove bitterness and then stewed. The leaves can be trimmed of prickles and boiled and make a good spinach substitute or they can also be added raw to salads." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum
www.saskatoonfarm.com
Posting really early today as it's the annual High River Christmas Bird Count, half an hour's drive south of Calgary. Unfortunately, there is a Wind Alert in place, for winds up to 100 km! I would imagine all the birds will be hiding in hidden, sheltered places. Will be interesting. I think it's only -1C at the moment - snow forecast for late today.
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"Silybum marianum (milk thistle) is an annual or biannual plant of the Asteraceae family. This fairly typical thistle has red to purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins. Originally a native of Southern Europe through to Asia, it is now found throughout the world. The medicinal parts of the plant are the ripe seeds. Other common names for this species include blessed milk thistle, Marian Thistle, Mary Thistle, Saint Mary's Thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle.
"Milk thistle has also been known to be used as food. Around the 16th century the milk thistle became quite popular and almost all parts of it were eaten. The roots can be eaten raw or boiled and buttered or par-boiled and roasted. The young shoots in spring can be cut down to the root and boiled and buttered. The spiny bracts on the flower head were eaten in the past like globe artichoke, and the stems (after peeling) can be soaked overnight to remove bitterness and then stewed. The leaves can be trimmed of prickles and boiled and make a good spinach substitute or they can also be added raw to salads." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum
www.saskatoonfarm.com
Posting really early today as it's the annual High River Christmas Bird Count, half an hour's drive south of Calgary. Unfortunately, there is a Wind Alert in place, for winds up to 100 km! I would imagine all the birds will be hiding in hidden, sheltered places. Will be interesting. I think it's only -1C at the moment - snow forecast for late today.
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LeapFrog, , Puzzler4879 have particularly liked this photo
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