Beauty in the fall

Last fall, on 28 September 2014, was the first time I had been to the Calgary Zoo since before the Alberta Flood of the Century in June 2013. I had been photographing wild things over the summer and just never made it as far as the Zoo. The west parking lot and Zoo entrance are now being kept closed for the winter, and I dread the drive home from the north entrance, so I don't get to the Zoo very often any more.

There were so many people everywhere at the Zoo that day. Normally, I wouldn’t go on a Sunday, but I thought it might be a good idea to drive the dreaded Deerfoot Trail on my way home on a slightly quieter day. I usually avoid Deerfoot at all cost, as it’s a dangerous road to be on.

Couldn't resist taking a quick shot of this fading Echinacea flower, with its spiky seedhead. This is one of my favourite garden flowers, beautiful at all stages of its life.

"Echinacea /ˌɛkɨˈneɪʃⁱə/ is a genus, or group of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. The nine species it contains are commonly called coneflowers. They are endemic to eastern and central North America, where they are found growing in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. The generic name is derived from the Greek word ἐχῖνος (echino), meaning "sea urchin," due to the spiny central disk. Some species are used in herbal medicines and some are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. A few species are of conservation concern." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea