False Hellebore / Indian Hellebore
Eye-catching splash of colour
Emerald Lake - a little gem of the Rockies
Utah Honeysuckle / Lonicera utahensis
Longhorn Beetle and others
Emerald Lake, British Columbia
And then there were three
Lance-leaved Stonecrop / Sedum lanceolatum
The beauty of the Common Loon
Yellow Columbine / Aquilegia flavescens
Beautiful Waterton Lakes National Park
Preening White-faced Ibis
Barn at Folk Tree Lodge
Mountain Lady's Slipper / Cypripedium montanum
Mule Deer, Mom and baby
Sandhill Cranes, Waterton
Pink Monkeyflower / mimulus lewisii
Canoes at Cameron Lake, Waterton
Swainson's Thrush / Catharus ustulatus
White-tailed Deer at Akamina Lake, Waterton
Water Hemlock / Cicuta
Brown-headed Cowbird juvenile
Cameron Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park
Spread those wings
Violet-green Swallows
Bluebird of happiness
Blue Clematis
Waterton town, from Bertha Lake Trail
Agrimony
A beautiful property, SW of Calgary
The changing colour of Baneberry berries
Osprey family
Orobanche / Orobanche fasciculata
American Goldfinch pair
Western Tent Caterpillars
Diabolo Ninebark
Houndstongue / Cynoglossum officinale
Iridescence
Yay, it's Canola time!
Northern Gentian / Gentianella amarella
Summer colour
Three farm buddies
Spotted Coralroot / Corallorhiza maculata
Clematis integrifolia
Olds College Botanic Gardens and Wetlands
See also...
Keywords
Authorizations, license
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I'm hiding - she can't see me


This photo of a little Least Chipmunk was taken on 21 June 2015, when some of us walked to a campground to find an outhouse before starting on a hike along the Crandell Lake Trail, in Waterton Lakes National Park. The least chipmunk (Tamias minimus) is the smallest species of chipmunk, and the most widespread in North America.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_chipmunk
I was so lucky to be invited to join friends Sandy and Heide on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, from 19-21 (inclusive) June 2015. We met up with other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council for their annual Botany Alberta weekend. Most people who attended stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground, a 5.6 km drive east of the Waterton Park Gate on Highway 5, but my friends and I stayed at the Crandell Mountain Lodge on the edge of Waterton town. The ANPC people had a list of species that they hoped to find, and they were very successful.
Our stay down south overlapped the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival, but we came across very few people on our various drives and hikes. Needless to say, I was extremely fortunate to spend three days with people who are very knowledgeable about plants (and other things). This meant that I got to see many wildflower species, including several that were new to me, such as the gorgeous Mariposa Lily. It was one of the flowers that was on my Wish List - and there were hundreds of them to be seen! I had also never seen the spectacular Bear Grass and I was so thrilled that there were still several plants in bloom. Absolutely made my day!
Our two main hikes of the weekend were the Bertha Lake Trail as far as the Bertha Falls (on 20 June), and the Crandell Lake Trail (on 21 June). Makes me smile when a described "short, easy hike" in a book or on the Internet turns into a full day of exploration along the trail, taking hours to reach the destination, though returning to the cars in a much shorter time. Our walks/hikes are very slow-paced with endless stops to look at/for plants and to take photos. This makes it possible for me to go along.
Crandell Lake from the Crandell Campground trailhead:
Return distance 4.0 km (2.4 miles), elevation gain 150 metres (492'), hiking time 1.5 hours (we took all day!).
Bertha Falls from the townsite trailhead:
Return distance 5.6 km (3.4 miles), elevation gain 150 metres (492'), hiking time 1.5 hours (again, we took all day). For me, this hike felt much further than it was!
The wind made photographing plants a real challenge, including the beautiful Mariposa Lilies in the meadow along the Hay Barn road. Though I took plenty of photos, I wasn't sure that I would end up with any that were sharp enough. Trying to catch a quick shot when a flower is blowing in and out of the viewfinder is not easy! Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to get down and take macro shots (my lens needs to be about 4" away from the subject), so my photos have to be telemacro.
I've been trying to find a list of plant species in Waterton Park, but have so far been out of luck. I do have the book, "Wildflowers of Waterton Park" by Jacinthe Lavoie and Ian Wilson, which has an Index of Plant names, but I was hoping to find a list that I could print out.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_chipmunk
I was so lucky to be invited to join friends Sandy and Heide on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, from 19-21 (inclusive) June 2015. We met up with other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council for their annual Botany Alberta weekend. Most people who attended stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground, a 5.6 km drive east of the Waterton Park Gate on Highway 5, but my friends and I stayed at the Crandell Mountain Lodge on the edge of Waterton town. The ANPC people had a list of species that they hoped to find, and they were very successful.
Our stay down south overlapped the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival, but we came across very few people on our various drives and hikes. Needless to say, I was extremely fortunate to spend three days with people who are very knowledgeable about plants (and other things). This meant that I got to see many wildflower species, including several that were new to me, such as the gorgeous Mariposa Lily. It was one of the flowers that was on my Wish List - and there were hundreds of them to be seen! I had also never seen the spectacular Bear Grass and I was so thrilled that there were still several plants in bloom. Absolutely made my day!
Our two main hikes of the weekend were the Bertha Lake Trail as far as the Bertha Falls (on 20 June), and the Crandell Lake Trail (on 21 June). Makes me smile when a described "short, easy hike" in a book or on the Internet turns into a full day of exploration along the trail, taking hours to reach the destination, though returning to the cars in a much shorter time. Our walks/hikes are very slow-paced with endless stops to look at/for plants and to take photos. This makes it possible for me to go along.
Crandell Lake from the Crandell Campground trailhead:
Return distance 4.0 km (2.4 miles), elevation gain 150 metres (492'), hiking time 1.5 hours (we took all day!).
Bertha Falls from the townsite trailhead:
Return distance 5.6 km (3.4 miles), elevation gain 150 metres (492'), hiking time 1.5 hours (again, we took all day). For me, this hike felt much further than it was!
The wind made photographing plants a real challenge, including the beautiful Mariposa Lilies in the meadow along the Hay Barn road. Though I took plenty of photos, I wasn't sure that I would end up with any that were sharp enough. Trying to catch a quick shot when a flower is blowing in and out of the viewfinder is not easy! Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to get down and take macro shots (my lens needs to be about 4" away from the subject), so my photos have to be telemacro.
I've been trying to find a list of plant species in Waterton Park, but have so far been out of luck. I do have the book, "Wildflowers of Waterton Park" by Jacinthe Lavoie and Ian Wilson, which has an Index of Plant names, but I was hoping to find a list that I could print out.
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