Garden flowers 4

I had such an enjoyable day today (26 July 2013). I met my youngest daughter to go with two other members of the photography group that she leads, to spend a bit of time at the Reader Rock Garden. After about an hour of wandering and taking photos, including of this beautiful blue Delphinium, we went and had lunch in the restaurant there. We had a table reserved, which was a very good thing, as it soon became completely full. After a tasty lunch, the other two people had to leave, and my daughter and I went over to the Erlton/Roxboro Natural Area and St. Mary's Cemetery. Still quite a few wildflowers in bloom, including a number of my favourite Thistles (even though they are "weeds") - Musk/Nodding Thistles. No rain today, which felt wonderful!

Always a treat to see and photograph a Lily or two. This large beauty was seen at the Reader Rock Garden on 24 July 2013.

So, I felt my photostream needed a massive dose of brilliant colour, especially RED, lol! These Maltese Cross flowers were the answer. Photographed at the Reader Rock Garden on 24 July 2013. Maybe I should have kept it till the snow arrives and so many of my photos are white and blue. With so much endless rain this spring and summer and so many places devastated, like the Calgary Zoo, there have been far fewer chances to find flowers to photograph. I believe the Zoo will open fully in December. So far, just the very northern part has opened - this part is on the mainland, not on the island in the middle of the Bow River.

Echinacea flowers are beautiful at all stages. Caught this one that was just beginning to open in pretty, late afternoon light, at the Reader Rock Garden on 14 August 2013. "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

I love photographing these gorgeous Globe Thistles at any stage. This one was growing at the Reader Rock Garden on 14 August 2013. In Calgary, we have seen them growing wild at one of the natural areas (can't think of the name of the place, as it's not a place we normally go to). Not sure, but I believe this is Echinops ritro. Yesterday, 24 August 2013, four of us went west of Calgary, to the West Bragg Creek area, in Kananaskis, for a fungus foray. We managed to find a few interesting and photogenic mushrooms. With so many places either still closed or totally devastated, outings and walks since the Alberta Flood of the Century in June have had to be cancelled. Our outing yesterday was doubly delightful, after we've been so limited the last couple of months. Thanks for leading us, Karel! After this walk, I was so close to the Elbow Falls Trail (highway 66), that, on the spur of the moment, I turned right instead of left and headed off in the direction of Forgetmenot Pond. This mountainous road is the only one I will drive, so it always feels good to get out there. The other week, I had tried, but the road was closed, due to flood damage, past Maclean Pond. Yesterday, the road was open, but there was a long wait at a temporary traffic light just past Maclean Pond, where the bridge was still standing, but the embankments had been totally washed away. What destruction! Also called in at Allen Bill Pond - now just a heap of gravel with a few water channels through it. Totally destroyed. I think half of Calgary must have had the same idea as I had, as everywhere was packed. So many cars at Elbow Falls that I decided not to bother. Forgetmenot Pond was extremely busy, too, so it was impossible to get photos without people in them. Some of the path around the lake had been washed out and a lot of the area of trees and plants near the pond were now covered in a layer of silt. The area was still looking beautiful, though, and safe to visit. I only get out there maybe twice a year, and normally I would never go on a Saturday or Sunday. www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/9592076266

Came across this photo from my archives, taken on 14 October 2011. Can't remember for sure, but I think this was maybe a temporary houseplant I bought.

There is never time or energy left for any gardening (and it's too painful to do it, anyway). However, I actually stepped outside days ago and was very surprised to see that I now had Raspberries growing in my back yard, lol! This was the only berry that wasn't over.

Just not getting much time to pick out photos to upload - I only seem to be getting time to take the photos and that's more or less it. Had this one already in a file to possibly upload sometime, so grabbed it. Lilies are one of my favourite flowers to photograph and this one was taken at the Reader Rock Garden on 24 July 2013. www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/9622645202

Flowers at Lake Louise, seen from inside the Chateau Lake Louise. We happened to arrive at the lake just before it decided to rain. Can't complain, though, as the weather was so enjoyable for a good part of the day. Driving west from Calgary, we soon saw that the mountains (eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains) were looking rather hazy. Before too long, we found ourselves driving through very low cloud and the mountains, there one moment, had partly disappeared the next. This went on for a long time and I began to wonder if we would even be able to see the beautiful mountains the further west we went. Eventually, the clouds lifted and the sun shone. Later in the day, the grey clouds started drifting in and we did get some rain, but we had already seen the "best" things. We were able to go inside the Chateau Lake Louise and wander around while the worst of the rain fell. It did clear, giving me a chance to take photos looking out over Lake Louise. Our furthest destination was Peyto Lake (and just a little further). Im still not sure if I have ever been to Peyto Lake. If I have visited that amazing lake before, it would have been 30+ years ago. Needless to say, I was just thrilled to bits to get a chance to go there, thanks to good friend, Sandy!