Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: leaf litter

Now I can start posting photos taken in the afternoon of 16 May 2018, Day 10 of our holiday to Point Pelee (Ontario) and Tadoussac (Quebec). After a morning walk, we spent a little time watching and photographing some of the birds that visited our friend's garden. We also had lunch, ready for driving down to the dry dock. This was going to be a big day for the people of Tadoussac, as it was going to be High Tide, which happens twice a year, and the water was going to gradually overflow the entrance gate and flood the dry dock. Everyone was busy making final preparations on their boats for this event, and everyone was eager to see whose boat would be the first one to become afloat and make it out of the dock into open water. One of Anne B's brothers and his wife had a small boat and it was just about at the furthest point of the dry dock. Slowly, the water rose, and after maybe two hours (?) Alan and Jane's boat was ready to sail out, making them the winners. It felt so good to see a small community come together in this unusual, friendly contest. While we were waiting for the tide to be at its highest, we had fun watching a beautiful little Magnolia Warbler feeding frantically on the ground, not far from our feet. All the birds who migrate had only just arrived on the coast, after flying across a huge body of water. They were exhausted and so hungry. Same thing at Point Pelee, Ontario, the week before.

How wonderful it feels to have a cooler morning! A short while ago, it was just 11C, now 15C just before noon. Finally, I can get some cooler air inside my place. The last two days, I have had to go out in my car just to get the relief of air-conditioning. Yesterday, I more or less repeated my drive from the previous day, except that I called in at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park to see if there was any sign of fungi growing. It is still not the peak of the fungi season, so I was not too hopeful. I barely entered the forest, as it still gives me the creeps, - Bears, Cougar and Moose are seen there, and I have been told so many times not to go by myself. So far, I have only seen a very large Moose. I did find a cluster of very tiny mushrooms ad several clumps of orange Coral Fungus in their usual location. Took a few wildflower shots, too, which I don't do very often these days, unlike a few years ago. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavarioid_fungi

On 7 September 2015, I went for a walk at Shannon Terrace in Fish Creek Park. I never seem to go for walks on my own anymore, but I really need to do more walking for health reasons. After about four days of rain, I made myself go on this walk and saw more than I was expecting to see, including a few reasonably photogenic mushrooms. I liked the gills of this mushroom, though it was past its prime. Just as I was leaving the park, I noticed the dark clouds rolling in and I wasn't sure if some Mammatus clouds (sagging pouch-like structures) were forming. Most unlikely, but I wanted to be sure, so drove out towards the SW edge of the city. None to be seen, but it still felt good to see the very distant mountains.

I have seen photos of very shaggy-looking Bird's-nest fungi still with their caps on, and I wondered if that is what the 'things' in the centre of this photo might be. I couldn't think of any plant that looks like this. Any help with ID would be so much appreciated! "The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has a rare opportunity to protect a 640-acre (260-hectare) property neighbouring Alberta's capital city. In 1974, five families bought Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area — a parcel of land bordering Edmonton near the Devonian Botanic Garden. For 40 years the families cared for the land, protecting important habitat for moose and numerous other species. The five ownership families have generously offered to sell Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) for half the asset value. Their vision is to ensure that the land is conserved for our province; particularly for our children. Over the years Bunchberry Meadows has remained intact. But the surrounding lands and the city of Edmonton have undergone significant changes. Natural spaces in and around Edmonton continue to be developed. It’s increasingly difficult for city dwellers to find open green spaces to enjoy a sunny afternoon, or teach their children about the outdoors. The campaign for Bunchberry Meadows was officially launched in Edmonton on May 21, 2015. Since then, Edmontonians have stepped up in support so that this special community amenity can be created. Urban development on this property would mean the loss of habitat for many plant and wildlife species, and the loss of a wonderful space in which Albertans and all Canadians can reconnect with nature. In June 2016, the Bunchberry campaign was closed successfully. NCC will open Bunchberry to the public in the fall of 2016 as a natural retreat for everyone to enjoy." www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/alberta/feature... www.youtube.com/watch?v=FibqXugavrc On 17 September 2016, it was a long day, spent with a group of people - some of us travelled north from Calgary and others lived in or near the capital city of Alberta - Edmonton. Two friends had been invited to meet with members of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, to do a walk at a newly acquired 640 acre parcel of land, immediately to the east of the Devonian Botanic Garden. Edmonton is a three-hour drive north of Calgary, so it makes for a long drive when one goes for just a day trip. Set my alarm for 4:20 am. That, plus walking for several hours (my pedometer said 16,175 steps by the time I went to bed) completely knocked me out. One of the two friends I went with, Dr. Peter Whitehead (who drove us there and back, which was wonderful) is an ecologist and bryologist, and founder of the Western Canada Bryophyte and Lichen Interest Group. Also, see the first link below about his exciting program for school children. www.seriousaboutscience.org/ www.ablig.com/ www.capeecology.ca/people.html The other friend I went with was Dr. Janet Marsh, Lichenologist. She is considered one of Canada's leading authorities on lichens. So, as you can see, I was in the company of extremely knowledgeable people. I'll add that I have been on many outings the last few years that have included both these specialists. Always most enjoyable and lots of fun! My big confession is that so many of the lichens that they find are growing in forests - and when I'm in a forest, my focus immediately turns to fungi! Which is why I still barely know anything about lichens : ) I do enjoy photographing them, however, and have quite a few in my photostream. This day, I was able to see a number of different fungi, which made my day. The people of Edmonton and area are so very fortunate that this land is being preserved by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. What a beautiful area of meadows, bogs and forest! I especially liked the spectacular Birch trees that were growing there, with their beautiful peeling bark - some of these trees were quite large. Thanks so much to the Nature Conservancy of Canada for inviting us for this walk. I know you will receive extensive lists of the species that Peter and Janet found. Many thanks, Peter, for organizing this trip and for all the driving you did, too. I really appreciated the opportunity to visit this new area and capture a few species with my camera. Even the weather cooperated, giving us a very pleasant temperature for walking (around 18C?) and even the rain that had been falling in Edmonton, stopped for the rest of the day. A great day in great company!

These tiny (Marasmius?) fungi are some of my favourite fungi to photograph. This pair was growing on a small patch of fallen, rotting leaves and photographed a few days ago, when I was trying to see if there were any Amanita muscaria fungi growing in a field the other side of the fence. Three days ago, on 17 September 2015, I went with friends on a morning walk that started (after the first heavy frost of the season overnight) at the Bow Valley Ranch area in Fish Creek Park. No sign of the Great Horned Owl pair. We then drove to the end of the park road, to walk in the Boat Launch area. Perhaps the highlight of the morning was seeing a very distant female Pileated Woodpecker, plus 35 American White Pelicans and 20 Double-crested Cormorants and all "the usual". After the walk, I decided to drive SW of the city and SW of Millarville. A few years ago, after a day of botanizing someone's land, we called in (with permission) at a nearby field to see a wonderful display of Amanita mushrooms. We don't get the red ones (Fly Agaric / Amanita muscaria) with small white spots here, but we have seen bright yellow ones and sometimes even an almost orange one, with small white spots/flecks. I think I have only ever seen these three times - at West Bragg Creek, Rod Handfield's land and this field near to his land, and I think Marsden Creek in Kananaskis. I was so longing to see one again and thought it was worth the drive just to check. Well, I found the field easily, but had forgotten about the sign there that said No Trespassing, No shooting, Patrol Area. I wasn't sure what Patrol Area meant, but I could almost imagine several Dobermans being released to attack me! I never go anywhere that has a No Trespassing sign, anyway. So, I walked through the trees along the edge of the field and tried to peer into the field, being careful not to catch the barbed-wire fence. I caught sight of a cluster of three fungi that looked like they were Amanitas, though they were fully "opened" and I couldn't see any spots. Only managed to get one really poor photo. I was talking to our naturalist leader yesterday afternoon, at his Open House to mark the end of our botany season, and he told me that this field belongs to Rod Handfield and reminded me that Rod had told us that we were welcome to explore his land any time. So, it looks like another drive needs to be made - and I just hope that I'm able to climb over the gate without someone there to help! Anne and fences/padlocked gates don't go together very well!

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 7 September 2015. This fungus and the Red Squirrel were seen at Shannon Terrace in Fish Creek Park. After about four days of rain, I made myself go for a walk and saw more than I was expecting to see, including a few reasonably photogenic mushrooms. Just as I was leaving the park, I noticed the dark clouds rolling in and I wasn't sure if some Mammatus clouds (sagging pouch-like structures) were forming. Most unlikely, but I wanted to be sure, so drove out towards the SW edge of the city. None to be seen, but it still felt good to see the very distant mountains. A word of warning: if you don't like potholes (and I mean a lot of potholes!), avoid driving along 146th St (that then becomes 69th, eventually getting on to 22X)! The temperature is 4C early this morning (8 September 2015), though it is supposed to get up to 16C this afternoon. There was a frost warning for last night. It's really feeling a lot like fall.

Photographed this fungus when a few of us spent the day botanizing on Darryl Teskey's land, on 23 August 2015. Somehow, I just can't imagine eating this fungus, but according to Wikipedia, it is edible. We have seen several Eastern European people picking many of these to take home for cooking. Of course, mushroom picking is not allowed in any of the parks! "Hericium is a genus of edible mushrooms in the Hericiaceae family. Species in this genus are white and fleshy and grow on dead or dying wood; fruiting bodies resemble a mass of fragile icicle-like spines that are suspended from either a branched supporting framework or from a tough, unbranched cushion of tissue. This distinctive structure has earned Hericium species a variety of common names—monkey's head, lion's mane, and bear's head are examples. Taxonomically, this genus was previously placed within the order Aphyllophorales, but recent molecular studies now place it in the Russulales. Hericium means hedgehog in Latin." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium On this day, five of us spent the day botanizing the land belonging to Darryl Teskey, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville (maybe a 40-minute drive from Calgary). This was the first time I had been there and I'm so glad I was invited to go - I would have missed all sorts of things, including a family of Ruffed Grouse and several fungi. These Grouse were the rare rufous-morph, and we startled them when we were walking through the forest in their direction. Usually, you don't see Grouse because they are so well-hidden. When you get fairly close (sometimes very close) to them, they suddenly "explode" from the tangle of shrubs and plants of the forest floor, making ones heart beat fast! We were taken by surprise when we came across a nearby statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment. A nice idea, I thought. Our walk took us over grassland and through forest, many places treacherous with so many fallen logs which were often barely visible. I have never, ever seen so many tiny Skipper butterflies - there must have been hundreds or even thousands of these bright orange beauties that were flying or perched on flowers of every colour. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until we started driving back to Calgary. Quite a lot of black clouds, reminding me of the tornado that passed through Calgary just the day before (22 July 2015). Our purpose, as always, was to find and list everything that we saw - wildflowers, trees, grasses, birds, insects, fungi, etc.. Our leader then compiles an extensive list of our finds and this is later sent to the landowner, along with any photos that we might take. Always a win/win situation, as the landowner then has a much better idea of just what is on his property, and we have a most enjoyable day.

Earlier today, just about everything was going wrong on Flickr (for me, at least), including difficulty in even opening the website. Don't know if anyone else has had problems today. Something tells me that my photos may not be showing up today? Definitely something wrong! Ah, just checked the Help Forum and I see I'm not the only one. Today, I'm again leaving my Waterton images and instead adding three more photos taken five days ago (23 July 2015), closer to home. Five of us spent the day botanizing the land belonging to Darryl Teskey, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville (maybe a 40-minute drive from Calgary). This was the first time I had been there and I'm so glad I went - I would have missed all sorts of things, including a family of Ruffed Grouse and several fungi. These Grouse were the rare rufous-morph, and we startled them when we were walking through the forest in their direction. Usually, you don't see Grouse because they are so well-hidden. When you get fairly close (sometimes very close) to them, they suddenly "explode" from the tangle of shrubs and plants of the forest floor, making ones heart beat fast! Our walk took us over grassland and through forest, everywhere treacherous with so many fallen logs which were often barely visible. I have never, ever seen so many tiny Skipper butterflies - there must have been hundreds or even thousands of these bright orange beauties that were flying or perched on flowers of every colour. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until we started driving back to Calgary. Quite a lot of black clouds, reminding me of the tornado that passed through Calgary just the day before (22 July 2015). Our purpose, as always, was to find and list everything that we saw - wildflowers, trees, grasses, birds, insects, fungi, etc.. Our leader then compiles an extensive list of our finds and this is later sent to the landowner, along with any photos that we might take. Always a win/win situation, as the landowner then has a much better idea of just what is on his property, and we have a most enjoyable day. This summer, with so many botanizing outings like this, plus two 3-day trips to Waterton Lakes National Park, I am so far behind with the photos that I need to edit and e-mail!

This very uninspiring shot shows a pellet that the tiny Northern Pygmy-owl brought up when it was perched in the bushes close to where we were all standing. I couldn't see the owl's face at that very moment, but did see the pellet falling down to the ground. Someone placed a 10 cent coin by it for size. Saturday, 24 January 2015, was a great day for seeing the tiny, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl in Fish Creek Park. For once, I was up really early so that I could go on a birding walk, which was being held at the same location. Other than the usual Black-capped Chickadee. Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers, the two main species that we saw were the Pileated Woodpecker (a male and a female together) and a very distant Cooper's Hawk. When we were at the furthest spot, we got news that the Northern Pygmy-owl had appeared. Needless to say, we joined the photographers who were all lined up with their enormous camera lenses pointed upwards. About three (!) hours after getting back to where the owl was and seeing it on several different branches that were not particularly easy to photograph, it suddenly flew down to the mass and tangle of bushes right where all the photographers were now standing. A few people knelt or lay down in the cold, melting snow so that they could get a better view through the thin branches. There was no way I could do that, so my view was not good. However, as far as actually seeing the owl at such close quarters was concerned, it was a great chance. All my photos, except this one and maybe two or three others, were no good at all and need to be deleted : ( It was amazing to see this tiny bird of prey up close, and it was really good to see how at ease it seemed. Can't remember if it had just caught a Meadow Vole before I took these photos or whether it caught one and then flew up into a thin, forked branch where it posed beautifully along with its catch. Haven't looked properly at the photos I took of this last pose, but hopefully one of them will be OK. After about four hours of standing around, it was time to go home, especially as I had originally arrived at the park for the 3-hour bird walk seven hours earlier! Some people do this all the time and I don't know how they are able to do so. It requires so much patience, and I'd never be able to do it if it weren't for friends to chat with while waiting and waiting. Usually, my visits are much shorter. "An owl pellet is a clod of fur or feathers and bone—the indigestible remains of the animals an owl has eaten. Because it swallows small prey whole and is able to digest only the fleshy parts, the owl regurgitates the remaining solid material as a compact pellet or casting. Where owls feed on insects, each regurgitated pellet contains the indigestible parts of the exoskeletons of numerous individual insects. Although birds of many species regurgitate pellets, pellets from large owl species are especially suited for study because they are big enough to be examined without a microscope, and they contain the entire skeletons of small animals the owl has eaten. (Pellets of other raptors, such as eagles and hawks, are less useful since these birds tear much of the flesh from their victims, and do not swallow bones.) Because owl pellets accumulate in predictable locations, they are readily available for collection and examination. Pellets last a long time in dry climates and in the protection of barns or other buildings. If they are soaked in warm water, carefully dissected, and examined under magnification, the identity of prey they contain can often be determined from the bones, teeth, and other remains. The remains hidden inside a pellet usually represent the entire skeleton of every animal the owl has eaten during a night of foraging. There are almost always remains of two or more animals in each pellet.” wdfw.wa.gov/living/owls.html

When I called in at the Reader Rock Garden last Wednesday, 7 May 2014, many plants were beginning to push their leaves up through the soil. Not many were actually in flower yet, just a few scattered clusters of the early spring flowers, Hepatica and Squill. Just as I was about to leave, something brilliant red caught my eye. When I walked over to take a look, I realized which plant it was, but at the time couldn't remember the name. Ornamental Rhubarb, also called Chinese Rhubarb, is a very tall plant and quite spectacular. This macro shot shows that it starts off in an eye-catching way, too. "Chinese rhubarb is a close relative of garden rhubarb (Rheum X hybridum), which is used to make pies. While garden rhubarb is cultivated for its edible, succulent, red stems, Chinese rhubarb is grown purely as an ornamental plant. Its dark red stems and large, textured leaves make a bold statement in the garden, and a well-grown plant can be 6 feet across. Chinese rhubarb blooms in early summer, thrusting skyward a 6-foot spike of red flowers." www.finegardening.com/plants/qa/ornamental-rhubarb.aspx

Just a little red mushroom growing at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 17th August last year. Don't see many red fungi, so I'm always very happy when I do come across one.

Horribly blurry, I know, but this was an unusual find when we spent the day botanizing Rod Handfield's acreage, west of Millarville (south west of Calgary) on 17th August last year. Apparently, this is a Mold, growing on leaf litter in the forest. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold

One of my favourite kinds of mushroom to photograph : ) They are so tiny (maybe three-quarters of an inch tall) and delicate and grow on leaf litter. This, and other similar ones, were found at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, on September 12th. Was out for a three hours+ walk from Votier's Flats to Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, this morning, to check for birds (and anything else, of course). We were thrilled to bits to see a tiny, pop-can sized Northern Pygmy Owl perched on the very top of a very tall Spruce tree! SO good to know that at least one of these little owls has returned to the same area. They have given us so much enjoyment the last three+ years. Two of us had a Northern Goshawk male fly right past us, not much above head height and very close. Such a magnificent bird of prey. It was one of those magical moments that you are so in awe of what is happening that you don't even think about trying to get a photo! Also watched a couple of Coyotes in the distance. The morning started off chilly, but the sun warmed us up later on and it felt so good to be out in this lovely October weather. I was walking in snow yesterday afternoon, west of the city, down Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66), LOL. It felt strange to be kneeling in snow to take photos of some little Split Gill fungi on a log, out at Maclean Pond. Much prefer the snow-free city paths, though snow is in our forecast in the coming week. I need to go and wash off all the mud from my vehicle in a short while, in case I do go ahead with arranging to get a remote car starter installed.

A little gem (Bolete mushroom) found on 28th August last year at Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park.

This Red-sided Garter Snake was the only one that "cooperated" yesterday on our Snake Monitoring session. Usually, after they have been measured, recorded and released on the far side of the metal fence in the hibernaculum, they slither away at top speed. This one stayed right where it was, giving me a rare chance to get a few shots. Red-sided Garter Snakes are common but in localized populations in Alberta.

"Just" a couple of mushrooms, but there was something that I liked about this image. As Barb says below, the contrast between the dark leaves and the pale fungi is nice. These were growing at Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, on 28th August.

Not the greatest photo, but there was something about this and several other similar mushrooms that appealed to me : ) Seen at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 17th August.

We were so lucky to come across a number of these beautiful Boletes on our walk this morning. They were growing in Aspen woodland at Ranchlands natural Area. Judging by the weather we are having at this very moment, maybe there will be other fungi growing in various locations, too. It has just started pouring with rain - and I have a walk to go on in about an hour and a half to see a possibly endangered wild Iris. Oh, and my daughter has just e-mailed me to warn me that there is a Tornado Watch in place for the Calgary area!