Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: One-flowered Wintergreen

The small flowers of One-flowered Wintergreen / Moneses uniflora tend to hang their heads, so it's more common to see the plain back side of the flower. You can gently tip the flower backwards to see the amazing flower centre, using a tiny twig so that the oils from your fingers don't attract some creature that will eat the flower head. Macro photo of this flower (and one tiny visitor) taken in the forest at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, SW of Calgary, taken yesterday (5 July 2014). "This is a low, delicate, evergreen perennial from slender, creeping rhizomes; flowering stems simple; growing 3 - 10 cm tall, sometimes up to 15 cm. Flowers - single, nodding atop long, leafless stalk (with 1 or 2 small bracts); white, waxy, fragrant, 1 - 2.5 cm across; 5 spreading petals; 10 stamens; large, prominent, 5-lobed stigma; appearing in mid-summer." www.borealforest.org/herbs/herb25.htm "Moneses uniflora (One-flowered Wintergreen in Scotland and Canada); Single Delight; St. Olaf's Candlestick (Norway)) is a plant of the family of Ericaceae, that is indigenous to moist coniferous forests in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere from Spain to Japan and across North America. It is the sole member of genus Moneses." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moneses At the last minute, I decided I would have to get out of the house yesterday. I just couldn't take being in an "oven" any more. Not complaining about the hot, sunny weather we are having at the moment, but my house turns into an oven and then tends to stay that way for many days or weeks afterwards. I had planned on leaving the house earlier than I did (10;00 a.m.) and drove NW of the city and NW of Cochrane. Hadn't been that way for a long time and wanted to see if I could find an owl of some sort, especially a Great Gray Owl. No luck, and in fact it seemed like all wildlife was in hiding, except for four Deer. My morning's finds included a patch of beautiful Indian Paintbrush flowers (deep pink, yellow, green and peach colours) Also a noisy little Wren that I saw when I pulled over to take a look down a hillside to see if I could see the Red Fox that had just run across the road ahead of me - no luck. The next sightings were a lone Deer - forgot to check its tail, but judging by the enormous size of its ears, it had to have been a Mule Deer - and a Tree Swallow that was perched on its bright orange nesting "box". I wonder who chose the colour of the box this year; he or his mate, lol. Nearby, there were several Swallowtail butterflies down in the mud along the edge of the road. Before I could get there, a car came along in the opposite direction and of flew every single one. By the time I had photographed a few wildflowers, one butterfly did return, so I was able to get a few shots. Deciding to return to Highway 1a the same way as I came, I passed a couple of horses that always seem to be in the same place. I'm never sure about the health of these two, and they never seem "happy" animals, though maybe they are just getting very old. When I reached the road I wanted to check out (including for a possible owl), I found that it had just been oiled ready for a new surface to be laid, so that plan went out the window. Wanting to stay away from my unpleasantly hot house for as long as possible, I came home via Bragg Creek and some of the backroads that I love, SW of the city. Brown-Lowery Provincial Park was my first stop - and it has the wonderful, added benefit of washrooms in the parking lot - the first ones I'd seen all day! I checked out the area near the parking lot and then went maybe a hundred feet into the forest. After checking for any fungi (none), I heard a very loud cracking of branches and eventually spotted a huge, very dark shape through the trees. From that angle, it looked horribly like a Bear, but when it lifted its head from feeding, I was so relieved to see that it was "only" a Moose! A young couple were coming along the trail towards me and I said they must have seen it even closer. My voice was heard by the animal and unfortunately it moved quickly away. I like to think that a Bear or Cougar would react in the same way, lol! From Brown-Lowery, I passed my favourite little wetland and found the Snipe standing, as usual, on a fence post. Sorry, everyone, you might just get fed up of Snipe photos - if you aren't already! Got home around 6;00 p.m., feeling content that, even though the morning had been pretty disappointing, the day was a a good one. Would love to get in my car and go out again today, but I have things to get done and I don't want to overdo the driving, in case I make my shoulders any worse. flic.kr/p/nWBxKS

Usually, when I'm lucky enough to see these small, native wildflowers, they are growing deep in the forest, where the light is awful. I seem to remember that I only found two of these flowers that day at Maclean Pond, Kananaskis (off Elbow Falls Trail, Highway 66), and this one was right on the edge of the forest. I always use a tiny twig or leaf when I want to tilt a flower (unless it's a noxious weed), as oil (?) from the fingers can result in a flower head later being eaten by an animal (?). It is especially important not to touch a rare/less common plant for that reason. This plant, also known as Woodnymph, grows in moist wooded areas, June-July. Each plant has a solitary, fragrant flower that hangs its head. An edible plant, with a high vitamin C content.

These small flowers hang their heads, but I tipped this one up using a tiny twig. Macro photo of this flower (and two little visitors) taken in the forest at Maclean Pond, off Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66), Kananaskis, on 10 July 2012. "This is a low, delicate, evergreen perennial from slender, creeping rhizomes; flowering stems simple; growing 3 - 10 cm tall, sometimes up to 15 cm. Flowers - single, nodding atop long, leafless stalk (with 1 or 2 small bracts); white, waxy, fragrant, 1 - 2.5 cm across; 5 spreading petals; 10 stamens; large, prominent, 5-lobed stigma; appearing in mid-summer." www.borealforest.org/herbs/herb25.htm

Not as sharp as it should have been, but I liked the little green visitor to this flower. These flowers hang their heads, but I tipped this one up using a tiny twig. Macro photo of this small flower taken at Maclean Pond, off Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66), Kananaskis, on 10 July 2012. Depending on the weather, I should be away for the whole day today - a return trip to Plateau Mountain, Kananaskis, with a different group of people, the people with whom I botanize..

This a very pretty, native wildflower that grows in moist, wooded areas, in flower June-July. The solitary flowers are white, waxy and fragrant, 1-2 cm wide. This plant was growing on private property near Millarville on 20th July.

A friend showed me these tiny wildflowers a few days ago on a walk in the Weaselhead natural area. I rarely get to see them, so am posting a topside and an underside view. The leaves tend to stay green throughout the winter months.

A friend showed me these tiny wildflowers a few days ago on a walk in the Weaselhead natural area. I rarely get to see them, so am posting a topside and an underside view. The leaves tend to stay green throughout the winter months.