Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: spines

This summer, we have had practically no 'normal' summer days. They have been either too hot thanks to our endless heatwave, or too smoky thanks to all the wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta. The weather forecast for three days ago, on 3 August 2017, looked good; sunshine all day, with rain forecast on several of the coming days. I decided to finally do a drive all the way down south to near Lethbridge, so that I could again visit the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale. Last year, I did this drive for the very first time on my own and I wanted to make sure I didn't lose my courage to do it again. During the 511 kms that I drove, I had to ask for help with directions twice - both times in the same small hamlet! It was a hot day, with a temperature of 31C when I was at the Centre. Though the forecast was for sun all day, there was no mention of the smoke haze that completely blocked out the mountains and pretty much the foothills, too. Very quickly, I was almost tempted to turn around and come home, but I reckoned I would still be able to photograph the fairly close birds at the Centre, which worked out fine. Amazingly, I managed to make myself get up early that morning, and set off just before 8:30 am. My intention was to drive straight to Coaldale without stopping anywhere en route. Not an easy thing for me to do, as I much prefer driving slowly along the back roads rather than the less interesting highways. However, I knew it would take me a few hours to get there and I wanted to have as much time as possible down there. On the way home, I drove one dusty, gravel road, but saw nothing but a couple of Horned Larks perched on fence posts. A couple of old barns (that I had seen before) and a few scenic shots, were more or less all I took. Twelve hours later, I finally arrived home, at 8:30 pm, totally tired out, and my car was just about out of gas. For the first time in the year that I have had this vehicle, the gas level warning light came on. Also, it surprises me that the oil change light has never come on, as I have done 8,500 km in just under 12 months. I was given free oil changes for the life of the car, but was told that I can't get them done until the light comes on, on the dashboard. Think I'd better contact the dealership and ask about this. Almost a year sounds far too long to not have an oil change. Later: after doing a bit of Googling last night, it seems that it is quite normal to have done this many km, or more, before the maintenance light comes on for getting a first oil change. My previous vehicle was 17 years old and things have obviously changed with newer cars!

The colour of these small Spiny Rose Galls (I think I have the correct ID) growing on a wild Rose caught my eye when we were walking through the forest at the Dover family's acreage. Galls are abnormal plant growths resulting from activity of the tiny, non-stinging cynipid wasps - (Diplolepis bicolor). Insect larvae develop inside the gall. Each gall is round with many reddish/pink spines - I find them quite attractive. "Insects can cause two types of rose galls: spiny rose gall and mossy rose gall. The spiny rose gall is caused by tiny cynipid wasps. They produce small hard internal caverns armed with stout, sharp spines on the exterior. The galls usually occur on the surface of leaves, but they sometimes occur on stems. These rose galls do not appear to harm the plant. Spiny rose gall develops exclusively on wild roses." hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/Search/MainMenuWithFactSheet.asp... On 7 August 2015, four of us were extremely fortunate to have the chance to visit the home and 'highly varied topographic 62-acre property' belonging to Frances and David Dover. We felt honoured and privileged to meet and spend time with Frances and David, and also their daughter Carolyn and her husband Clair. A delightful family who welcomed us so warmly into their home and land. This acreage of grassland, forest, rolling hills - and special gardens - is not far from Millarville, SW of Calgary. In fact, it's in an area that I often drive through when I only have time for, or only feel like doing, a short drive. Amazing what little gems exist out there. This is not just a beautiful property, but is very special for various reasons. For one thing, read any history of Alberta and you will find the Dover family, including David's mother, Mary Dover. Second, among the trees and open "lawns", there are Peony flower beds, containing 100-150 heritage Peonies, each one different, that have now multiplied to more than 300 plants. Unfortunately, they bloomed a couple of weeks early this year, and all the flowers had already gone to seed. Another open area had a different kind of ground cover - Thyme, which smelled wonderful. If I remember correctly, this was the open space where the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra performed on one occasion! There are two large ponds on the property and another smaller area of water that they hope to turn into a Japanese Garden. There is a total of seven wetland basins, including these. It was while walking around the Japanese Garden that a large brown 'shape' could just be seen through the dense trees - a handsome Moose buck. I will look properly at the four or so photos I just managed to get and may slip one of them into my photostream sometime, just for the record, definitely not for the photo quality : ) This was also where a Great Horned Owl was seen flying through the trees by some of us (not me, ha!). There are grassy paths winding through the acreage, up and down hill, that take David seven hours to mow. They are not pristine, velvety paths, but instead, they seem to take nothing away from the wildness of the whole area. One of the animals that has passed through is the Cougar. In fact, several years ago, I saw a video taken on a nearby (or adjacent?) property, where a 'kill' and night-time camera had been set up and a total of six different Cougar individuals were seen! Even the Dover's home is unique and beautiful. It is completely built of concrete (and glass) - floors, walls, ceilings, roof, deck, and so on. A Hummingbird feeder and regular bird feeders, set up on the patio, attract a variety of birds. We sat on the patio after our walk to eat our packed lunches - and to enjoy a delicious Orange Pound Cake that Frances had made for us, along with refreshing Iced Tea - thank you so much for this, Frances! While I was waiting for one of three tiny Calliope (?) Hummingbirds to come back, I was lucky enough to see a little Mountain Chickadee, along with many Pine Siskins. We could also hear a Red-tailed Hawk in the area. Saw a total of 22 bird species. There is just so much I could write about this visit and family. Instead, or for now, I will add several links to more information on the Internet. This was a memorable day for us. Thank you so much, Frances and David, Carolyn and Clair, for being so kind and welcoming us into your home and gardens. books.google.ca/books?id=Tr36Tq_gadcC&pg=PA290&lp... www.westernwheel.com/article/20110727/WHE06/307279983/-1/... David's mother, Mary Dover (her father was A. E. Cross), was "a dynamic and distinguished Calgarian, particularly known for her work with the military during World War II." As well as being an army officer, and an alderman, she was also a preservationist. See the following link. www.albertachampions.org/champions-mary_dover.htm#.VcY1KP... ww2.glenbow.org/search/archivesMainResults.aspx?XC=/searc... glencoe.org/documents/10184/637479/The-History-of-Elbow-P... page 44-45

The day before yesterday, 3 May 2015, I met up with a group of birding friends in South Glenmore Park. We walked east towards the "point" and beyond. In places, the air close to the Reservoir was thick with Midges! Thank goodness they weren't Mosquitoes! These insects are a staple in the diet of fish (Trout) at all stages - also for the Swallows in the area. Happened to notice this Wild Gooseberry that was blooming along the edge of the path. I'm not sure if it is Canada/Northern Gooseberry, Ribes oxyacanthoides, which I've seen elsewhere in Calgary. I didn't know until a few minutes ago that there was more than one kind of wild Gooseberry. I think it has to be Ribes oxyacanthoides, as the stem was covered with numerous soft prickles, with a few stouter prickles at leaf nodes. Not a huge number of birds that afternoon and most were the far side or in the centre of the Glenmore Reservoir. However, 25 species were seen - will add the list compiled by leaders, Janet and Bernie, posted mainly to help my own memory: 1. Common Loon - 1 heard 2. Horned Grebe - 40+ 3. Red-necked Grebe - 40+ 4. Western Grebe - 60+ 5. Canada Goose - 4 6. Mallard - 12 7. American Wigeon - 10 8. Lesser Scaup - 2 9. Common Goldeneye - 35 10. Bufflehead - 32 11. Swainson's Hawk - 2 12. American Coot - 2 13. Bonaparte's Gull - 3 14. Franklin's Gull - 35+ 15. California Gull - 12 16. Northern Flicker - 1 17. Black-billed Magpie - 5 18. American Crow - 15 19. Common Raven - 8 + 2 young in nest 20. Tree Swallow - 2 21. Rough-winged Swallow - 2 22. Black-capped Chickadee - 2 23. American Robin - 6 24. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1 Myrtle 25. House Sparrow - 2+ Five of us went to the Good Earth cafe after the walk and, as always, coffee and a chat were most enjoyable. Thanks for the good walk, Janet and Bernie!

I came across this photo last night, when I was trying to find a photo that had some bright colour in it. I cropped it, but found the darkish grey-blue background so unpleasant. Normally, I don't change backgrounds, and with the couple of photos that I have done so, I always say what I have done. Took me forever to remember how to do it, too. Anyway, this image shows two different leaf-tip colourings that were on a Venus Flytrap plant, taken on 29 July 2014. The tips were maybe half to three-quarters of an inch. "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo Yesterday was sunny with blue sky, which was so welcome after the very damaging summer snowstorm that hit Calgary hard the previous two days. I haven't driven anywhere since before the storm, so still haven't seen "the big picture". Just on my street yesterday, city crews were out on foot, marking the trees that needed branches removed. Now the edge of the street is lined with endless piles of cut branches, waiting for the trucks and equipment to come and deal with them. And that's just a tiny section of my street - makes you realize how many thousands of trees were damaged across the whole city. Not sure what happened to the sun today, as the sky is very overcast. It's supposed to return tomorrow, though. Later: it rained this afternoon, which helped get rid of more of the snow, but I suspect that down in our parks and natural areas there will be still be snow and slush. The weekend is looking good so far : )

Well, my morning just started off with a Blue Screen of Death on my computer! Thankfully, it seems to have worked OK after turning off my computer and then turning it back on. I think my heart is still beating fast! I wonder if it had anything to do with getting four comments in a row on one of my photos last night, each one was just a string of jumbled letters. I did delete them immediately and also blocked the person. This is a macro shot of a leaf tip belonging to a Venus Flytrap plant. Sometimes, the trap closes and stays closed for no obvious reason, as in this case. I'll add a previously posted photo of an open trap, and of a white flower, in a comment box below. "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo This is a long weekend here in Canada - Monday, 4 August 2014 is Heritage Day. Have a good, safe holiday, everyone!

We came across this little group of Puffballs during a Fungi Foray day with friends out at West Bragg Creek on 24 August 2013. I'm always happy to see Puffballs, of any species. "The distinguishing feature of all puffballs is that they do not have an open cap with spore-bearing gills. Instead, spores are produced internally, in a spheroidal fruiting body called a gasterothecium (gasteroid ('stomach-like') basidiocarp). As the spores mature, they form a mass called a gleba in the centre of the fruiting body that is often of a distinctive color and texture. The basidiocarp remains closed until after the spores have been released from the basidia. Eventually, it develops an aperture, or dries, becomes brittle, and splits, and the spores escape. The spores of puffballs are statismospores rather than ballistospores, meaning they are not actively shot off the basidium. The fungi are called 'puffballs' because clouds of brown dust-like spores are emitted when the mature fruiting body bursts, or in response to impacts such as those of falling raindrops." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffball

Finally, I bought myself one of these colourful, grafted cacti (just $3 something)! They always catch my eye when I walk pass some, and the word "photos" came into my mind, LOL. I wonder what you all thought it was in the thumbnail, LOL. An orange animal?? Was out walking for about four and half hours this morning from Bow Valley Ranch in Fish Creek Park, all the way south along the Bow River, way, way past the Highway 22X bridge. Quite a long walk, and my poor joints and muscles are complaining like crazy, after not being worked much at all for the past month! We were thrilled to bits to see a Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) on one of the wetland ponds south of the Highway 22X bridge. I'd never even heard of this bird before! It was on the partially frozen pond with hundreds of "regular" Gulls. The Lesser Black-backed Gull is an "accidental" bird. "This Eurasian species regularly occurs as a non-breeder on the East Coast. There are several reports of this bird from Alberta, including a photo record." From Birds of Alberta by Fisher and Acorn. I would have posted a photo, but the bird was so far away, needing a scope to see it properly. Thanks, Tony, for spotting this great find and for lugging your heavy scope all the way there and back!

A flower that I had always longed to see and photograph was a Prickly Pear Cactus flower (or any kind of Cactus flower). I finally got my chance when a few of us went east of Calgary to spend the day botanizing at Horseshoe Canyon, near Drumheller and the Badlands, on 14 July 2011. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia

Again, I'm not sure if I have the right ID for this tiny caterpillar, seen in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on April 30th. Looks like it's enjoying a tasty fragment of leaf. Unfortunately, is was a gloomy, overcast day, so no sunlight was coming through the windows, hence the graininess (plus heavy cropping). Taking myself off for a few hours today, to try and give my painful arms a break from mouse-clicking.

Macro photo of the small leaf tip of a Venus Flytrap plant, photographed in my kitchen on November 1st. "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo

A couple of the leaves of my Venus Flytrap plant have died, but I thought this leaf tip (about half an inch long) was still a fascinating shape, even if dark brown and not bright green. Just imagine being an insect and having those spikes snap shut around you, so that you could be devoured by the plant : ) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap

This was quite a neat row of little Puffballs - quite spiny ones. Photographed on a botanizing trip at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on August 20th.

This little stalked Puffball was maybe an inch in diameter, growing at Bebo Grove in Fish Creek Park three days ago. Love to see the spiny surface of these fungi. Apologies for replacing later - seemed strange that there was only one comment in 7 hours (same as with another photo posted this morning). I wondered if maybe my photos weren't showing up? I always feel so embarrassed when I do this just occasionally. "Typically, the interior of a puffball is composed of spore-bearing flesh. When the puffball matures it splits open, or a perforation develops on surface of the ball, through which the spores escape--when raindrops land on the puffball, via air currents, or by some other means." www.mushroomexpert.com/puffballs.html

From what I remember, I would say that this image is about life-size. I don't come across these Comb Tooth fungi very often, though we have seen several recently. They really are beautiful - with their cascades of gorgeous icicle-like spines. This one was growing on Rod Handfield's property, which several of us botanized again for the day on 17th August. Apparently, these fungi are edlible - BUT the usual rule applies, do NOT eat any fungus unless you are an expert and know for sure what you are looking at. (I've attempted to place my photo on my map, but can't guarantee how accurately I've located Rod's place.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium

We are still in our deep-freeze, so thought I'd post this photo of a bright orange Straw Flower grafted on to this spikey cactus. Made me think of a little candle flame. Tomorrow is supposed to bring us out of our present bitterly cold temperatures, which sure will feel good, soaring to a high of around -6C tomorrow afternoon. Then we have about five days of highs between -4C and +4 C! It will feel almost tropical : )

This was a tiny growth (maybe half an inch across) that had burst out of the side of a grafted cactus. My Raynox DCR-250 macro lens let me see the textured surface and sharp spines - and I love the vibrant colour, so much needed on this overcast day (-18C, windchill -26C).

Couldn't resist buying this small cactus with a brilliant orange Strawflower growing from the top. I love orange : )

Unfortunately, this isn't the wild one that is in a local park, but one of the ones that live at the Calgary Zoo. I have seen the wild one, but not for quite a while.