Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Cactus

Two afternoons ago, on 21 September 2016, I left home in sunshine, but by the time I reached my destination south of the city, at the Saskatoon Farm, it was overcast and dreary. This interesting place is maybe a 20-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food - I had a delicious meal of quiche and sweet potato fries. www.saskatoonfarm.com/

We were so happy to come across several Prickly Pear Cacti in bloom on Sunday, 22 June 2014. They tend to be surrounded by grasses that make the cacti rather difficult to photograph. They are beautiful flowers - the petals have a delicate look about them, in contrast to the long, very sharp spines. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia www.desertusa.com/cactus/prickly-pear-cactus.html Two days ago (22 June 2014), I was up at 4:00 a.m., to get ready for a long day trip east of Calgary, to Dinosaur Provincial Park. I had only ever once been there before, that I can remember, and it must have been 30+ years ago, so yesterday's bus trip was an absolute treat. 46 people went on this annual outing and when we arrived, we split into two groups. One half went on a mini bus tour in the morning to an area of the park that is kept closed to people in order to protect the landscape. The other half took this tour in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we could go on a walk along one of the trails in the park that are open to the public. I was in the group that walked in the morning. We went on the Cottonwoods Trail, that eventually led to the river - a long walk that was much further than I expected! We saw very few birds, the main one being a Yellow Warbler that had its beak full of soft, white "down" from a Cottonwood tree. When we were almost back at the starting point, a Nighthawk was spotted lying on a very high branch. Well done, Shirley, for spotting this bird that was very difficult to see! A real thrill for me, as I had always wanted to see a perched Nighthawk! I saw three of them flying over the Bow River and over our heads in Bow Valley Provincial Park just a few years ago, but no chance for a photo. Our mini bus tour in one of the Park's buses in the afternoon took us through some spectacular scenery. This photo was taken at one of the stops we made. We had great weather, which was very lucky, as we had had rain for quite a few days before. When wet, the Bentonite clay becomes treacherously slippery, so we did not have to experience that, though in a few places we could feel our feet slipping. I got back home around 6:30 p.m., barely able to move an inch, but it was definitely worth it. Thanks so much, Lynne, for organizing such an enjoyable trip to this fascinating area! A lot of work goes into organizing an event like this and it was much appreciated! Thanks, too, to friends Val and Wendy who took turns to sit by me for the long 2 1/2 hour journey out there and back! Great to catch up with both of you! Video (4.25 minutes in length) about Dinosaur Provincial Park, by Alberta Parks: youtu.be/lww6Y4hlQR4 "Dinosaur Provincial Park is world famous for its dinosaur fossil finds. So much so that UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1979. A mind-boggling number of species have been found here - 40 and counting - but what really puts it over the top is that the bonebeds have yielded more than 300 specimens, which grace museums around the world. The park has also been designated a Natural Preserve to protect the extensive fossil fields and the valley’s fragile environment, an complicated mix of badlands and cottonwood river habitat." travelalberta.com/Places%20to%20Go/Parks/Dinosaur%20Provi...

We were so happy to come across several Prickly Pear Cacti in bloom on Sunday, 22 June 2014. They tend to be surrounded by grasses that make the cacti rather difficult to photograph. They are beautiful flowers - the petals have a delicate look about them. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia www.desertusa.com/cactus/prickly-pear-cactus.html Two days ago (22 June 2014), I was up at 4:00 a.m., to get ready for a long day trip east of Calgary, to Dinosaur Provincial Park. I had only ever once been there before, that I can remember, and it must have been 30+ years ago, so yesterday's bus trip was an absolute treat. 46 people went on this annual outing and when we arrived, we split into two groups. One half went on a mini bus tour in the morning to an area of the park that is kept closed to people in order to protect the landscape. The other half took this tour in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we could go on a walk along one of the trails in the park that are open to the public. I was in the group that walked in the morning. We went on the Cottonwoods Trail, that eventually led to the river - a long walk that was much further than I expected! We saw very few birds, the main one being a Yellow Warbler that had its beak full of soft, white "down" from a Cottonwood tree. When we were almost back at the starting point, a Nighthawk was spotted lying on a very high branch. Well done, Shirley, for spotting this bird that was very difficult to see! A real thrill for me, as I had always wanted to see a perched Nighthawk! I saw three of them flying over the Bow River and over our heads in Bow Valley Provincial Park just a few years ago, but no chance for a photo. Our mini bus tour in one of the Park's buses in the afternoon took us through some spectacular scenery. This photo was taken at one of the stops we made. We had great weather, which was very lucky, as we had had rain for quite a few days before. When wet, the Bentonite clay becomes treacherously slippery, so we did not have to experience that, though in a few places we could feel our feet slipping. I got back home around 6:30 p.m., barely able to move an inch, but it was definitely worth it. Thanks so much, Lynn, for organizing such an enjoyable trip to this fascinating area! A lot of work goes into organizing an event like this and it was much appreciated! Thanks, too, to friends Val and Wendy who took turns to sit with me for the long 2 1/2 hour journey out there and back! Great to catch up with both of you! Video (4.25 minutes in length) about Dinosaur Provincial Park, by Alberta Parks: youtu.be/lww6Y4hlQR4 "Dinosaur Provincial Park is world famous for its dinosaur fossil finds. So much so that UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1979. A mind-boggling number of species have been found here - 40 and counting - but what really puts it over the top is that the bonebeds have yielded more than 300 specimens, which grace museums around the world. The park has also been designated a Natural Preserve to protect the extensive fossil fields and the valley’s fragile environment, an complicated mix of badlands and cottonwood river habitat." travelalberta.com/Places%20to%20Go/Parks/Dinosaur%20Provi...

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

Here, it's the kind of day when a bright splash of colour feels good . Yesterday afternoon, I finally washed all the dust, dried slush and build-up of dried mud off my car - driving the gravel backroads transforms ones vehicle in the blink of an eye, whether mud or clouds of dust. As always when I do this, the weather has changed from beautful sunshine yesterday to overcast dreariness today. There is also snow in the forecast for some of the upcoming days. This is another photo from my archives - this time, this beautiful Easter Cactus flower has no waterdrops on its long, narrow petals. Taken at home on 3 May 2010. "The Easter Cactus is Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri. In some respects it is superficially similar to Schlumbergera (Christmas Cactus). However, it blooms only once each year, in April (about Easter) and its flower is very different. It is not nearly as popular as the Schlumbergeras because it is rather more difficult to grow well, and it has the disconcerting habit of shedding its phylloclades (stem segments) at the slightest draught, or whenever over- or under-watered. It may refuse to bloom for no apparent reason. Enthusiasts tend to lose patience with this one, which is a pity, because it is quite magnificent in spite of all that." cactus.biology.dal.ca/paulS/christmas/christmas.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatiora_gaertneri

A little out of season, though you'd never guess so if you could see our snow-covered city this morning, after a winter storm passed through, ha! So, back to winter we are : ) Wish I could stay home, but I have to drive part way across the city this morning for a walk - need to go, partly so that I can get myself off my computer for a few hours, to give my extremely painful arms (from too much mouse clicking) at least some rest. I'm supposed to do more walking, anyway, as I have to increase my bone density. Sigh .... Photo taken on 10 November 2009. Add to Groups is not working (for some of us) this morning - argh! Now fixed.

This is a macro of the very centre (stamens, anther, can't remember what is what, lol?) of an Easter Cactus flower (Hatiora gaertneri), taken in my kitchen. I haven't checked today's temperature yet - not sure I really want to, lol, after our -36C (-33F) windchill temperature of yesterday! All I know is, I need colour - warm colour : ) And many of you do, too, no doubt. So, keep warm, everyone! "An Easter cactus is a unique, jointed cactus plant that blooms with brilliantly colored flowers once a year in the Easter season. It is a type of succulent cactus known as an epiphyte, which has adapted for survival in the jungle. The Easter cactus is indigenous to Brazil, and is commonly grown as a houseplant in cultivation." www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-easter-cactus.htm It's back to saving more of my endless photos today. Having had to deal with three different computer problems the last 2-3 weeks, it has scared me enough to make me start on the long, monotonous chore of backing up photos to my external hard drive. I do it one small folder at a time, lol, which no doubt will have a few of you shaking your head.

Couldn't resist this small Easter Cactus plant when I went grocery shopping the other day : ). Thought it would make a change from the more usual photos of Christmas Cacti flowers. Such a pretty flower when seen up close, and such a gorgeous colour. Seem to remember it was snowing, raining and very windy when I bought it, LOL. "These plants are originally forest cacti, growing as epiphytes at elevations between 1000 and 1700 meters (3300 to 5600 feet) above sea level in the Organ Mountains north of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil, South America.... Many modern holiday cactus cultivars are hybrids between Schlumbergera truncata and S. russelliana, first bred about 150 years ago in England." From Wikipedia.

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

I thought this cactus was appropriate to post this evening, as the colours are so Christmasy : ) Love the tiny flowers - exquisite! Taken at the Calgary Zoo in the Conservatory.

I really realized how bright this photo of my Christmas cactus was when I accidentally hit a wrong key last night and ended up with this photo as my desktop image, LOL! I decided to keep it there and it helps give a (false) feeling of warmth as I sit here with cold draughts from my window gaps swirling around me : ). Not the sharpest of photos, but thought I'd post it anyway. By the way, Rebecca, thought of you when I saw how this photo turned out - RED for the birthday girl (well, for yesterday, but close enough).

I have finally taken the plunge and will be taking my present computer and my new one (that has been sitting in its unopened box for three, maybe even four, months) to a store to get all the data transferred! I researched data transferral till the early hours of this morning, at the end of which I knew I couldn't face all the stress and confusion of doing it myself. In the past, I have always done it myself, but this time I am too stressed out to face it. Hopefully, I should have the new one up and running, with e-mail and Internet working, within a week. I AM looking forward to working with 3GB of RAM instead of 256 MB, LOL!!! Hoping that computer withdrawal won't be too severe - don't want to be driven to having to plug in my vacuum cleaner in pure desperation : ). It might just die from the shock of being turned on, LOL! See you all soon! I was thrilled to bits when I visited the Calgary Zoo last week and discovered that the Leafy Rose Cactus was in bloom in the Conservatory! I hadn't seen its flowers before.

The flowers on this cactus are so bright and beautiful. Growing in the Arid Room in the Conservatory of the Calgary Zoo.

This is the edge of an enormous Barrel Cactus in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo.