Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: interestingness#418

Posted just for the record - and because it makes me smile, remembering how much noise these very tiny Boreal Chorus Frogs make. They sound very much like someone running their fingers along a comb, over and over again. There is a temporary patch of water near the pathway in South Glenmore Park and we stopped to see if we could see even just one tiny frog. This one was eventually cleverly spotted (photo is 48x zoom plus cropped) and I caught it in full croak : ) "Alberta’s smallest frog measures a mere 2 – 4 cm. It varies in colour from dark brown to green with three dark stripes or lines of broken spots on its back and a white upper lip. It is more often heard than seen and the males mating calls in spring are quite loud. Their trill is similar to the sound made by dragging a thumbnail over the teeth of a stiff plastic comb. Breeding occurs between April and June, with males calling as soon as ponds are ice-free." www.albertaparks.ca/media/123451/amphibians.pdf

The road with the "Famous Five" was part of my short drive SW of Calgary this afternoon, 5 November 2013. I had hoped that there might be more snow in the fields, but was glad that there was at least some snow in the foreground. This row of five old granaries looks good at any time of the year : )

On the Internet, I saw a couple of photos of flowers just like this one, that were identified as Purple Star Thistle, Centaurea calcitrapa, but lots of photos of a different plant that had this name. So, I don't think I do have the right name. Could it be Silybum marianum? Yes, I think that is what it is - also called Milk Thistle. Anyway, I thought it was a beautiful plant, though the purple flower was on its last legs. Taken on 28 September 2013, when I spent a most enjoyable few hours at the Saskatoon Farm with my youngest daughter and two members of the photography group that she leads. It's a fascinating place to visit, with all sorts of things to photograph, a gift shop, a food shop, and a restaurant that offers delicious food! I love their quiche. So nice to just wander at leisure and have lunch together. This was the very first time that I had driven there, though I had been with various friends maybe three or so times before. So, that's one more place I can now drive to, which feels good. "Silybum marianum (milk thistle) is an annual or biannual plant of the Asteraceae family. This fairly typical thistle has red to purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins. Originally a native of Southern Europe through to Asia, it is now found throughout the world. The medicinal parts of the plant are the ripe seeds. Other common names for this species include blessed milk thistle, Marian Thistle, Mary Thistle, Saint Mary's Thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum www.saskatoonfarm.com

These Purple Avens flowers always make me smile when they start turning to seed. Makes me think of an electric shock effect, lol. Photographed at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 16 July 2013. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geum_rivale

Well, what a difference a few hours can make, LOL! This is what we woke up to this morning and what I went out for a walk in. Something like 4" or 5" of snow fell overnight and temperatures dropped. Actually, it was rather beautiful down in the park! I see that a few snowflakes are beginning to fall again this evening. This Mule Deer was in a group of about six Deer - always a delight to see them, with their big, soulful eyes.

This is the tiny pistil and a few stamens of a Christmas Cactus flower : ) Seen though my little macro lens, a Raynox DCR-250. Still have a long way to go before I (hopefully) succeed in getting greater clarity with my supermacros, but it is fun to see things so much closer. Needed a "lazy" day (i.e. a day at home) today, ready for another long Bird Count day tomorrow.