Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: blooms June-August

Shrubby Cinquefoil is a very common plant here. I always think it has quite a pretty flower centre. Actual flower is much smaller than seen here, of course : ) Seen at Jim Coutts' homestead, just north east of Nanton, south of Calgary. talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=1152

Always a joy to come across some of these large, vibrant yellow Heart-leaved Arnica (Arnica cordifolia) flowers when walking in the forest. This one was growing a few days ago in the forested area at the Priddis Greens Golf Course, when we made a return visit to record all flora and fauna seen that day. This is a native wildflower that grows in the forests of the foothills and mountains. It belongs to the Aster family (Asteraceae) and blooms June-August. it's basal leaves are oblong to oval or heart-shaped, hence the common name.

The main reason I took this shot was because there was a ditch across the path where I could stand and take it. I knew I was in for a lot of kneeling and getting down and up again the further we went, so avoided kneeling on the gravel at some inelegant angle this time. These are "just" False Dandelions, but they were growing right where I wanted : ) This was a wonderful hike, even though we didn't go up on to the flat top of the Plateau (way off to the left of the photo). The grassy hillsides were covered in wildflowers, several new ones, too. It is a very long drive from Calgary, though. The rain waited until we were ready to go home and, thankfully, it wasn't a really hot day. Thanks, Moya, for taking us to explore this great place! And thanks to Robin's husband for driving us there and back! www.albertaparks.ca/media/2741526/plateau_mtn_mgmt_plan.pdf

I very rarely see this unusual wildflower, so it's always a treat when we do come across it. This macro photo was taken on 27th June, when a few of us went down to south eastern Alberta for the day to botanize the Purple Spring Sand Dunes area, near Taber. This native plant grows on prairie grasslands and is in bloom June-August. It is parasitic on the roots of other plants, primarily those of Artemisia frigida (Pasture Sagewort). "The stems are 2-10 cm tall, pinkish or brownish ... the leaves are alternate, scale-like and less than 1 cm long. Flower clusters are solitary or in 3-10-flowered racemes. Flowers are purplish, tube-shaped, irregula, 2-lipped, 2-3 cm long. Sepals 4-5, petals 5, stamens 4, pistils 1." From "Plants of Alberta" by Royer and Dickinson. "As they have no chlorophyll, they are totally dependent on other plants for nutrients. Broomrape seeds remain dormant in the soil, often for many years, until stimulated to germinate by certain compounds produced by living plant roots. Broomrape seedlings put out a root-like growth, which attaches to the roots of nearby hosts. Once attached to a host, the broomrape robs its host of water and nutrients." From Wikipedia.