Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Papaveraceae

It is always a joy to see these Himalayan Blue Poppies growing at Reader Rock Garden, and I was happy to find two of them in bloom yesterday, 27 June 2018. I almost missed them, as they were hidden in a tangle of trees and tall plants. The sun was shining, but it was quite windy, as so often happens when I go there. I used to love going to this garden, usually after I had been volunteering in the same part of the city. Since I stopped volunteering there, I only get a rare visit. Yesterday, I decided I had better go, or the plants would be in seed before I finally made it there. This was the first time I had been this year. "Blue Himalayan Poppies are one of the most impressive plants for the shade garden. Plants form a rosette of hairy leaves, bearing large satiny flowers in an amazing shade of true blue. These are not always easy to please, demanding an evenly moist, rich soil and cool woodland conditions. Plants are not long lived, typically flowering in the second or third year, setting seed, then dying out. Gardeners in hot summer climates seldom succeed with these plants, yet they are surprisingly tolerant of cold winter conditions." www.perennials.com/plants/meconopsis-betonicifolia.html Shortly before I left the garden, I noticed a lady standing on the path ahead of me, beckoning me to quietly keep walking towards her. When I reached her, she kindly pointed to a bird of prey perched in one of the trees. I'm not sure of the ID, but think it might be a Cooper's Hawk - I have seen them there before. Unfortunately, it was almost completely in shadow and had its back towards us, but I did manage to get a shot when it happened to turn its head just enough to catch the sun, and I was able to see its red eye. The tip of its tail, seen in some of my other photos, was curved, not straight.

Wow, mid-afternoon today, 28 June 2017, thunder, lightning and heavy rain just blew in! Lightning Alert is in effect. Temperature is 17C. So glad I went to the Reader Rock Garden yesterday, not today. It is always a joy to see these Himalayan Blue Poppies growing at Reader Rock Garden, and I was happy to find them in bloom yesterday, 27 June 2017. The sun was shining and, for the first time in quite a while, it wasn't windy, just a very slight breeze. I used to love going to this garden, usually after I had been volunteering in the same part of the city. Since I stopped volunteering (after a volunteer 'career' of 37 years!), I haven't been going. Yesterday, I decided I had better go, or the plants would be in seed before too long. "Blue Himalayan Poppies are one of the most impressive plants for the shade garden. Plants form a rosette of hairy leaves, bearing large satiny flowers in an amazing shade of true blue. These are not always easy to please, demanding an evenly moist, rich soil and cool woodland conditions. Plants are not long lived, typically flowering in the second or third year, setting seed, then dying out. Gardeners in hot summer climates seldom succeed with these plants, yet they are surprisingly tolerant of cold winter conditions." www.perennials.com/plants/meconopsis-betonicifolia.html

It just feels very strange to see blue petals instead of bright orange or red bursting from this Poppy bud : ) This is a beautiful Himalayan Blue Poppy, seen at the Reader Rock Garden on 25 June 2014. It is always a joy to see these beautiful, large Poppies, though they seem to grow in the shade, and I never find them easy to photograph. At least this bud was out in the sunshine. Apparently, they are not easy to grow, either. "Blue Himalayan Poppies are one of the most impressive plants for the shade garden. Plants form a rosette of hairy leaves, bearing large satiny flowers in an amazing shade of true blue. These are not always easy to please, demanding an evenly moist, rich soil and cool woodland conditions. Plants are not long lived, typically flowering in the second or third year, setting seed, then dying out. Gardeners in hot summer climates seldom succeed with these plants, yet they are surprisingly tolerant of cold winter conditions." www.perennials.com/plants/meconopsis-betonicifolia.html

I wanted a bright, cheery image this morning, 12 January 2016, to wish my daughter well, and thought these little pink hearts were appropriate. Yesterday, she went in for supposedly day surgery, but phoned me after she was moved from the recovery room, to say that they were keeping her in overnight. She wasn't able to give me any details, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it was all straight forward. Speedy recovery, Rachel! At least you are in the best place for the time being, but I hope it won't be too long before you can go home. Update, early afternoon: my daughter is now at her home, after complications yesterday. Unfortunately, she now knows that she is most likely going to have to have major surgery with various accompanying problems. I am so upset for her. On 27 May 2015, I had a volunteer shift and afterwards, as the sun was shining, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden, where I found these beautiful Bleeding Heart flowers. There was rain in the forecast so I thought I'd better make the most of the blue sky while I could. Alberta was bone dry everywhere, with wildfires especially further north. Much as I really dislike the rain, we desperately needed it. From the Garden, I drove through the adjoining Union Cemetery and then another nearby cemetery, and then called in at a wetland in SW Calgary. A lot of people have a photo of Bleeding Heart flowers in their photostream - they are beautiful flowers. This garden is situated on a hillside and it's usually windy whenever I go there, lol, so these delicate branches of little pink hearts are a bit of a challenge to keep in the viewfinder. "Lamprocapnos spectabilis also known as old-fashioned bleeding-heart, Venus's car, Lady in a bath, Dutchman's trousers, or Lyre-flower is a rhizomatous perennial plant native to eastern Asia from Siberia south to Japan. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Lamprocapnos. It is a popular ornamental plant for flower gardens in temperate climates, and is also used in floristry as a cut flower for Valentine's Day. It usually has red heart-shaped flowers with white tips which droop from arching flower stems in late spring and early summer. White-flowered forms are also cultivated." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamprocapnos

After posting quite a few cold, wintry images recently, I thought I'd post a photo of a different subject this morning. It is always a joy to see these Himalayan Blue Poppies growing at Reader Rock Garden, and I was happy to find them in bloom on 24 June 2015. "Blue Himalayan Poppies are one of the most impressive plants for the shade garden. Plants form a rosette of hairy leaves, bearing large satiny flowers in an amazing shade of true blue. These are not always easy to please, demanding an evenly moist, rich soil and cool woodland conditions. Plants are not long lived, typically flowering in the second or third year, setting seed, then dying out. Gardeners in hot summer climates seldom succeed with these plants, yet they are surprisingly tolerant of cold winter conditions." www.perennials.com/plants/meconopsis-betonicifolia.html

It is always a joy to see these Himalayan Blue Poppies growing at Reader Rock Garden, and I was happy to find them in bloom on 24 June 2015. "Blue Himalayan Poppies are one of the most impressive plants for the shade garden. Plants form a rosette of hairy leaves, bearing large satiny flowers in an amazing shade of true blue. These are not always easy to please, demanding an evenly moist, rich soil and cool woodland conditions. Plants are not long lived, typically flowering in the second or third year, setting seed, then dying out. Gardeners in hot summer climates seldom succeed with these plants, yet they are surprisingly tolerant of cold winter conditions." www.perennials.com/plants/meconopsis-betonicifolia.html

On 27 May 2015, I had a volunteer shift and afterwards, as the sun was shining, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden, where I found these beautiful Bleeding Heart flowers. There was rain in the forecast so I thought I'd better make the most of the blue sky while I could. Alberta is bone dry everywhere, with wildfires especially further north. Since then, the last couple of days, it has been raining. So, much as I really dislike the rain, we desperately need it. From the Garden, I drove through the adjoining Union Cemetery and then another nearby cemetery, and then called in at a wetland in SW Calgary. A lot of people have a photo of Bleeding Heart flowers in their photostream - they are beautiful flowers. This garden is situated on a hillside and it's usually windy whenever I go there, lol, so these delicate branches of little pink hearts are a bit of a challenge to keep in the viewfinder. "Lamprocapnos spectabilis also known as old-fashioned bleeding-heart, Venus's car, Lady in a bath, Dutchman's trousers, or Lyre-flower is a rhizomatous perennial plant native to eastern Asia from Siberia south to Japan. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Lamprocapnos. It is a popular ornamental plant for flower gardens in temperate climates, and is also used in floristry as a cut flower for Valentine's Day. It usually has red heart-shaped flowers with white tips which droop from arching flower stems in late spring and early summer. White-flowered forms are also cultivated." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamprocapnos

Our weather forecast is for snow flurries this morning (23 March 2015) and light snow this afternoon. Temperature early today is -5C (windchill -8C). Supposed to be double digits in a few more days - in fact (so far) 17C on Friday! So, I felt like a splash of different colour in my photostream and found it in this photo of a Himalayan Blue Poppy that was growing at the Reader Rock Garden, on 25 June 2014. It is always a joy to see these beautiful, large Poppies, though they seem to grow in the shade, and I never find them easy to photograph. Apparently, they are not easy to grow, either. "Blue Himalayan Poppies are one of the most impressive plants for the shade garden. Plants form a rosette of hairy leaves, bearing large satiny flowers in an amazing shade of true blue. These are not always easy to please, demanding an evenly moist, rich soil and cool woodland conditions. Plants are not long lived, typically flowering in the second or third year, setting seed, then dying out. Gardeners in hot summer climates seldom succeed with these plants, yet they are surprisingly tolerant of cold winter conditions." www.perennials.com/plants/meconopsis-betonicifolia.html

Ran out of time and energy late last night to find and edit just two shots for this morning : ) Also, posting really early, as I have a long day ahead of me today (unfortunately, on just one and a half hours of sleep). It's going to be a mainly sunny day with temperature of -2C (windchill -5C) this morning, but it's supposed to soar to a balmy +9C (windchill +7C) this afternoon. A lot of people have a photo of Bleeding Heart flowers in their photostream - they are beautiful flowers. Saw these and many more at the Reader Rock Garden on 5 June 2013. This garden is situated on a hillside and it often tends to be windy whenever I go there, lol, so these delicate branches of little pink hearts are a bit of a challenge to keep in the viewfinder. "Lamprocapnos spectabilis also known as old-fashioned bleeding-heart, Venus's car, Lady in a bath, Dutchman's trousers, or Lyre-flower is a rhizomatous perennial plant native to eastern Asia from Siberia south to Japan. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Lamprocapnos. It is a popular ornamental plant for flower gardens in temperate climates, and is also used in floristry as a cut flower for Valentine's Day. It usually has red heart-shaped flowers with white tips which droop from arching flower stems in late spring and early summer. White-flowered forms are also cultivated." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamprocapnos

A lot of people have a photo of Bleeding Heart flowers in their photostream, but they are beautiful flowers : ) Saw these at the Reader Rock Garden on 25 June 2014. This garden is situated on a hillside and it often tends to be windy whenever I go there, lol, so these delicate branches of little pink hearts are a bit of a challenge to keep in the viewfinder. "Lamprocapnos spectabilis also known as old-fashioned bleeding-heart, Venus's car, Lady in a bath, Dutchman's trousers, or Lyre-flower is a rhizomatous perennial plant native to eastern Asia from Siberia south to Japan. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Lamprocapnos. It is a popular ornamental plant for flower gardens in temperate climates, and is also used in floristry as a cut flower for Valentine's Day. It usually has red heart-shaped flowers with white tips which droop from arching flower stems in late spring and early summer. White-flowered forms are also cultivated." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamprocapnos Today and tomorrow are the last couple of days of the 10-day Calgary Stampede, and then life will return more or less to “normal”. For visitors to our city, especially, these days are full of excitement and interest. For many of us who live in Calgary, whose children have grown, the tendency can be to get in the car and drive in the opposite direction, away from the noise, the crowds and the smell of grease that fills the air down at the Stampede Grounds.

These beautiful Himalayan Blue Poppies seem to grow in the shade, and I never find them easy to photograph. This photo isn't as sharp as I would like it to have been. "Blue Himalayan Poppies are one of the most impressive plants for the shade garden. Plants form a rosette of hairy leaves, bearing large satiny flowers in an amazing shade of true blue. These are not always easy to please, demanding an evenly moist, rich soil and cool woodland conditions. Plants are not long lived, typically flowering in the second or third year, setting seed, then dying out. Gardeners in hot summer climates seldom succeed with these plants, yet they are surprisingly tolerant of cold winter conditions." www.perennials.com/plants/meconopsis-betonicifolia.html I'm posting my photos later than usual this morning, after sleeping in. Yesterday evening, I didn't get home till 10:00 p.m., and so ended up getting to bed in the early hours of this morning. I was out all evening on Don Stiles' annual Bluebird Route trip. Don has been a Bluebird Monitor for about 30 years, so has great experience with Bluebirds - also with Tree Swallows and an occasional Wren that also use the wooden nest boxes! This time, we didn't see any baby Bluebirds, as all the young ones had already fledged and none of the pairs had a second clutch. We did see nest boxes with tiny Tree Swallow eggs in the nest, and also several nest boxes that had baby Tree Swallows in, around 12 days old. One box had 12 babies in - obviously belonging to two adult females! Can't imagine how they will all cope when they get bigger. Another great evening, Don - thanks so much for taking a few of us out with you! Nice to see a very distant Baltimore Oriole - my first for this year - and various other birds, too. According to the weather forecast, it looks like we are in for more very hot weather - love the sunshine, but can't cope with the high temperatures.

HAPPY 4th JULY to all Americans, whether at home or overseas! A lot of people have a photo of Bleeding Heart flowers in their photostream, but they are beautiful flowers : ) Saw these at the Reader Rock Garden on 25 June 2014. This garden is situated on a hillside and it often tends to be windy whenever I go there, lol, so these delicate branches of little pink hearts are a bit of a challenge to keep in the viewfinder. "Lamprocapnos spectabilis also known as old-fashioned bleeding-heart, Venus's car, Lady in a bath, Dutchman's trousers, or Lyre-flower is a rhizomatous perennial plant native to eastern Asia from Siberia south to Japan. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Lamprocapnos. It is a popular ornamental plant for flower gardens in temperate climates, and is also used in floristry as a cut flower for Valentine's Day. It usually has red heart-shaped flowers with white tips which droop from arching flower stems in late spring and early summer. White-flowered forms are also cultivated." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamprocapnos The famous, annual Calgary Stampede begins today, with the Stampede Parade taking place downtown this morning. William Shatner (from Star Trek) is our Parade Marshall. No worries about the weather, as it's a beautiful, sunny day today. Temperature is 21°C so far, so not unbearably hot for people who are lining the parade route or taking part in the parade. Yesterday afternoon, we got up to around 32°C, which was too hot for my liking.

It is always a joy to see these Himalayan Blue Poppies growing at Reader Rock Garden, and I was happy to find them in bloom on 25 June 2014. "Blue Himalayan Poppies are one of the most impressive plants for the shade garden. Plants form a rosette of hairy leaves, bearing large satiny flowers in an amazing shade of true blue. These are not always easy to please, demanding an evenly moist, rich soil and cool woodland conditions. Plants are not long lived, typically flowering in the second or third year, setting seed, then dying out. Gardeners in hot summer climates seldom succeed with these plants, yet they are surprisingly tolerant of cold winter conditions." www.perennials.com/plants/meconopsis-betonicifolia.html

A lot of people have a photo of Bleeding Heart flowers in their photostream, but they are beautiful flowers : ) Saw these and many more at the Reader Rock Garden on 5 June 2013. This garden is situated on a hillside and it often tends to be windy whenever I go there, lol, so these delicate branches of little pink hearts are a bit of a challenge to keep in the viewfinder. "Lamprocapnos spectabilis also known as old-fashioned bleeding-heart, Venus's car, Lady in a bath, Dutchman's trousers, or Lyre-flower is a rhizomatous perennial plant native to eastern Asia from Siberia south to Japan. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Lamprocapnos. It is a popular ornamental plant for flower gardens in temperate climates, and is also used in floristry as a cut flower for Valentine's Day. It usually has red heart-shaped flowers with white tips which droop from arching flower stems in late spring and early summer. White-flowered forms are also cultivated." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamprocapnos I posted several photos to ipernity, this one included, and then I transferred almost 9,000 images from Flickr (thank goodness it's done!). The first few shots I posted are now duplicates and I'm not sure how to deal with them. For now, I've just copied and pasted the kind comments people made on the original posts, as obviously I don't want to lose them. I was just about to add this new copy to the groups I posted the original photos in, but that would be double posting, which would be really annoying to other members of the groups : )

There are just so many white, snowy, winter photos that I'm going through on my computer, that I need to look at something colourful. Also, it is such an overcast, dreary day today, though the snow is melting quite nicely. Hope this brings a little cheer to anyone living where the sun is in hiding today : ) Took this photo of glorious, glowing Poppies at the Reader Rock Garden on 30 June 2010. "Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death: sleep because of the opium extracted from them, and death because of the common blood-red color of the red poppy in particular. In Greek and Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead. Poppies used as emblems on tombstones symbolize eternal sleep. This symbolism was evoked in the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which a magical poppy field threatened to make the protagonists sleep forever. A second interpretation of poppies in Classical mythology is that the bright scarlet colour signifies a promise of resurrection after death." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy We have a winter storm warning in effect, that is supposed to bring 10-15 cm of snow from Saturday evening to Sunday evening. Guess we'll see what happens, tomorrow : )

What a difference from our limited colours during the long winter months! White can be beautiful, but I keep yearning for the bright, vibrant colours of summer. From my archives, taken at the Reader Rock Garden on 7 July 2010.

Time for a bright splash of colour to be added to my photostream. I tend to post a warm-coloured image like this on a very cold or very grey day, but at the moment, our temperatures are way too hot for my liking, especially indoors, with 32C-34C in my computer room. All being well, after next week, I should have windows that I can actually open - the present ones get stuck if you try to open even just a few inches as the glass has come away from the vinyl (?) strips, so I have to keep them shut. After 14 years, at least, of everyone's complaints, all the windows are finally being replaced. Mine will be the last to be done and it sounds like mine will be done on Tuesday (depending on the weather, of course). Between now and then, I have two major, long botanizing days out, after which I can barely move, lol. There are certain things, though, that HAVE to be done before the window people knock on my door. It will feel so good once all this has been done, after being in limbo for at least seven months, not knowing when action would take place. Apologies to everyone for not commenting very much recently - this time of year, with all the botanizing trips, becomes kind of crazy. As well as a written record that is made of every species of plant, bird, insect, fungi, etc. that we see on each trip, I pick out certain of my photos to send out as a visual record of some of what we see, which always takes time to do. Life just gets insane for a few months, and I just can't keep up : )

Photographed at the Reader Rock Garden on July 6th.