Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Gladioli

Rather wish I hadn't bothered to post this photo, but I don't have the time or energy to look for a different one. I grabbed it last night, hoping to add a change of colour on my photostream, which is looking very green these days : ) Fortunately, at least the Hollyhocks and Gladioli were still in bloom and in good condition when I called in briefly at the Reader Rock Garden after an afternoon volunteer shift on 26 August 2015. Most of the flowers there had finished for the season and many of the ones that did still exist were past their prime. Still managed to get a few photos, though, including this beautiful pink Hollyhock flower. I think its little visitor is a Tarnished Plant Bug. "Alcea (Ál-ce-a), commonly known as hollyhocks, is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae. Most species are native to southwest and central Asia, although a few are native to southeast Europe or Egypt." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcea I wasn't sure whether I should go there or not that day, as the air quality had been very poor for a number of days, due to smoke blowing across from the devastating forest fires in Washington State, northwest US. Fortunately, the rain that had been falling for a few days helped the firefighters fight the flames.

An update on my daughter who was in the hospital for a few days. She was allowed to go home three evenings ago, though the medical staff still aren't completely sure of the cause of the problem. She has a follow-up appointment in September, so hopefully she and we will know more at that time. Meanwhile, I feel totally drained, ha! Fortunately, at least the Gladioli were still in bloom and in good condition yesterday, 26 August 2015, when I called in briefly at the Reader Rock Garden after an afternoon volunteer shift. Most of the flowers have finished for the season and many of the ones that do still exist are past their prime. Still managed to get a few photos, though. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiolus I wasn't sure whether I should go there or not, as the air quality is very unpleasant at the moment. Even in the house, it smells of smoke. The following is from the Weather Network website. A friend let me know that the numbers given were inaccurate (too high), but we were still well over the "high" level. "In the city of Calgary the air quality health index was off the charts through the overnight hours Tuesday (25 August 2015), peaking at 19 on a scale where 10 is considered 'high'." The smoke is being blown here from the northwestern United States (Washington State) and it affects the visibility the whole day. Most unpleasant, and I don't know how people who live much closer to the wildfires are managing! We are being told to stay indoors, close all windows, and not use air-conditioning (which most of us don't have in our homes), including in our cars. Temperature this afternoon is supposed to reach 27C (to feel like 30C). Definitely a day to stay home - photography would be useless, as the sky is so heavily smoke-laden. "Thursday, August 27, 2015, 10:11 AM - Southerly winds continue to spread heavy plumes of smoke north into British Columbia and Alberta from the large wildfires burning in Washington state. However, there is relief in sight as a series of low pressure systems are expected to cool temperatures down and bring a substantial amount of rain." From the Weather Network. So many Firefighters bravely battling the flames down in this whole area, as well as all those fighting the fires in British Columbia! A huge thank-you to each and every one of them!

Yesterday, 13 August 2014, I had a volunteer shift and afterwards, as I sometimes do, drove to the Reader Rock Garden. Thought I'd better see what flowers were in bloom, as summer is slipping away so fast and I haven't taken all that many colourful images of flowers, garden or wild. They come in so handy during the seven long months of winter that are not all that far away now, breaking the monotony of "white" photos. Some of the flowers were well past their prime, but still make an interesting shot. Love the colour of these beautiful Gladioli - the three stamens at the centre remind me of those little matchbooks, the ones that have a strip of matches all joined together and you tear one off as you need it. "The genus Gladiolus contains about 260 species, of which 250 are native to sub-Saharan Africa, mostly South Africa. About 10 species are native to Eurasia. There are 160 species of Gladiolus endemic in southern Africa and 76 in tropical Africa. The flowers of unmodified wild species vary from very small to perhaps 40 mm across, and inflorescences bearing anything from one to several flowers. The spectacular giant flower spikes in commerce are the products of centuries of hybridisation, selection, and perhaps more drastic manipulation." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiolus Beautiful red Gladioli are seen in the painting, Vase with Red Gladioli (1886), by Vincent van Gogh.