Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: from

Well, Happy Summer, everyone! Here in southern Alberta, we are under a Rainfall Warning and, sure enough, it is pouring with rain today. Now there is concern about flooding. Our temperature at noon is 9C (windchill 5C). From the Weather Network: "A long episode of rain, at times heavy, continues. A low pressure system will continue to bring rain. Total rainfall amounts of 50 to 80 mm are expected with local accumulations possibly exceeding 100 in the Bow Valley region. Rain in Calgary will vary significantly with this event. Reported rainfall amounts of 50 mm have occurred over the northwestern sections of the city while the southeast is closer to 10 mm. Rain continues over most of Calgary while the southeast is currently unlikely to see warning criteria rainfall with this event. The heaviest rain will diminish early this afternoon while later this afternoon showers and thunderstorms will help add to the rainfall amounts that have already fallen. Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible. Be prepared for possible winter conditions at higher elevations." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you can see, I have finally made a start on photos taken on DAY 9 of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas. I don't have a whole lot of images from this day and nothing too inspiring. If I can, I will edit and post as quickly as possible, as I need to finish this holiday's photos as soon as I can. On Day 9, we had an early start from Mission, so caught the beautiful sunrise. Unfortunately, my photos had to be taken from back in the vehicle, and through the windshield. Poor quality, but posting for the memory. The approximate distance between Mission and Brownsville, where we were heading, is 65.8 miles and travel time 1 hr 04 mins, travelling along US 83 and US 77. We stopped just before reaching Brownsville to visit the Resaca de la Palma State Park. This is where today's photos were taken. "Resaca de la Palma State Park is one of three state parks belonging to the World Birding Center and managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. At 1,200 acres, Resaca de la Palma State Park is the largest of the World Birding Center sites and is located in Brownsville. The property was acquired by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1977 and was opened to the public in December 2008. A resaca is a type of oxbow lake that can be found in Texas, and is a former channel of the Rio Grande. It is naturally cut off from the river, having no inlet or outlet. The World Birding Center is the official title given to a combined nine parks and nature preserves in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas managed by a partnership of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the local communities in which the parks reside." From Wikipedia. "Resaca de la Palma State Park is one of three state parks belonging to the World Birding Center and managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. At 1,200 acres, Resaca de la Palma State Park is the largest of the World Birding Center sites and is located in Brownsville. The property was acquired by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1977 and was opened to the public in December 2008. A resaca is a type of oxbow lake that can be found in Texas, and is a former channel of the Rio Grande. It is naturally cut off from the river, having no inlet or outlet. The World Birding Center is the official title given to a combined nine parks and nature preserves in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas managed by a partnership of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the local communities in which the parks reside." From Wikipedia.

This photo shows part of the small town of Waterton, in Waterton Lakes National Park. Taken on 20 June 2015, when we were on the Bertha Lake Trail (as far as the Bertha Falls). Near the centre of the photo is the Prince of Wales Hotel. I was so lucky to be invited to join friends Sandy and Heide on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, from 19-21 (inclusive) June 2015. We met up with other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council for their annual Botany Alberta weekend. Most people who attended stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground, a 5.6 km drive east of the Waterton Park Gate on Highway 5, but my friends and I stayed at the Crandell Mountain Lodge on the edge of Waterton town. The ANPC people had a list of species that they hoped to find, and they were very successful. Our stay down south overlapped the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival, but we came across very few people on our various drives and hikes. Needless to say, I was extremely fortunate to spend three days with people who are very knowledgeable about plants (and other things). This meant that I got to see many wildflower species, including several that were new to me, such as the gorgeous Mariposa Lily. It was one of the flowers that was on my Wish List - and there were hundreds of them to be seen! I had also never seen the spectacular Bear Grass and I was so thrilled that there were still several plants in bloom. Absolutely made my day! Our two main hikes of the weekend were the Bertha Lake Trail as far as the Bertha Falls (on 20 June), and the Crandell Lake Trail (on 21 June). Makes me smile when a described "short, easy hike" in a book or on the Internet turns into a full day of exploration along the trail, taking hours to reach the destination, though returning to the cars in a much shorter time. Our walks/hikes are very slow-paced with endless stops to look at/for plants and to take photos. This makes it possible for me to go along. The wind made photographing plants a real challenge, including the beautiful Mariposa Lilies in the meadow along the Hay Barn road. Though I took plenty of photos, I wasn't sure that I would end up with any that were sharp enough. Trying to catch a quick shot when a flower is blowing in and out of the viewfinder is not easy! Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to get down and take macro shots (my lens needs to be about 4" away from the subject), so my photos have to be telemacro. I've been trying to find a list of plant species in Waterton Park, but have so far been out of luck. I do have the book, "Wildflowers of Waterton Park" by Jacinthe Lavoie and Ian Wilson, which has an Index of Plant names, but I was hoping to find a list that I could print out.

Wasn't going to upload this, but then thought that perhaps I would, so that it is included in my Explore Set. In three years, I haven't bothered to check Front Page, so would not even have known that my photo was there if several people hadn't told me. Thank you to those who very kindly did a screen save for me - much appreciated. Hoping I can find how to disable comments once my photo is uploaded, 'cos I can't see anywhere yet where I can turn it off : ) NO COMMENTS, please - just for my records! I've already thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated all your kind comments under the actual photo : )