Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Tarnished Plant Bug?

On 8 September 2017, I decided on the spur of the moment, to drive south to the Saskatoon Farm. I wasn't sure what I would be doing that weekend and wanted to make sure I went there to buy a few of their vegetables and fruit. I knew that a weekend would be a much busier time. I also wanted to photograph a few of their beautiful Artichoke flowers before they were all past their prime. These flowers were very popular with the bees, which was so good to see. As usual, I wandered round the grounds with my camera, catching one of the cats, one of the dogs, and a few of the chickens, an old tractor, as well as flowers. I never return home with an empty memory card when I visit this place. Unfortunately, it was a smoky day (what's new?) with the air quality rating an unpleasant High Risk level. In fact, I almost turned back before I was half way there. This interesting place is maybe a 25-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food. www.saskatoonfarm.com/

Just an ordinary shot of this invasive weed, but I loved seeing the tiny bug (Tarnished Plant Bug?) hiding in its bright and cheery surroundings. I always enjoy seeing the heart-shaped marking on the "back" of these tiny, common insects. This photo was taken on 2 September 2014, when I was on a birding walk at Carburn Park. The parking lot at Carburn is closed to the public at the moment, while workers are constructing a "rain garden" or "water garden". It will be interesting to see what this is, when it's all finished. Also known as Common Toadflax, this plant was introduced from Europe as a garden plant, but has now become an aggressive weed. www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-CommonToadflax.pdf