Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Creeping Thistle

"Bear Warning - Votiers Flats and Shannon Terrace Day Use Areas Effective Date: August 16, 2019 until further notice Where: All trails and area between Votiers Flats and Shannon Terrace Day Use Areas in Fish Creek Provincial Park Why: MULTIPLE bears feeding in the area." www.albertaparks.ca/parks/kananaskis/kananaskis-country/a... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 8 photos I have posted this morning, 17 August 2019, were taken on the second walk I went on four days ago. On 13 August 2019, I did something that I always try to avoid - go on two walks on the same day. This time, there were two birding outings that I really wanted to go on, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Both were in Fish Creek Park. It had been quite a few years since I had walked west of Bow Bottom Trail and I had forgotten what the area looked like until this new walk. Quite a few birds were seen, likewise mosquitoes. I didn't take many photos, but it was nice to catch an American Goldfinch doing what American Goldfinches love to do - collect the seeds from the invasive Creeping (formerly Canada) Thistles. A baby House Wren was spotted near the top of a distant broken tree, peering out of a cavity. I couldn't even see it with the naked eye, so I was surprised to see the tiny beak in my photos. A couple of wildflowers caught my eye, and a friend pointed out a line of fungi on a distant, unapproachable tree trunk. The 13 photos I posted yesterday morning were from the morning birding walk, at Mallard Point. The expert eyes were searching for Warblers that have started to arrive here. These tiny birds that are fast moving and always seem to be hiding, are not easy to see, and definitely not easy to photograph, as all bird photographers know. As usual, my eyes also wander to wildflowers and fungi. The Wandering Garter Snake that slithered across the narrow trail and disappeared into the long grass came as a surprise. Definitely not my favourite thing! Managed a quick shot in between people and have posted it just for the record. The Osprey, and the little Clay-coloured Sparrow with a beak full of insects, were enjoyed by all. Actually, the air was full of tiny flying insects, as you can tell by all the tiny specks in my Osprey shots. We were very lucky with the weather for both walks, which is always so much appreciated. A Frost Warning was issued for last night, 16 August, and there is now a covering of snow in the mountains.

"Bear Warning - Votiers Flats and Shannon Terrace Day Use Areas closed Effective Date: August 16, 2019 until further notice Where: All trails and area between Votiers Flats and Shannon Terrace Day Use Areas in Fish Creek Provincial Park Why: Multiple bears feeding in the area." www.albertaparks.ca/parks/kananaskis/kananaskis-country/a... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 8 photos I have posted this morning, 17 August 2019, were taken on the second walk I went on four days ago. On 13 August 2019, I did something that I always try to avoid - go on two walks on the same day. This time, there were two birding outings that I really wanted to go on, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Both were in Fish Creek Park. It had been quite a few years since I had walked west of Bow Bottom Trail and I had forgotten what the area looked like until this new walk. Quite a few birds were seen, likewise mosquitoes. I didn't take many photos, but it was nice to catch an American Goldfinch doing what American Goldfinches love to do - collect the seeds from the invasive Creeping (formerly Canada) Thistles. A baby House Wren was spotted near the top of a distant broken tree, peering out of a cavity. I couldn't even see it with the naked eye, so I was surprised to see the tiny beak in my photos. A couple of wildflowers caught my eye, and a friend pointed out a line of fungi on a distant, unapproachable tree trunk. The 13 photos I posted yesterday morning were from the morning birding walk, at Mallard Point. The expert eyes were searching for Warblers that have started to arrive here. These tiny birds that are fast moving and always seem to be hiding, are not easy to see, and definitely not easy to photograph, as all bird photographers know. As usual, my eyes also wander to wildflowers and fungi. The Wandering Garter Snake that slithered across the narrow trail and disappeared into the long grass came as a surprise. Definitely not my favourite thing! Managed a quick shot in between people and have posted it just for the record. The Osprey, and the little Clay-coloured Sparrow with a beak full of insects, were enjoyed by all. Actually, the air was full of tiny flying insects, as you can tell by all the tiny specks in my Osprey shots. We were very lucky with the weather for both walks, which is always so much appreciated. A Frost Warning was issued for last night, 16 August!

Creeping (formerly Canada) Thistle, with a touch of filter added in post-processing. This was the very first time I had ever visited a particular Osprey nest, though "everyone" else seems to have been : ) The sun came out yesterday, 3 September 2018, but while I was down in the park, some dark clouds came rolling in. Far from good light, but I managed to get a few shots. Ospreys are such beautiful birds and I was lucky that I spotted the first one standing on a street light A second Osprey (juvenile) was standing on the nest, feeding on something that looked like the remains of a fish. I should have checked if they only eat fish before posting the other photo. One thing I do know is that I would never have been able to take such a close photo with my trusty old Panasonic FZ200. I have used that make and model for several years and have loved using it. However, it has bothered me, especially the last year and a half, that the optical zoom is only 24x (though I used it on 48x) - just not enough reach for tiny or far away birds. A few months ago, I finally gave in and got a Nikon P900. I have only used it a handful of times, but yesterday afternoon I made up my mind to give it a better try. I don't know where all the birds were, other than the two beautiful Osprey! One thing I need to find out as soon as possible is why I couldn't focus on anything that was not far away. No problem with distant things, but when I tried to focus say on a wildflower, I could not get the camera to focus at all. Stood maybe 12-15 feet away and zoomed in and the camera just refused to focus. Tried standing at different distances and nothing worked. A lot to learn, I can tell : ) Hard to believe our very cool temperatures recently! This morning, 4 September 2018, just after 10:30 am, it is only 6C (windchill 4C). A far cry from the record-breaking 36.4C that we had a few weeks ago. It definitely feels and looks like fall has arrived already.

Always interesting to come across a white Creeping (formerly Canada) Thistle instead of the usual pink. Just as noxious as the pink ones. Back to the bio-blitz on Lisa Harbinson' property for my photos tonight. I have just added six extra photos. I really need to get the rest of my suitable shots taken that day edited and posted, so that I can send her the link to my album. The area we visited on 7 August was an 80-acre site near Bottrel, NW of Calgary. The site consisted of mostly open, low, hilly, ungrazed land, with a few Aspens and Spruce, and willows around three ponds (two of which were dry). On 25 May 2018, four people had visited this site for the first time - I had been unable to go, as I was spending the day with my daughter. The original visit was the result of the owners winning a free bioblitz at a Silent Auction, in connection with the Ghost Valley Community. A great idea and always a win-win situation, with the land owners learning a lot about what is found on their land, and the leader and participants enjoying a much-appreciated visit to a different location. We were very lucky to see an adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with two juveniles. I rarely see one of these birds, but love to see the neat rows of small holes that they make on a tree trunk. Did you know that photographing mushrooms can be dangerous? I believe I knew this already and I was reminded of this on this bio-blitz. Towards the end of our hike, I stopped to photograph a not particularly photogenic mushroom that was growing on a very slight incline. I took one step back to focus better and lost my balance - not sure if my foot went down into a shallow hole or if I was tripped up by one of the many very small, short tree stumps. Whatever the cause, I did a most inelegant, slow-motion fall backwards, hitting my head hard on the ground, surrounded by my friends. Because I was wearing a backpack, I think this resulted in some whiplash, with my head falling back. It was not pleasant to drive anywhere the next day, especially each time I had to start off when traffic lights turned green. The muscles all around my neck and my shoulders are painful, but hopefully it will clear up before too long.

Yesterday afternoon, 12 September 2017, I just needed a short break from watching TV footage of all the devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in south-east U.S.. Decided to dash down to a wetland in SW Calgary, hoping to see a few birds. Half a dozen Coots and a Mallard were all I saw, but I was happy to catch this Cabbage White butterfly perched on (invasive) Creeping Thistle. "Habitat: One of the most common butterflies, the Cabbage White was accidentally introduced in Quebec back in 1860 and has since spread across the entire country since. It is found throughout the entirety of Alberta. Description: A very plain looking butterfly, it is mostly white with a few dark patches on its upper wing. Size: 40-50 mm Diet: It is a huge pest to farmers, snacking on mustard family plants like broccoli, kale, cauliflower and of course, cabbage. Fun Fact: The caterpillars can survive in soggy, oxygen-low environments and have been known to survive in the human digestive tract when accidently swallowed. Talk about butterflies in your stomach!" Source: Acorn, John. Butterflies of Alberta. Edmonton: Lone Pine Publishing, 1993. Print.

This photo of several tiny (size: 22-26 mm) Skipper butterflies on a Creeping/Canada Thistle was taken on 23 July 2015, at Darryl Teskey's property. These unusual butterflies have such large eyes : ) "The eyes of Skippers are different from those of other butterflies. They have a space between the cones and rods which allows light from each ommatidium to spill into neighbouring rods, effectively increasing their resolution and sensitivity. As a result Skippers can fly very accurately from one spot to another. This different type of eye structure is one of the reasons why taxonomists place them in a different super-family to all other butterflies - the Hesperioidea." Source: www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Anatomy.htm "The European Skipper can be found on the wing in June and July. Becoming an invasive species of butterfly, it can be found in the grasslands of central Alberta spreading about 25 km every year. The European Skipper can be recognized by its bright orange wings marked by dark wing veins. The edge of the wings are bordered with black. The aptly named European Skipper is also known as the Essex Skipper in its native habitat. The mature adults prefer grassland flowers and the caterpillars the grass itself. The European Skipper did not arrive in Alberta until 1987 slowly migrating from eastern provinces or from laying their eggs in transported hay bales." Source: Acorn, John. Butterflies of Alberta. Edmonton: Lone Pine Publishing, 1993. Print. On this day, five of us spent the day botanizing the land belonging to Darryl Teskey, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville (maybe a 40-minute drive from Calgary). This was the first time I had been there and I'm so glad I was invited to go - I would have missed all sorts of things, including a family of Ruffed Grouse and several fungi. These Grouse were the rare rufous-morph, and we startled them when we were walking through the forest in their direction. Usually, you don't see Grouse because they are so well-hidden. When you get fairly close (sometimes very close) to them, they suddenly "explode" from the tangle of shrubs and plants of the forest floor, making ones heart beat fast! We were taken by surprise when we came across a nearby statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment. A nice idea, I thought. Our walk took us over grassland and through forest, many places treacherous with so many fallen logs which were often barely visible. I have never, ever seen so many tiny Skipper butterflies - there must have been hundreds or even thousands of these bright orange beauties that were flying or perched on flowers of every colour. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until we started driving back to Calgary. Quite a lot of black clouds, reminding me of the tornado that passed through Calgary just the day before (22 July 2015). Our purpose, as always, was to find and list everything that we saw - wildflowers, trees, grasses, birds, insects, fungi, etc.. Our leader then compiles an extensive list of our finds and this is later sent to the landowner, along with any photos that we might take. Always a win/win situation, as the landowner then has a much better idea of just what is on his property, and we have a most enjoyable day.

On 2 August 2014, I went on a birding trip with friends to Bow Valley Provincial Park, west of Calgary, at the very foot of the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. Takes around 45 minutes to drive there from the western edge of Calgary. This was the park that I finally made myself drive to on 20 July, with my youngest daughter. It's a good thing that my daughter and I didn't come across certain certain things that were seen on 2 August! Not sure if the insect in my macro image is a moth or butterfly - I think a moth, though the antennae don't appear to be very wide. I'm going to use the trip leader's write-up of the events of the day - thank you, Andrew, for yet another great trip to a very beautiful place. Each year, this trip to the park makes such a great day. Hope you don't mind my using your report here! I should add that all these birds were far, far away, too far for photos and, for me with no binoculars, too far to see either properly or at all. We walked about 6 km in total. "We had six participants on this trip. We arrived at BVPP with early morning temperatures which started to warm up. We walked around the Flowing Waters Trail where we heard many of the species we recorded. The highlight of this segment was a Blue Headed Vireo (conceivably a Cassin's but we decided Blue Headed was the higher probability, based on location and the song). I do have some photographs but doubt they would delineate between the two species. (Later: confirmed to be a Cassin's). We had lunch in the Whitefish area and then went over to the Many Springs Trail. As we were assembling in the small Many Springs Trail's car parking area, we looked back along the road we just driven in by and saw a fairly large very glossy, very black Black Bear amble across the road and vanish into the woods. We carried on walking around the trail. About half way around we heard a call from ahead which sounded something like "bear on the trail". We exchanged a few shouted communications with the group ahead of us and concluded that there was a black bear with two cubs wandering around on the trail about 200m ahead of us. We all looked at the (suddenly small looking) bear spray I had with me and decided to turn around and head back to the car park. There were still six of us when we got back. We stopped briefly at Middle Lake and then stopped at the Morleyville Church on Hwy 1A on the way back to Calgary. We had cell coverage all day so I recorded all of the sightings on the Birdlog app, which created the convenient summary of the trip which follows. Checklists included in this summary: (1): Bow Valley PP - Flowing Waters Trails Date: Aug 2, 2014, 8:30 AM (2): Whitefish Date: Aug 2, 2014, 11:30 AM (3): Bow Valley PP - Many Springs Trail Date: Aug 2, 2014, 12:15 PM (4): Bow Valley PP Middle Lake Date: Aug 2, 2014, 1:40 PM (5): Morleyville Church - Aug 2, 2014, 2:49 PM Date: Aug 2, 2014, 2:45 PM 1 Mallard -- (2) 4 Common Merganser -- (2) 1 Common Loon -- (4) 2 Red-tailed Hawk -- (1),(3) 2 Spotted Sandpiper -- (2) 2 Solitary Sandpiper -- (3) 2 Hairy Woodpecker -- (1) 1 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) -- (1) 1 Merlin -- (5) 1 Western Wood-Pewee -- (3) 1 Willow Flycatcher -- (1) 1 Cassin's Vireo -- (1) 8 Black-billed Magpie -- (5) 4 American Crow -- (2),(4) 3 Common Raven -- (2),(3) 6 Northern Rough-winged Swallow -- (1) 12 Tree Swallow -- (1) 2 Black-capped Chickadee -- (1),(3) 3 Mountain Chickadee -- (1),(3) 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch -- (1) 1 Townsend's Solitaire -- (3) 1 Swainson's Thrush -- (1) 6 American Robin -- (1),(3) 6 Cedar Waxwing -- (1),(3) 1 Northern Waterthrush -- (1) 3 Yellow Warbler -- (1) 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) -- (1) 1 Clay-colored Sparrow -- (1) 1 Savannah Sparrow -- (5) 3 Song Sparrow -- (1),(3) 2 Brown-headed Cowbird -- (3) 1 American Goldfinch -- (1) Andrew Hart"

Most people call this Canada Thistle, but Creeping Thistle is the more accurate name, as this is an introduced plant from Europe. Was lucky to catch a plant with a flower still on it, as most of the ones I see have gone to seed now. This is an invasive plant that has taken over vast areas all over the city, preventing our wonderful native wildflowers from growing. Has become a real problem that needs to be dealt with - somehow!

Took this photo of a Milbert's Tortoiseshell butterfly on Creeping (Canada) Thistle at Maclean Pond, off Elbow Falls Trail, on 16 August 2011. The lake water unfortunately gave this image a rather sickly grey background, ha.

Taken at the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area, SW of Calgary, on August 19th. Unfortunately, Creeping Thistle (also called Canada Thistle) is intensely invasive. Status in Alberta is Noxious.

So beautiful, yet so devastating! This is one of our main invasive weeds, also called Canada Thistle, and it has taken over so many parts of our lovely natural areas. This species is native throughout Europe and northern Asia, and widely introduced elsewhere (including here, unfortunately). The name "Canada Thistle, is misleading, as the plant is not native to this country. Creeping Thistle is the preferred name - and WE don't want to be blamed for something so destructive, when we didn't start the whole thing, lol!! Each spring, it forms extensive clonal colonies from an underground root system that sends up numerous erect stems. Photographed (macro) this particular plant at Clearwater Park, on the west side of the city, off Highway 8, September 4th last year. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirsium_arvense

This is where we spent the day botanizing on Saturday, 21st August - Horshoe Canyon, near Drumheller, in the Badlands of Alberta. To the north east of our city, there are endless miles of flat prairie. Then, suddenly, one comes across the amazing Badlands - our own mini Grand Canyon! This is one of the best-known sites in the Canadian Badlands, located 17 kilometres west of Drumheller on Highway 9. Horseshoe Canyon is about 145 km (88 miles) from Calgary. It takes between 1½ hours and 2 hours to drive there from Calgary. This shot was taken just before I reached the top rim after a day of plant search. Unfortunately, the invasive Creeping/Canada Thistle was growing here in abundance. "Horseshoe Canyon is an isolated pocket of badlands amidst the Alberta prairie. Apart from its aesthetic value, Horseshoe Canyon also represents three unique habitats or ecosystems: the prairie, the wooded coulee slopes and the badlands." www.natureconservancy.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=ab_ncc_... www.tyrrellmuseum.com/

A macro of a small Canada Thistle flower, Cirsium arvense, (also known locally as Creeping Thistle). This species was introduced from France. Also called Field Thistle. The stems of this noxious weed (with beautiful flowers) creep underground, forming colonies and it seems to have invaded everywhere, preventing our native species from growing. Photographed this one at Horseshoe Canyon, near Drumheller, in the Alberta Badlands. talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=1281

Not the greatest photo when it comes to an ID, but I rather liked the backlit view of this Fritillary butterfly. Seen on 29th August, when we hiked and botanized the Fullerton Loop trail, starting from Allan Bill Pond on Highway 66, Kananaskis.

I like the spotted eye of this Cabbage White butterfly! These butterflies always lead me on a chase, but this time, I was eventually lucky. Saw it sitting on this Canada/Creeping Thistle in North Glenmore Park.

A very blurry photo, but I have never caught one before with its wings (shields) wide open.

This plant originated in Eurasia and was introduced all across Canada. Though it is a valuable nectar source for honey bees, it has become a troublesome and noxious weed in Alberta.

Not sure what kind of Skipper this is, but it looks different from others I have photographed.