Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: 16 September 2015

This is my MAIN photo of the day - I'm wondering if one of my other two shots is being seen by some people as the main one, again. Also, it's almost 12:00 noon and there are only eight new photos showing from my Contacts! Is everyone out enjoying the weather, or is Flickr acting up yet again?? For maybe a week, I have been having a problem getting my photos to be bright enough. So weird - I never had this happen before. They seem to look OK when I edit them the night before, then, when I post them on Flickr the following morning, they almost always look too dark. On 16 September 2015, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden after my volunteer shift. There seemed to be more flowers in bloom than on my previous visit. I love photographing these gorgeous Globe Thistles at any stage. In Calgary, we have seen them growing wild at one of the natural areas (can't think of the name of the place, as it's not a place we normally go to). Not sure, but I believe this is Echinops ritro. "Echinops ( /ˈɛkɨnɒps/) is a genus of about 120 species of thistles in the daisy family Asteraceae, commonly known as globe thistles. They are native to Europe east to central Asia and south to the mountains of tropical Africa." From Wikipedia. There were also quite a few distant small birds flitting from tree to tree at one point They were impossible to see well enough to get photos or IDs - - a little Hermit Thrush was the only bird I managed to photograph. I also noticed a Jack Rabbit in the Garden and then, when I drove through the adjoining cemetery, it or another one was running in among the gravestones. When it saw my car coming, it froze and waited till I had moved on.

Note: This is NOT my main photo of the three (i.e. the very last photo posted) I'm posting today! The Great Gray Owl is my main photo. Flickr is messing up yet AGAIN, showing my photos in a different order from what I post when some people look at them, which drives me nuts! Often, my second and third photos are much poorer quality (sometimes downright awful, lol), so that is what people see if they have Flickr set to show only one photo from each Contact, instead of what is usually the best of my 'daily three'. They are always displayed in the right order on my photostream (when I look at them). On 16 September 2015, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden after my volunteer shift. There seemed to be more flowers in bloom than on my previous visit. I thought the plant in this photo was quite attractive with its pinkish, heavily veined leaves (or are they bracts?). With help, it looks like it is a Salvia, possibly Salvia viridis. There were also quite a few distant small birds flitting from tree to tree at one point They were impossible to see well enough to get photos or IDs - - a little Hermit Thrush was the only bird I managed to photograph. I also noticed a Jack Rabbit in the Garden and then, when I drove through the adjoining cemetery, it or another one was running in among the gravestones. When it saw my car coming, it froze and waited till I had moved on.

On 16 September 2015, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden after my volunteer shift. There seemed to be more flowers in bloom than on my previous visit, including a couple of these Cosmos flowers. Also quite a few distant small birds flitting from tree to tree at one point They were impossible to see well enough to get photos or IDs, though, except for a beautiful little Hermit Thrush. I had noticed a Jack Rabbit in the garden and then, when I drove through the adjoining cemetery, it or another one was running in among the gravestones. When it saw my car coming, it froze and waited till I had moved on. "Cosmos is a genus, with the same common name of Cosmos, consisting of flowering plants in the sunflower family. It is native to scrub and meadowland in Mexico where most of the species occur, as well as the United States, as far north as the Olympic Pennsula in Washington, Central America, and to South America as far south as Paraguay. The genus includes several ornamental plants popular in gardens." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos_ (plant)

On 16 September 2015, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden after my volunteer shift. There seemed to be more flowers in bloom than on my previous visit. Also quite a few distant small birds flitting from tree to tree at one point They were impossible to see well enough to get photos or IDs, though. I always love to see this tall plant, whether growing wild or in a garden. There are so many species and I'm not sure which one this is. My guess would be that it is Verbascum thapsus (Great or Common Mullein). Interesting to see the hairy stamens. Verbascum, common name mullein (also known as velvet plant), is a genus of about 360 species of flowering plants in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. They are native to Europe and Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean. Mullein or "mullein leaf" often refers to the leaves of Verbascum thapsus, the great or common mullein, which is frequently used in herbal medicine." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbascum en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbascum_thapsus