Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Asterales

Rudbeckias are one of my favourite garden flowers to photograph, and I look forward to seeing them each year in the gardens at the Calgary Zoo. This photo was from my archives, taken on 8 September 2011. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudbeckia ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A vibrant Strawflower from the archives, taken on 5 October 2009. This morning, the sun is actually shining, but in Calgary, you never know what will be happening in a few minutes' time : ) I think this orange-red flower is a cultivar. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerochrysum_bracteatum Yes, folks, it's spring, but you'd never guess it! The sun finally came out yesterday afternoon and I made a spur of the moment decision to go and check out a pond in SW Calgary, to see if it was open water. No, it was still frozen over, but I did catch an American Robin feeding on the ground nearby. Also saw two pairs of Canada Geese along the edge of the pond. I then thought that, seeing as I had driven this far, I might as well go further and see if I could see any sign of a Northern Hawk Owl that a few people had seen recently. Nothing, of course, but I took a few shots of the ice that was covering the trees and shrubs. Having come this far from the city, I reckoned that I might as well try another place I enjoy. By the time I had reached my furthest point, the dark clouds had rolled in and it began to snow! Wishful thinking took over, and sure enough, it worked again! Found myself a Great Gray Owl : ) The falling snowflakes created white, blurry blobs in many of my photos, but I picked out a few that are OK. So glad I decided to push myself out the front door.

After a three-hour walk along the south shore of the Glenmore Reservoir yesterday morning, and seeing around 10,000 birds out on the water (at a great distance, so no good for photos), I found something to photograph back at the parking lot : ) A row of tall Sunflowers, still beautiful with their withered and drooping golden petals, and each one wearing a cap of snow. Now, if I had photographed them today, there would be around 6 or 7 inches of snow on them!! I had no idea that these beautiful flowers had been growing there. Taken in atrocious light, so I'm glad that a few of the photos came out OK. Still snowing, too. I am so thankful that I don't have to go out today, though it will probably be even worse when I do have to go out for my volunteer shift tomorrow, ha.

Though this wildflower tends to be seen everywhere, I love seeing it. This flower head is still at the "tubular" stage, which I think is my favourite time to see them. Eventually, the tubes will split open. Photographed this one on our wonderful day of botanizing at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, Spruce View, Alberta.

This beautiful Gaillardia wildflower was a popular plant as far as these very tiny insects (Thrips - thanks Lynette!) were concerned. These large flower heads are always a joy to see, adding such bright splashes of yellow to any walk in our natural areas. I photographed this one (and a few others) in Weaselhead on 18 July 2012. "Thrips (Order Thysanoptera) are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings (thus the scientific name, from the Greek thysanos (fringe) + pteron (wing)[citation needed]). Other common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, thunderblights, and corn lice. Thrips species feed on a large variety of sources, both plant and animal, by puncturing them and sucking up the contents. A large number of thrips species are considered pests, because they feed on plants with commercial value. Some species of thrips feed on other insects or mites and are considered beneficial, while some feed on fungal spores or pollen. So far around 5,000 species have been described. Thrips are generally tiny (1 mm long or less) and are not good flyers, although they can be carried long distances by the wind. In the right conditions, many species can exponentially increase in population size and form large swarms, making them an irritation to humans." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia_aristata