Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Ornamental Spurge

On 27 April 2016, I had a volunteer shift and afterwards, as the sun was peeping through the clouds, I decided to call in at the Reader Rock Garden. There was a reasonable number of plants in bloom. I wasn't sure if I was going to be too early or too late for Tulips, especially as this year has so far been most unusual, weatherwise. There was also a bush of gorgeous pink Hellebore flowers, hanging their heads as they tend to do. The Ornamental Spurge was in bloom, attractive as always. So different rfrom the Leafy Spurge that has taken over so many of our natural areas. There was enough colour and variety of plants to make this visit worthwhile. "Spurges belong to the quite large Euphorbia genus of plants that contains 2,000 different species, some of which are highly ornamental, and some of which are weeds with little cultivated value. They all, however, are characterized by a lack of true flower petals or sepals, but have instead brightly colored modified leaves known as bracts, which look just like flowers. The most well-known member of this group is the poinsettia, whose red "flowers" are in fact the showy bracts of an ornamental spurge." www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/spurge

Update on the massive wildfire in the Fort McMurray area: "On May 1, 2016, a wildfire began southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. On May 3, it swept through the community, destroying approximately 2,400 homes and buildings and forcing the largest wildfire evacuation in Albertan history. As of May 17, it continues to spread across northern Alberta, consuming forested areas and impacting Athabasca oil sands operations. It may become the costliest disaster in Canadian history. .... While the fire had moved away from Fort McMurray, explosions and poor air quality continued to prevent residents and rebuilding crews from returning to the town. The wildfire is still burning and is expected to take months to contain and extinguish." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Fort_McMurray_wildfire www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/the-fort-mcmurray-di... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yesterday, 18 May 2016, I went to what was most likely my last volunteer shift. I have been volunteering there for about 18 years and it has been a wonderful experience. However, as the number of clients constantly rises, even more so with the poor state of the economy, the problem of parking has become a real issue. Though we have to park on the nearby street, usually at the very far end of it, I now find that each time I go, I have to park further and further away. There is no sidewalk on which to walk and there are many huge trucks coming and going all the time. Makes for a dangerous walk. In winter, it will be even worse. I always walk in pain and yesterday was, I think, the final straw, when I had to park even further away. I have been volunteering at several places for the last 36 or so years, so I know I will miss it, but I was just not enjoying the long walk and always wondering if I was even going to be able to find a parking spot. I know I will miss good friends there, terribly. Anyway, after my shift, I thought I had better call in at the Reader Rock Garden, in case I don't get over there for a long time. I wasn't sure about the weather and I did feel the odd raindrop, plus it was rather windy. However, the scent around the garden was wonderful - I could have stayed there for hours, just breathing it in. Plenty of flowers to enjoy. The few workers do such a great job of keeping this place looking beautiful. If you visit and you happen to see one of the staff or volunteers, do let them know how much you appreciate all their hard work and care. I know they would appreciate it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip