Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: 27 June 2017

On 27 June 2017, I visited the Reader Rock Garden. The sun was shining and, for the first time in quite a while, it wasn't windy, just a very slight breeze. I used to love going to this garden, usually after I had been volunteering in the same part of the city. Since I stopped volunteering (after a volunteer 'career' of 37 years at various places!), I haven't been going. On 27 June, I decided that I had better go, or the plants would be in seed before too long. I always enjoy seeing these unusual Astrantia flowers with their sharp, pointed bracts that give the flower a star shape. "Astrantia is a genus of herbaceous plants in the family Apiaceae, endemic to Central, Eastern and Southern Europe and the Caucasus. There are 8 or 9 species, which have aromatic roots, palmate leaves, and decorative flowers. They are commonly known as great masterwort or masterwort which may also refer to other plants, particularly the unrelated Peucedanum ostruthium. The genus name derived from the Latin 'aster' meaning star and this refers to the open star-shaped floral bracts of the plant. The astrantia has many common garden names including melancholy gentleman, masterwort and Hattie's pincushion." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrantia

On 27 June 2017, I visited the Reader Rock Garden . The sun was shining and, for the first time in quite a while, it wasn't windy, just a very slight breeze. I used to love going to this garden, usually after I had been volunteering in the same part of the city. Since I stopped volunteering (after a volunteer 'career' of 37 years at various places!), I haven't been going. On 27 June, I decided that I had better go, or the plants would be in seed before too long. As it was, most of the lily flowers were either dead or on their last legs and no good for photographs. I love Poppies at all their stages - bud, flower and seedpod. I don't usually see them at this in-between stage, though. Today, 23 August 2017, we are back to hot weather again, after maybe a couple of weeks of wonderful, cooler temperatures. This afternoon, the temperature is 30C. It looks like we still have some coming hot days before the weather cools a few degrees.

On 27 June 2017, I visited the Reader Rock Garden . The sun was shining and, for the first time in quite a while, it wasn't windy, just a very slight breeze. I used to love going to this garden, usually after I had been volunteering in the same part of the city. Since I stopped volunteering (after a volunteer 'career' of 37 years at various places!), I haven't been going. On 27 June, I decided that I had better go, or the plants would be in seed before too long. As it was, most of the lily flowers were either dead or on their last legs and no good for photographs. I always enjoy the colour and shape of these flowers when I see them. Sadly, our growing season in Calgary is so short.

I wasn't going to post any photos this morning, as I knew I had to set my alarm clocks for 5:00 am. Annoyingly, I woke up some time before the alarms went off, so I decided to quickly edit a couple of photos to add. This one was taken at the Reader Rock Garden on 27 June 2017. This bright and cheery flower is called Globe Flower or Globeflower. "Trollius is a genus of about 30 species of plants in the family Ranunculaceae, closely related to Ranunculus. The common name of some species is globeflower or globe flower. Native to the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest diversity of species in Asia, trollius usually grow in heavy, wet clay soils. All trollius species are poisonous to cattle and other livestock when fresh, but their acrid taste means they are usually left uneaten. They are, however, used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Silver-ground Carpet." From Wikipedia.

Just in case ipernity does not continue, I and all my photos can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott . I love Lilies and was happy to find two flowers to photograph when I visited the Reader Rock Garden on 27 June 2017. The sun was shining and, for the first time in quite a while, it wasn't windy, just a very slight breeze. I used to love going to this garden, usually after I had been volunteering in the same part of the city. Since I stopped volunteering (after a volunteer 'career' of 37 years!), I haven't been going. Two days ago, I decided that I had better go, or the plants would be in seed before too long. As it was, most of the lily flowers were either dead or on their last legs and no good for photographs. "Lilium martagon (martagon lily or Turk's cap lily is a Eurasian species of lily. It has a widespread native region extending from Portugal east through Europe and Asia as far east as Mongolia. The flower colour is typically a pink-purple, with dark spots, but is quite variable, extending from near white to near black. The flowers are scented. Numerous flowers are borne on each plant, and up to 50 can be found on vigorous plants. Lilium martagon, like many in the genus, is highly toxic to cats and ingestion often leads to fatal renal failure; households and gardens which are visited by cats are strongly advised against keeping this plant or placing dried flowers where a cat may brush against them and become dusted with pollen which they then consume while cleaning." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium_martagon

Wow, mid-afternoon today, 28 June 2017, thunder, lightning and heavy rain just blew in! Lightning Alert is in effect. Temperature is 17C. So glad I went to the Reader Rock Garden yesterday, not today. It is always a joy to see these Himalayan Blue Poppies growing at Reader Rock Garden, and I was happy to find them in bloom yesterday, 27 June 2017. The sun was shining and, for the first time in quite a while, it wasn't windy, just a very slight breeze. I used to love going to this garden, usually after I had been volunteering in the same part of the city. Since I stopped volunteering (after a volunteer 'career' of 37 years!), I haven't been going. Yesterday, I decided I had better go, or the plants would be in seed before too long. "Blue Himalayan Poppies are one of the most impressive plants for the shade garden. Plants form a rosette of hairy leaves, bearing large satiny flowers in an amazing shade of true blue. These are not always easy to please, demanding an evenly moist, rich soil and cool woodland conditions. Plants are not long lived, typically flowering in the second or third year, setting seed, then dying out. Gardeners in hot summer climates seldom succeed with these plants, yet they are surprisingly tolerant of cold winter conditions." www.perennials.com/plants/meconopsis-betonicifolia.html

Yesterday, 27 June 2017, the sun was shining and, for the first time in quite a while, it wasn't windy, just a very slight breeze. I used to love going to this garden, usually after I had been volunteering in the same part of the city. Since I stopped volunteering (after a volunteer 'career' of 37 years at several places!), I haven't been going. Yesterday, I decided I had better go, or the plants would be in seed before too long. I discovered that the usual gravel road that I take, leading down to the bottom of the Garden, was closed yesterday afternoon - maybe road repairs? Or maybe it was connected to the fact that the nearby Stampede Grounds must be getting ready for the start of Stampede Week here in the city. I was too late for the beautiful Showy Lady's-slippers, and the area where the Snake's Head Fritillary / Fritillaria meleagris used to grow had been dug over, for some improvement reason. However, there were plenty of other species to enjoy and photograph, including this White Admiral butterfly that landed on a Cow Parsnip flower. "The White Admiral is a widespread common to abundant species found across Canada. It is found as far north as the tree line. There are two generations each year, one on the wing from June to August and a later one in September. They are typically encountered sunning themselves on roads and clearings in wooded areas. (Layberry et al, 1998)." From insectsofalberta.com. www.insectsofalberta.com/whiteadmiral_4.htm