Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: succulent

This was our weather over the weekend of 27 and 28 April 2019, when Calgary was under a Winter Storm Warning. More snow tomorrow, 30 April? Whatever happened to spring?! "Hazardous winter conditions are expected. Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow." Early evening, wow, we have such a snowstorm - almost total white-out, with blowing snow! I don't know how anyone can see to drive. I don't look forward to looking out of my window in the morning." Still trying to catch up with various recent photos taken locally, before getting back to sorting and editing images from Day 5 of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas. I think I have just one more outing from a few days ago to edit and upload, then I should be ready to get back to South Texas. The 18 photos I have just posted early this afternoon were taken on a day's drive south of the city on 18 April 2019 - same day as I saw the Mountain Bluebirds in my previous batch. On 18 April 2019, I had to move my car out of the parking lot between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm, so that the lot could be cleaned (dried mud and gravel from all the months of winter). This meant I would have to find something to do for all those hours, so a drive out of the city made the most sense. The morning started off with looking for a Mountain Bluebird or two. I saw several and was lucky enough to get a few photos of both the male and female. Though the male is much more colourful, I always think the female has her own beauty. The only other birds I saw and photographed were a Rough-legged Hawk and a Tree Swallow. The latter was giving the Bluebird pair a rough time, often going close to the Bluebird nesting box and causing the male to come in for the attack. Much as I love Tree Swallows, too, they can easily go to a nearby empty box and build their nest there. In fact, two boxes are supposed to be placed close together for this very reason. As it was still so early in the day, the thought of an early lunch at the Saskatoon Farm came into my mind. I thought I knew the way to get there, going eastwards. However, it took me ages to find the way, as roads have two numbers/names and this is so confusing. I then remembered that this had happened to me in this area once before, ages ago. Eventually, I did get as far as the Farm, where I enjoyed their delicious quiche. A short wander round the grounds gave me a few photo opportunities, but the gardens have not yet been planted with all their flowers. Still too early to return home, so I drove a bit further south and made a quick visit to Frank Lake. So much water around the blind and practically no birds. A number in the far distance, but a Canada Goose and a couple of Coots were the only ones near the blind. Things will get much better as time goes by. It was also very windy.

Adding this note on 27 April 2019. What is going on with Flickr??? Most of people's images (including mine) have disappeared and the remaining ones are totally blurry when clicked on. I see that staff are aware of this very unpleasant issue, so hopefully all will return to normal VERY quickly. Second note: Calgary is under a Winter Storm Warning. Hazardous winter conditions are expected. Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow." The snow hasn't arrived here yet ..... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am done with Gulls and Terns, at least from Day 4 of our 13-day trip. The 13 photos I have just posted very late tonight were all taken at Bishop City Park, on our way to Kingsville. Just a handful more photos and I will be able to start on Day 5, which was a day trip to the enormous King Ranch. One of the highlights of that day was seeing a pair of Ferruginous Pygmy Owls, at the end of our private tour of the Ranch, as well as some new birds for us, such as the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and the Vermilion Flycatcher. Perhaps the highlight for me was when I caught sight of a little Texas horned lizard near my feet, something I had longed to see for a few years. As far as animals go, two nice sightings were a Javelina/Collared Peccary and six exotic Nilgai antelope from India that had been imported to the King Ranch in 1930. We only got a fleeting glimpse of their rear ends as they raced away through the trees. Day 4, 22 March, of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas, 19-31 March 2019, was a day of birding and also driving from Rockport, where we had stayed for three nights, to Kingsville. Earlier in the day, we had spent time at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Centre/the Port Aransas Nature Preserve. We loved this great Birding Centre, getting great views of the various bird species, looking down from the new boardwalk that has been built after Hurricane Harvey destroyed the previous one in 2017. Lots of birds; even a huge Alligator. We spent some time on the beach at Mustang Island State Park, watching and listening to the Laughing Gulls. They are such fun to watch and to photograph. The Royal Terns are so beautiful, always looking quite regal in their posture. At one point, a man started feeding the Gulls down the beach, and they swarmed over and around him. Managed to get a couple of distant shots. After our short walk along this beach, we continued our drive towards Kingville, where we were going to spend two nights at the Hampton Inn. We had time to stop at Bishop City Park before we reached Kingsville. We saw several Aloe vera plants growing when we walked around the large duck pond. I think the first time I saw these succulents was at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago in 2017. Quite spectacular. We did see a Northern Rough-winged Swallow there and a Couch's Kingbird. "Bishop’s City Park is located just west of the U.S. Highway 77 Bypass on South Birch Avenue and features a community center, two baseball fields for little league and high school baseball, a covered basketball court and a large lot for recreational activities. In addition, the City Park also offers visitors a 0.6 mile hiking trail and a 9.1 acre lake in which waterfowl are frequent visitors. Several families of ducks and geese have also made their home under the park’s two observation decks built out over the lake." www.bishoptx.com/our-community/parks/#prettyPhoto

The last but one time that I visited the Calgary Zoo was on 6 October 2015. I used to go fairly often, but my usual parking lot and Zoo entrance then closed for the winter. Since then, road construction and bridge replacement have been going on, but have now been completed. The drive to the north entrance of the Zoo is definitely out of my driving comfort zone, so I had been waiting for this day for a long time. June 26th 2018 was THE day - for me and for half the people in the city!! It was packed! I had decided to go before schools close for the summer. However, I suspect some schools had end-of-term Zoo visits on this day. Also, when I checked the weather forecast, rain was in the forecast for the next six days, so I knew i needed to go straight away. My visit only covered about half the Zoo, as I usually spend a lot of time in the Conservatory, enjoying the plants and tropical butterflies. My daughter had taken a photo of a gigantic lily pad, Victoria Water Lily / Victoria amazonica, and I really wanted to see it. There were three or four of these in a tiny pool. I love the pattern on the underside of the upturned edge of each lily pad, I didn't see a huge variety of butterfly species that day, but there were enough to keep me happily clicking for a while. They vary from day to day, as new butterflies emerge from their chrysalises.. My intention had not been to visit the newly arrived Panda family, as I was sure there would be an extremely long line-up. However, I could see that there was no line-up at all and I was able to just walk in, which was great. How lucky we are to have these four amazing animals visit our Zoo. They were in an inside enclosure, full of plants - and Bamboo, of course. I'm not sure how many hours a day these animals sleep, but two of the three that could be seen slept for part of the time I was there. Had to smile at the very uncomfortable positions in which they slept. Part of the enclosure has glass, which made it almost impossible to get photos without the reflections of the crowds of people. The Bactrian Camel had recently given birth to a baby, named Gobi - such a cute little thing. No sign of the Red Pandas when I passed their enclosure. One of the birds I love to see - though these birds tend to hide! - is the amazing Himalayan Monal. The male, especially, takes my breath away each time I see it. A few hours well spent happily clicking. Hopefully, it won't be almost three years before my next visit, though the west entrance does close each winter. It felt so good to once again be back in a place full of colour and interest.

I think I have the correct ID for this Sedum plant., but I could easily be wrong. We found it growing on the rocky area along the left hand side of Crandell Lake, on 21 June 2015. I was so lucky to be invited to join friends Sandy and Heide on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, from 19-21 (inclusive) June 2015. We met up with other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council for their annual Botany Alberta weekend. Most people who attended stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground, a 5.6 km drive east of the Waterton Park Gate on Highway 5, but my friends and I stayed at the Crandell Mountain Lodge on the edge of Waterton town. The ANPC people had a list of species that they hoped to find, and they were very successful. Our stay down south overlapped the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival, but we came across very few people on our various drives and hikes. Needless to say, I was extremely fortunate to spend three days with people who are very knowledgeable about plants (and other things). This meant that I got to see many wildflower species, including several that were new to me, such as the gorgeous Mariposa Lily. It was one of the flowers that was on my Wish List - and there were hundreds of them to be seen! I had also never seen Mountain Lady's Slipper or the spectacular Bear Grass, and I was so thrilled that there were still several plants of the latter in bloom. Absolutely made my day! Our two main hikes of the weekend were the Bertha Lake Trail as far as the Bertha Falls (on 20 June), and the Crandell Lake Trail (on 21 June). Makes me smile when a described "short, easy hike" in a book or on the Internet turns into a full day of exploration along the trail, taking hours to reach the destination, though returning to the cars in a much shorter time. Our walks/hikes are very slow-paced with endless stops to look at/for plants and to take photos. This makes it possible for me to go along. Crandell Lake from the Crandell Campground trailhead: Return distance 4.0 km (2.4 miles), elevation gain 150 metres (492'), hiking time 1.5 hours (we took about 5 hours and then went to Red Rock Canyon afterwards). Bertha Falls from the townsite trailhead: Return distance 5.6 km (3.4 miles), elevation gain 150 metres (492'), hiking time 1.5 hours (again, we took all day). For me, this hike felt much further than it was! The wind made photographing plants a real challenge, including the beautiful Mariposa Lilies in the meadow along the Hay Barn road. Though I took plenty of photos, I wasn't sure that I would end up with any that were sharp enough. Trying to catch a quick shot when a flower is blowing in and out of the viewfinder is not easy! Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to get down and take macro shots (my lens needs to be about 4" away from the subject), so my photos have to be telemacro unless the flower is at eye-level. Thank you so much, Sandy and Heide, for a great three-day trip in such spectacular scenery, surrounded by amazing nature. The wildflowers were top priority, but I was so happy to also see insects, scenery and even a bit of wildlife that included a very distant female Grizzly with a cub from last year and two Black Bears, one of which was along the Crandell Lake trail at the same time we were there. This was my very first time ever seeing the wildflowers of Waterton - a great experience.

An old photo, taken on 1st September 2005. This was the first time I had ever seen this brilliantly coloured wild plant. It was growing high up in the mountains, on a hike at Ptarmigan Cirque in Kananaskis. This plant grows on moist alpine scree slopes and rocky outcrops. LOL, today, we are in the middle of a major snowstorm!

Common names of this succulent include Baby Sun Rose and Heart Leaf Ice Plant. Photographed at the Calgary Zoo on 21 August 2012.

Is this Lantana? Couldn't resist the soft shades of pink on this beautiful cluster. Taken at the Calgary Zoo, ENMAX Conservatory on February 17th. Sorry, everyone, I think I meant Kalanchoe! Guess I was in too much of a rush very early this morning, as I knew I had little time to get ready to drive part way across the city to go on on a three-hour walk with photographer friends and some birding friends at Griffith Woods. The sun finally came out and it turned into such a beautiful, sunny morning. I'd forgotten just how good sunshine and blue sky felt! Very few birds, and no wildlife other than several Red Squirrels. After this walk, we drove to the far end of the park to check for a Great Horned Owl. No sign of an owl, but I did spot a very distant Pileated Woodpecker.

This is a low-growing plant that seems to like growing on rock, in a large, dense mass. Only a very small flower, too, so this image is obviously zoomed in. I just loved the bright yellow against the deep blue sky - and consequently have given a false idea of what this plant is like and where it grows : ) Sorry, everyone, was out all morning, then had a volunteer shift this afternoon, and now I am about to dash out to see a gentleman's cactus garden this evening. I have a long day's hike tomorrow to botanize a new area. Will catch up with you as soon as I can : )

I was thrilled to see a few tiny clumps of Roseroot yesterday, high up on scree on a hike at Ptarmigan Cirque in Kananaskis, Rocky Mountains! This plant is in the Stonecrop family, is native, and grows June-July. It grows on moist alpine scree slopes and rocky outcrops. A very attractive succulent.

Oh, boy, I think I dazzled my own eyes as I scrolled down on this image, LOL! These very pretty Echeveria succulent flowers caught my eye when we visited a gentleman's cactus garden here in the city. He lovingly brings in all his pots of cacti each winter and then digs holes and puts them all back outside each summer. He kindly allowed us to return again recently and proudly showed us each and every one of his plants. He is an elderly man and I think either one or two of my friends have offered to help him with this massive task that has become too overwhelming for him to do on his own. Sorry the actual quality of this cropped photo isn't better - grainy doesn't begin to describe it, LOL - but I needed something bright on this gloomy, wet day..

An attractive succulent photographed at the Calgary Zoo. Not sure, but I think that all the "hairs" help to take up as much moisture from dew as possible.

I thought these three colours of Kalanchoe looked so pretty, growing together in the Arid Room at the Calgary Zoo's Conservatory.