Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: lichens

Three mornings ago, on 30 June 2019, I woke up earlier than usual. Once I was on my computer, I checked the weather forecast and saw raindrop icons in the forecast for the next week, but the 30th was for sun. I knew what I had to do! Luckily, I had a tank full of gas, so I grabbed both cameras and a snack or two, and headed out the door. I must be the only person who hadn't been to Kananaskis recently and taken photos of the tiny Pikas (Rock Rabbits), and that was my destination. Last weekend was a long weekend for Canada Day, and my plan had been to keep off the roads, as I was sure they would be busy, making it more difficult to stop whenever I wanted, to take a photo or two. However, when I saw the weather forecast, it changed my mind. Sunshine, blue sky with clouds, made it a perfect day to be out - I'm sure you agreed, Bonnie : ) A day in Kananaskis is always great, but sometimes 'great' turns out to be fantastic! Can't believe how lucky I was, not just in the mountains, but on the journey there and, at the end of the day, calling in at my 'usual' area closer to home. I suspect the Pika is most people's favourite - around 6 inches long and almost impossible to see against the mountainside of broken rocks that are the same colour as the Pika's fur. Starting to believe that maybe I was going to be out of luck, the first one appeared, racing in and out and over and between the endless, sharp rocks. Take your eyes off the animal and you stand a good chance of not being able to find it again. Then a second one appeared, a baby. It perched itself on top of a rock and simply stayed there for a few minutes. Several of my photos show the eyes closing slightly. However, eventually it did move, and off it went. When it appeared not too far away, I caught sight of it and thought at first it was a mouse, ha. So tiny! While I was searching for a Pika, a herd of Bighorn Sheep had come down the massive mountain side and, as they usually do, gathered right in the middle of the road to lick salt left by vehicles. After quite a time, there was an almighty BOOM that startled me and a handful of others. We hadn't noticed a Park's truck arrive, armed with 'bangers' to make the Sheep move from the road. Once the Park's person had left, the Sheep returned to the road. There were several young ones along with the females. It will take me ages to go through my photos, especially having to combine two cameras, but lots of images can wait till winter. More important, to me, is to continue editing and posting the remaining Texas photos, if/when I get time to do so. I suspect that, too, might end up being a winter project.

A few days ago, I started on photos taken during the week friends and I spent in Quebec, 12-18 May 2018. Some photos were taken in the small, coastal village of Tadoussac itself, others were taken in the wonderful garden of the home in which we stayed all week, and the rest were taken on several drives we made further along the coast. Unfortunately, so many of my garden bird photos will have to be deleted, as there was no room for me right by the window, so I had to take the shots from further inside the room and that definitely did not work! The one morning, I made sure that I got to the window first and was able to get some reasonable images : ) For many of them, I used my Panasonic FZ1000, which only has a small zoom, but I like the quality of images taken with it. I had to give up trying to use the faulty Nikon B700 (prism in viewfinder was out of place) - I was just wasting precious time and photo opportunities, and ending up with ruined photos (camera was since returned and money refunded). Though I prefer a more natural setting, I am happy to take fence or feeder shots if they mean I can see the beautiful details of the birds up close. Link to my album (358 images) about Point Pelee and area, Ontario: www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677 At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. Several trips were made to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )

Fall began just 10 days ago but "winter" arrived this morning, 2 October! Maybe five or six inches of the white stuff so far. I have an appointment this afternoon to go and get my snow tires put on - the snow beat me by just a few hours. Our temperature is -3C (windchill -7C) and we are under a Snowfall Warning. On 28 August 2018, I drove SW of the city to Highway 40 and through Kananaskis. Almost a month later, on 25 September 2018, I did part of the drive again on the spur of the moment, after waking up and seeing sunshine, which seems to happen so rarely these days. I thought this might just be my last chance to see fall colours and, if I was lucky, a little Pika. A good thing I did go, now that snow has arrived. Sometimes, one is out of luck, but I was able to get a few Pika photos, mainly more distant shots. It was a relief to find that there was no snow on the ground, as walking on a talus slope that is also covered in snow and ice is really treacherous. These little Pikas/Rock Rabbits are only 6-9 inches long and are usually seen far away, running back and forth over the massive scree (talus) mountain slope that they call home. Very occasionally, one happens to come a bit closer, usually for just a quick moment. "The American Pika is a generalist herbivore. It eats a large variety of green plants, including different kinds of grasses, sedges, thistles and fireweed. Although pikas can meet their water demands from the vegetation they eat, they do drink water if it is available in their environment. Pikas have two different ways of foraging: they directly consume food (feeding) or they cache food in haypiles to use for a food source in the winter (haying). The pika feeds throughout the year while haying is limited to the summer months. Since they do not hibernate, pikas have greater energy demands than other montane mammals. In addition, they also make 13 trips per hour to collect vegetation when haying, up to a little over 100 trips per day." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_pika A couple of short YouTube videos in case anyone wants to hear and see these absolutely cute creatures: youtu.be/OQ2IgcjVIfc youtu.be/US_Hy_eGPtg

This fallen log seems to be getting a good working over by various species of lichen, too. Today, 12 August 2018, has been a smoky day with much cooler temperatures. We even had a tiny spot of rain. Two days ago, on 10 August, it got up to 36.4C, which made it the hottest day EVER recorded in Calgary! The previous record was 36.1C in 1919. On top of the heat, the smoke from wildfires has been making the heat even more unbearable, as well as producing poor visibility - and poor air quality. Functioning in the heat, without air-conditioning, is not my strong point : ) Back to the bio-blitz on Lisa Harbinson' property for my photos tonight. I have just added six extra photos. I really need to get the rest of my suitable shots taken that day edited and posted, so that I can send her the link to my album. The area we visited on 7 August was an 80-acre site near Bottrel, NW of Calgary. The site consisted of mostly open, low, hilly, ungrazed land, with a few Aspens and Spruce, and willows around three ponds (two of which were dry). On 25 May 2018, four people had visited this site for the first time - I had been unable to go, as I was spending the day with my daughter. The original visit was the result of the owners winning a free bioblitz at a Silent Auction, in connection with the Ghost Valley Community. A great idea and always a win-win situation, with the land owners learning a lot about what is found on their land, and the leader and participants enjoying a much-appreciated visit to a different location. We were very lucky to see an adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with two juveniles. I rarely see one of these birds, but love to see the neat rows of small holes that they make on a tree trunk. Did you know that photographing mushrooms can be dangerous? I believe I knew this already and I was reminded of this on this bioblitz. Towards the end of our hike, I stopped to photograph a not particularly photogenic mushroom that was growing on a very slight incline. I took one step back to focus better and lost my balance - not sure if my foot went down into a shallow hole or if I was tripped up by one of the many very small, short tree stumps. Whatever the cause, I did a most inelegant, slow-motion fall backwards, hitting my head hard on the ground, surrounded by my friends. Because I was wearing a backpack, I think this resulted in some whiplash, with my head falling back. It was not pleasant to drive anywhere the next day, especially each time I had to start off when traffic lights turned green. The muscles all around my neck and my shoulders are painful, but hopefully it will clear up before too long.

I don't remember the weather forecast saying that we would be getting snow today, 28 October 2016 - I'm sure it only said rain. Anyway, it's snowing again this morning, with a temperature of 0°C (32°F) and windchill -2°C (28°F). Usually, I don't have three long day outings within five days, except during the Christmas Bird Counts, but two days ago, I was lucky enough to go with friends, Shirley and Anne, for a day's outing SW and SE of the city. We had a very early start, 7:00 am, and drove west of the city to start with, driving to the far end of Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66). While at Elbow Falls, we saw a pair of American Dippers flying from rock to rock. They were vocalizing, too, which I had never heard before. Though there seemed to be very few birds to be seen all day, we were so lucky to see a total of four Moose - two at each of two different locations SW of the city. It is always nice to see a Moose, and to see four in one day was a real treat. The second two were fairly young ones, and I took this quick shot while photographing these youngsters. From Elbow Falls Trail, we drove down through the Millarville area and finally ended up east of High River. We found one of the Great Horned Owls that everyone had been following earlier in the year, along with a nearby little American Tree Sparrow. We did see a few Hawks, including a Rough-legged Hawk on a hay bale and a very dark morph Hawk later in the day. A great day, ladies - thank you so much for inviting me along and thanks so much, Shirley, for driving! Greatly appreciated. So glad we didn't have today's weather instead!

Generosity comes in all shapes and sizes. On 30 July 2016, six of us from Calgary had the honour of meeting a 92-year-old gentleman who has lived most of his long life on a huge area (380 hectares, 939 acres) of beautiful land near Hanna, in east central Alberta. Though Gottlob Schmidt (known as Schmitty) has now moved into town (Hanna), he is not far from his beloved land and still loves to spend a lot of time there. My friends and I understand why. This untouched land is not only beautiful to the eye, with its undulating hills with small, scattered pockets of Aspen woodland, but it also hides all sorts of natural treasures, including the wildlife that enjoys this native grassland. There are so few areas of native grassland left in Alberta, so each one is very precious. Schmitty told us that he has never seen his land looking so green! Perhaps not too surprising, as we have had so much rain recently, usually accompanied by thunderstorms. In fact, the rain started on our return journey to Calgary and I was driving from our meeting place back to my house in torrential rain. I found a good scattering of small hailstones covering my lawn, too. This is where the word 'generosity' comes in. Two years ago, Schmitty donated all his land to Alberta Parks, along with certain strict regulations (listed on a link below) on how the land was to be used, such as no hunting, no camping, no motorized vehicles. He was very warmly recognized for his extreme generosity. The Park is known as Antelope Hill Provincial Park and, when Schmitty is no longer able to visit and enjoy his old, family homestead, the Park will be opened to the public. For now, it remains his own, private property. The highlight for us was meeting Schmitty himself. I can only hope that I might be lucky enough to be in half his shape if I ever reached that age! It was an absolute delight to spend a little time with this man with the big heart, when we first arrived and again later in the day, when it was time for us to head back to Calgary. We also got to meet Schmitty's good neighbours, Donna and Ken. www.albertaparks.ca/media/5788002/antelope-hill-pp-fact-s... calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/you-can-thank-this-man-... www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIVVBdkoUVY&feature=youtu.be My friends (specialists in mosses, lichens and liverworts and other things) and I, were given permission to spend the day there, to list all our findings. One of the first things that caught their eye was an old fence that was covered in lichens. Our time was spent climbing one main hill and walking part way around it, calling in at several of the small areas of Aspen woodland. This is where we saw a lovely display of Amanita muscaria / Fly agaric mushrooms, hidden amongst the trees. These were the other highlight for me! It is quite rare that we come across one of these Amanita Muscaria mushrooms, and it is so exciting and such a treat when we do! Of course, it's just a "fungi nut" talking, ha. They are so attractive, especially at the earlier stage when the cap is like a round ball, covered in white flecks, but also poisonous! "A large conspicuous mushroom, Amanita muscaria is generally common and numerous where it grows, and is often found in groups with basidiocarps in all stages of development. Fly agaric fruiting bodies emerge from the soil looking like a white egg, covered in the white warty material of the universal veil... Amanita muscaria poisoning occurs in either young children or people ingesting it to have a hallucinogenic experience... A fatal dose has been calculated at an amount of 15 caps. Deaths from this fungus A. muscaria have been reported in historical journal articles and newspaper reports. However, with modern medical treatment a fatal outcome because of the poison of this mushroom would be extremely rare." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria Various plants were good to see, too, including about four Prairie Crocuses that were still in bloom. I hadn't seen Skeletonweed for a long time, but there were quite a few small clusters of it. A new plant to me was a tall one with white flowers - the drought-resistant, fragrant White Evening Primrose. The occasional gorgeous wild Rose made a bright splash of colour, too. Of course, for me, any visit to a ranch would not be complete without wandering by any old barn/shed/cabin. Another find was a beautiful, old, glass doorknob on one of the sheds. On our return walk back to the cars, I suddenly spotted a huge, green caterpillar on the trail. A Tomato hornworm. It had been years since I saw any kind of huge, green larva and, though not my favourite things, I was glad to get a photo of it. After a few hours of exploration, the only things that we were so happy and relieved to leave behind were the mosquitoes! Never had I seen so many of them - the air was filled with these tiny, blood-sucking insects that followed us every step of the way! Thanks so much, Heide, for driving Sandy and myself all the way out there - about a two and three-quarter hour drive. Much of the distance was on the same roads that I had driven last week with my daughter, but this was the first time I had ever been as far as Hanna and just beyond. Hanna now has a Tim Horton's, opened around three months ago : ) Thanks, Heide, too, for trying to find the old railway roundhouse - unfortunate that there was too much construction in the area, so one can't get to the roundhouse. And thank you so much, Peter, for arranging and organizing this wonderful trip! Most importantly of all, our thanks to Schmitty, who so kindly allowed us to share the special land that he has called home for so many decades. Our thanks for allowing us to spend the day there and, even more importantly, thank you for your great gift to all Albertans, with your incredibly generous donation of Antelope Hill Provincial Park.

I suspect the mushroom season is over, as I went to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park yesterday afternoon, 20 September 2015. The grasses and plants have withered and, along with fallen leaves from the deciduous trees, have covered anything that might just be hiding underneath. The very few fungi that I did see were mostly old and definitely not photogenic. In this photo, I liked the setting rather than the mushroom itself that is way past its prime. Most of my photos came out blurry, too. This may have been the last time I go there this year, unless I go there just for the exercise. No sign of the American Three-toed Woodpeckers. I didn't see many birds on this drive, either, not a single raptor, and mainly Magpies. Can't wait for next spring!!

This photo of several different species of lichen growing on a rock was taken on 19 August 2014, when friends and I were in Kananaskis. We were photographing Pikas - the small wild animal seen in one of my photos posted today. I love lichens and wish I knew a lot more about them. If I'm correct, the bright green lichen is Map Lichen. The weather forecast was not good for that day, but we were so lucky that, apart from a few raindrops, the rain stayed away. The sun actually came out at two locations we stopped at for a short while. Our 18-hour day (from 6;00 a.m. till midnight!) started off with the thrill of seeing these Pikas and ended with a brief sighting of a black Wolf crossing the road ahead of us in the dark. It disappeared into the blackness, but shortly afterwards, we heard three (possibly four) separate Wolves howling way off in the distance. We just stood there, in total awe, listening to this amazing sound. The only wild Wolf I had ever seen before was when I was in Yellowstone National Park two years ago. Friends and I saw two Wolves feeding on a Bison carcass across a huge valley - so they were just distant specks, that became slightly larger specks when my camera was in full zoom. In between these two highlights, we saw several Deer, a small group of Mountain Sheep on the road, a tiny Chipmunk, a few Cedar Waxwings, Columbian Ground Squirrels, a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk that sat on a branch out in the open for a long time, and two tiny Bats that flew very close over our heads when it was getting dark. We also saw an adult Spruce Grouse with two young ones. Then, of course, there is the scenery! Blue sky to go with the splendour of the mountains would have been wonderful, but we had been having cold and gloomy weather for a while before this day out. Highway 40 and the Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail both run through such spectacular scenery, so it was a real treat for me, especially as I won't drive to those areas myself.

The Lichens that were growing on the huge, red rock concretions at Red Rock Coulee, in Southern Alberta, were just so beautiful. No doubt just common ones, but they were huge and colourful. Is the orange lichen Xanthoria elegans? Taken on 20 September 2013, the first day of a four-day trip with a couple of friends, travelling as far as Cypress Hills, where we stayed in a rustic cabin for three nights. We called in at Red Rock Coulee again on our way home to Calgary, but that time we climbed down into one of the coulees to look for mosses and lichens - and anything else of interest and beauty.

I'm always happy if I come across a Wilson's Snipe perched on a fence post : ) When they are on the ground amongst dried grasses, they are almost impossible to see, their feathers make such perfect camouflage. Noticed this one when I went for a short drive SW of the city on 10 May 2013 - and it had even chosen a reasonably photogenic, lichen-covered perch. I was just waiting for the bird to turn slightly more sideways, when - you guessed it! - a truck came barrelling down the noisy, gravel road in the opposite direction, and off flew the Snipe, lol. Happy to get any shots, though. "Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) is a small, stocky shorebird. This species was considered to be a subspecies of the Common Snipe (G. gallinago) until 2003 when it was given its own species status. Wilson's Snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white trailing edge to the wings, and eight pairs of tail feathers instead of the typical seven of the Common Snipe. Its common name commemorates the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson. Adults are 23–28 cm in length with a 39–45 cm wingspan. They have short greenish-grey legs and a very long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed." from Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson's_Snipe www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/id A friend pointed out yesterday that I have a dead car headlight, so I can't go anywhere till I have had it (and the other one) replaced. When I called in at a car place late yesterday afternoon, it was getting too late for them to do it, so I must go back earlier this time. This morning started off nice and cool and rather overcast. Not sure if the sun is struggling to come out.

Another photo from the archives - again, I was looking for something green for today, St. Patrick's Day. Photographed this Lichen at the Perrenoud Natural Area, NW of Cochrane, on 18 June 2010.

Yesterday, a small group of us were privileged to be able to access the Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve. This mountain (SW of Calgary) is at the southern end of Kananaskis, located in the Livingstone Range of the Rocky Mountain Region. The plateau rises gradually from about 2,280 metres in the north to 2,519 metres at the summit near the south end of the plateau. There is a gate across the road up to Plateau Mt. that is kept locked, preventing access other than for workers checking the small gas plant at the top, and for certain people who have permission to go for scientific reasons. We walked from the south end to the north end (about 9 kms round trip, which was much further than many of us were expecting, lol!)). At the north end, we saw the plaque giving information about the Ice Cave that is somewhere in this area, gated so that no one can enter. This was a perfect place to stop for our picnic lunch, after which a few people walked on a little further. They found one of our target plants, the rare Pedicularis flammea (flame coloured lousewort). I was thrilled to find a little cluster of them (mainly leaves and just one flower in bloom and another with dead flowers), without having to walk that extra distance to see theirs! Will eventually post a photo of this tiny plant with its unusual flowers. By the way, I was down on all fours in water from the melting snow to get photos of it, ha. Can you imagine finding one very tiny plant of a certain species on a mountain top like this? It always amazes me when it happens. As you can see from my photo, it was a beautiful day (though it was not hot, thank goodness), sunny with great clouds filling the sky, and a strong and cooling wind. A good variety of plants - and great company, some very familiar faces and some new, which is always nice. Thanks so much for the ride, Stephen - as always, greatly appreciated! "This nearly flat high-elevation plateau is recognized for several unique features. There is an internationally recognized ice cave with ice crystals, curls, sheets and pillars (ice crystals are so fragile that a temperature increase of one degree Celsius can cause melting). The periglacial features (known as "patterned ground") in the reserve include active permafrost, sorted stone circles, polygons, steps and frost boils. The area also contains critical winter range for bighorn sheep." From www.albertaparks.ca/plateau-mountain.aspx There are no public roads in Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve; the road to the mountain top is leased by Husky Oil; to prevent vandalism to natural gas production facilities and to lessen impact on the area's natural features, access is controlled by the locked gate; travel in the reserve is by foot only; there are no facilities on site and overnight camping and open fires are prohibited." www.albertaparks.ca/media/2741526/plateau_mtn_mgmt_plan.pdf Note: 12:35 p.m. Hold your Clicks ....

We had quite spectacular clouds when we were on top of Plateau Mt. two days ago. Unfortunately, they looked less spectacular in my photos than in real life. Will be back on Flickr later this evening, as I have to dash out for an early start for another day in the mountains.

On 6 July 2012, a small group of us were privileged to be able to access the Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve. This mountain (SW of Calgary) is at the southern end of Kananaskis, located in the Livingstone Range of the Rocky Mountain Region. The plateau rises gradually from about 2,280 metres in the north to 2,519 metres at the summit near the south end of the plateau. This image was taken as we approached the northern end. There is a gate across the road up to Plateau Mt. that is kept locked, preventing access other than for workers checking the small gas plant at the top, and for certain people who have permission to go for scientific reasons. Very fortunately, we were able to get access, so were able to drive to the top of the plateau. We walked from the south end to the north end (about 9 kms round trip, which was much further than many of us were expecting, lol!)) At the north end, we saw the plaque giving information about the Ice Cave that is somewhere in this area, gated so that no one can enter. This was a perfect place to stop for our picnic lunch, after which a few people walked on a little further. They found one of our target plants, the rare Pedicularis flammea (flame coloured lousewort). I was thrilled to find a little cluster of them (mainly leaves and just one flower in bloom and another with dead flowers), without having to walk that extra distance to see theirs! By the way, I was down on all fours in water from the melting snow to get photos of it, ha. Can you imagine finding one very tiny plant of a certain species on a mountain top like this? It always amazes me when it happens. As you can see from my photo, it was a beautiful day (though it was not hot, thank goodness), sunny with great clouds filling the sky, and a strong and cooling wind. A good variety of plants - and great company, some very familiar faces and some new, which is always nice. Thanks so much for the ride, Stephen - as always, greatly appreciated! "This nearly flat high-elevation plateau is recognized for several unique features. There is an internationally recognized ice cave with ice crystals, curls, sheets and pillars (ice crystals are so fragile that a temperature increase of one degree Celsius can cause melting). The periglacial features (known as "patterned ground") in the reserve include active permafrost, sorted stone circles, polygons, steps and frost boils. The area also contains critical winter range for bighorn sheep." From www.albertaparks.ca/plateau-mountain.aspx There are no public roads in Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve; the road to the mountain top is leased by Husky Oil; to prevent vandalism to natural gas production facilities and to lessen impact on the area's natural features, access is controlled by the locked gate; travel in the reserve is by foot only; there are no facilities on site and overnight camping and open fires are prohibited." www.albertaparks.ca/media/2741526/plateau_mtn_mgmt_plan.pdf

On 6 July 2012, a small group of us were privileged to be able to access the Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve. This mountain (SW of Calgary) is at the southern end of Kananaskis, located in the Livingstone Range of the Rocky Mountain Region. The plateau rises gradually from about 2,280 metres in the north to 2,519 metres at the summit near the south end of the plateau. This image was taken when we took a look at the southern end. There is a gate across the road up to Plateau Mt. that is kept locked, preventing access other than for workers checking the small gas plant at the top (which is going to be closing down), and for certain people who have permission to go for scientific reasons. Very fortunately, we were able to get access, so were able to drive to the top of the plateau. We walked from the south end to the north end (about 9 kms round trip, which was much further than many of us were expecting, lol!)) At the north end, we saw the plaque giving information about the Ice Cave that is somewhere in this area, gated so that no one can enter. They found one of our target plants at the north end, the rare Pedicularis flammea (flame coloured lousewort). I was thrilled to find a little cluster of them (mainly leaves and just one flower in bloom and another with dead flowers), without having to walk that extra distance to see theirs! By the way, I was down on all fours in water from the melting snow to get photos of it, ha. Can you imagine finding one very tiny plant of a certain species on a mountain top like this? It always amazes me when it happens. As you can see from my photo, it was a beautiful day (though it was not hot, thank goodness), with a strong and cooling wind. A good variety of plants - and great company, some very familiar faces and some new, which is always nice. Thanks so much for the ride, Stephen - as always, greatly appreciated! (Location on my map is only very approximate!) "This nearly flat high-elevation plateau is recognized for several unique features. There is an internationally recognized ice cave with ice crystals, curls, sheets and pillars (ice crystals are so fragile that a temperature increase of one degree Celsius can cause melting). The periglacial features (known as "patterned ground") in the reserve include active permafrost, sorted stone circles, polygons, steps and frost boils. The area also contains critical winter range for bighorn sheep." From www.albertaparks.ca/plateau-mountain.aspx There are no public roads in Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve; the road to the mountain top is leased by Husky Oil; to prevent vandalism to natural gas production facilities and to lessen impact on the area's natural features, access is controlled by the locked gate; travel in the reserve is by foot only; there are no facilities on site and overnight camping and open fires are prohibited." www.albertaparks.ca/media/2741526/plateau_mtn_mgmt_plan.pdf

I took too many photos of these two Great Gray Owlets the day before yesterday and just haven't had time to go through them all - so, I quickly grabbed one of them for today. Heavily zoomed and cropped and not the best quality, but they were the cutest things to watch.

When I was on a three-hour walk with friends on February 23rd, at Griffith Woods, someone happened to notice this tiny, old Hummingbird nest hanging from a very low Spruce branch. So beautifully made. In a photo I posted a few days ago, a friend was holding a $10 bill for someone else to take a photo and, though I usually never add something for size in any of my photos, I thought it might work for that one. The photo above is a closer look at this amazingly built nest. The inside of it is about the size of half a walnut shell. This is a link to a short video from YouTube, of Hummingbirds from "egg" to when they actually leave the nest. Amazes me that they don't poke each others' eyes out with those long, thin beaks! Photographing nests and nesting birds is frowned upon by many people/birders, so hopefully this video was taken with a very powerful zoom lens. Hummingbirds sometimes return to use the same nest. They build their tiny nests from spider webs, soft cottony material, moss and plant fibres, and hang beautiful lichens from the spider webs. The elasticity of the spider silk allows the nest to expand beautifully to accommodate the growing young in the nest. The typical hummingbird nest is tiny, about the size of half a walnut shell! Nature is so amazing! youtu.be/gG59PaCiiDg youtu.be/AcyjOgKvx88 birding.about.com/od/birdhouses/a/hummingbirdnests.htm

Thinking of you, Doug! Found on 6th June 2010 on the Marsden Creek hike, Kananaskis. I'm pretty sure that Doug went on this hike. If only I could identify lichens, but unfortunately I don't know them. This display, growing on a rock, was quite beautiful.