Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Fritillary

I always love to see these amazing Fritillary flowers in the spring. They make me think of little stained-glass, hanging lampshades : ) There are various common names for this flower, some of which I have included in my tags. Taken at the Reader Rock Garden, when I called in after a volunteer shift on 27 April 2016. The sun was peeping through the clouds, so I decided to call in at the garden. There was a reasonable number of plants in bloom, including a scattering of brightly coloured Tulips. 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. There was enough colour and variety of plants to make this visit worthwhile - and I knew it should only get better and better with the coming weeks. "Fritillaria meleagris is a Eurasian species of flowering plant in the lily family. Its common names include snake's head fritillary, snake's head (the original English name), chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, guinea flower, leper lily (because its shape resembled the bell once carried by lepers), Lazarus bell, chequered lily, chequered daffodil, drooping tulip or, in northern Europe, simply fritillary." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_meleagris

I always love to see these amazing Fritillary flowers in the spring. They make me think of little stained-glass, hanging lampshades : ) There are various common names for this flower, some of which I have included in my tags. Taken at the Reader Rock Garden, when I called in after a volunteer shift on 27 April 2016. The sun was peeping through the clouds, so I decided to call in at the garden. There was a reasonable number of plants in bloom, including a scattering of brightly coloured Tulips. 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. There was enough colour and variety of plants to make this visit worthwhile - and it should only get better and better with the coming weeks. The last few days, we have been having plenty of rain, which was much-needed, as Alberta was as dry as a tinderbox. More rain still needed, though. "Fritillaria meleagris is a Eurasian species of flowering plant in the lily family. Its common names include snake's head fritillary, snake's head (the original English name), chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, guinea flower, leper lily (because its shape resembled the bell once carried by lepers), Lazarus bell, chequered lily, chequered daffodil, drooping tulip or, in northern Europe, simply fritillary." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_meleagris

Such sad news from the Calgary Zoo just now (16 May 2016): "We are deeply saddened to share that silverback gorilla, Kakinga, passed away Saturday night at the age of 37. Often called the zoo’s gentle giant, Kakinga was an exceptional silverback; a kind, loving, protective and diligent leader. Our Veterinary team has determined he died as a result of developing a large tear in his aorta which caused the sac around his heart to become filled with blood and ultimately stopped his heart. This is one of the well-recognized causes of mortality in gorillas, especially males. Kakinga was born December 1, 1978 at the Jersey Zoo in the United Kingdom and arrived at the Calgary Zoo in 1984. After nine years, he transitioned into the role of silverback, or leader of the troop in 1993, a role he held for the past 23 years. During his time as silverback, he fathered 13 offspring, eight of which are surviving with the most recent being born just this past March at our zoo. Of those eight, five are males and three are females. But Kakinga is known for more than just his impressive genetics. His calm and gentle natured endeared him to all zoo staff who cared for him. He was very involved in his role as leader of the troop, acting as a peacekeeper, a protector and in some very tender moments, a father." From the Calgary Zoo. "Western Lowland Gorillas are part of a Species Survival Program authorized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and are considered endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Their last chance for survival may be a few gorilla sanctuaries in Africa, zoos, and other captive environments and breeding programs throughout the world." From the Calgary Zoo. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I always love to see these amazing Fritillary flowers in the spring. They make me think of little stained-glass, hanging lampshades : ) There are various common names for this flower, some of which I have included in my tags. Taken at the Reader Rock Garden, when I called in after a volunteer shift on 27 April 2016. The sun was peeping through the clouds, so I decided to call in at the garden. There was a reasonable number of plants in bloom, including a scattering of brightly coloured Tulips. 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. There was enough colour and variety of plants to make this visit worthwhile - and it should only get better and better with the coming weeks. We do need rain, though, and a lot of it. Alberta is tinder dry, ready to go up in flames, as seen by the massive wildfire in and around Fort McMurray at the moment. "Fritillaria meleagris is a Eurasian species of flowering plant in the lily family. Its common names include snake's head fritillary, snake's head (the original English name), chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, guinea flower, leper lily (because its shape resembled the bell once carried by lepers), Lazarus bell, chequered lily, chequered daffodil, drooping tulip or, in northern Europe, simply fritillary." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_meleagris

It is raining here in Calgary this morning, 12 May 2016. It also snowed in some parts of the city earlier - I didn't set my alarm clock, so it may have snowed a little in my area while I was still asleep. Nothing settled, anyway. Our temperature is 2C, expected to soar to 5C this afternoon : ) Unfortunately, there is no rain up north in the Fort McMurray area and none expected till next week. They desperately need it to help with the massive wildfire. I always love to see these amazing Fritillary flowers in the spring. They make me think of little stained-glass, hanging lampshades : ) Taken at the Reader Rock Garden, when I called in after a volunteer shift on 27 April 2016. This plant has some interesting common names - see tags! "Fritillaria meleagris is a Eurasian species of flowering plant in the lily family. Its common names include snake's head fritillary, snake's head (the original English name), chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, guinea flower, leper lily (because its shape resembled the bell once carried by lepers), Lazarus bell, chequered lily, chequered daffodil, drooping tulip or, in northern Europe, simply fritillary." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_meleagris

I always love to see these amazing Fritillary flowers in the spring. They make me think of little stained-glass, hanging lampshades : ) Taken at the Reader Rock Garden, when I called in after a volunteer shift on 6 May 2015. "Fritillaria meleagris is a Eurasian species of flowering plant in the lily family. Its common names include snake's head fritillary, snake's head (the original English name), chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, guinea flower, leper lily (because its shape resembled the bell once carried by lepers), Lazarus bell, chequered lily, chequered daffodil, drooping tulip or, in northern Europe, simply fritillary." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_meleagris

I always love to see these amazing Fritillary flowers in the spring. They make me think of little stained-glass, hanging lampshades : ) Taken at the Reader Rock Garden, when I called in after a volunteer shift yesterday afternoon. "Fritillaria meleagris is a Eurasian species of flowering plant in the lily family. Its common names include snake's head fritillary, snake's head (the original English name), chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, guinea flower, leper lily (because its shape resembled the bell once carried by lepers), Lazarus bell, chequered lily, chequered daffodil, drooping tulip or, in northern Europe, simply fritillary." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_meleagris

Spent a most enjoyable day today west of Calgary, at Bow Valley Provincial Park (at the far eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains). Saw this butterfly (some kind of Fritillary) down near the edge of the Bow River there.

I always love to see these amazing Fritillary flowers in the spring. They make me think of little stained-glass, hanging lampshades : ) Taken at the Reader Rock Garden, when I called in after my volunteer shift yesterday afternoon. So glad I decided to go when I did, as it's 3C and raining here this morning. I also washed my car yesterday morning - a good thing, as there would have been so much mud washed off on to my recently cleaned parking spot. It feels good to be home in a way, after my "forced" day away from home yesterday (thanks to a Steet Parking permit that never arrived). The bags of new roof shingles are piled up on the roof and I think they could be there for a few weeks until my building takes its turn. To kill time yesterday, I left home around 8:15 a.m. and decided the first thing I would do was to go down to Fish Creek Park to check on the Great Horned Owls that are south from the Bow Valley Ranch. I had only seen two of the three owlets recently, sitting in their nesting tree. Yesterday, there was just one owlet left there, and Mom and her other two owlets were across the path and so high up in a tree. Not sure I would have found them, but I heard an owl calling and sure enough, there they were. Dad was in his usual tree, keeping guard. Several noisy Canada Geese were causing the owls a little concern. Mom was holding "something" large in her beak, which at first I thought looked like an unfortunate Ground Squirrel, then it began to look rather like part of a deer leg. I finally realized she was holding the tail half of a huge fish, which looked rather as if it had been lying around for a good week, lol! I never realized that owls also eat fish - somehow, it just didn't look right, lol. After a while, she flew over to the nesting tree and left the fish there, and then returned to her two oldest "kids". I also checked to see if I could find the Sikome family of Great Horned Owls, but couldn't see any sign of them. The leaves are opening fast on the trees, making it pretty much impossible to find them now. Best thing of all, though, was bumping into a couple of friends whom I hadn't seen for many months, who were also hoping to see the owls.

Posting mid-evening today, so really late. Been on a botanizing trip today, way south of the city, but the posted photo was taken a week ago on July 10th, on a different trip, to the Small Whaleback - also, way south of the city. The Small Whaleback is an area of beautiful, rolling hills, just off Highway 22 and just north of the Oldman River. Two of us happened to see this beautiful Fritillary fluttering around some small rocks just before getting back to the parking lot at the end of the hike. I posted this image on Bug Guide to see if an ID suggestion could be given and the reply was: "It is very difficult to tell Speyeria species without seeing the under side; however, this is definitely not S. callippe, that species looks rather different. It looks to me like a male Speyeria atlantis." … David J. Ferguson. Thank you, David, for your help and such a quick reply! Today's trip was a revisit to Plateau Mountain, one of my favourite places. We only hiked up the gravel road as far as the meadows, and then followed the top of the ridge in the direction of the cars, and eventually climbed down to the gravel road. Temperature was a delightful 18C up there, with quite a strong breeze, but it's hotter back here in Calgary. It's 32C in my computer room and it can only get worse as it is supposed to reach a high of 32C in Calgary tomorrow. Not my kind of heat, for sure, and I feel totally exhausted after today's hike : ) Thanks so much for driving Sandy and myself, Doug! Each time I'm out in a place like this, I'm in awe - this is just one tiny area and when you think of all the thousands of hillside slopes and alpine meadows and valleys in the Rocky Mountains and Foothills, each offering such amazing beauty, it's overwhelming. It doesn't matter where you go and spend time - there is so much beauty to see.

Not the greatest photo when it comes to an ID, but I rather liked the backlit view of this Fritillary butterfly. Seen on 29th August, when we hiked and botanized the Fullerton Loop trail, starting from Allan Bill Pond on Highway 66, Kananaskis.

Not a great photo, but I wondered if anyone has any suggestions as to why the petals on one of the flowers are all so precisely coiled! I've never seen this before. Note on 13th September 2007: I have just been looking at a photo and information about the New England Aster (on Google), and it said that "once pollination has finished, the rays of the bloom begin to turn brown and curl up like a party whistle." In the photo I found, some of the petal coils were still purple, like mine. So, mystery solved!

We saw quite a few of these Fritillary butterflies yesterday on the Fullerton Loop Trail out near Allen Bill Pond, Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66). Fritillary butterflies can be difficult to ID exactly, so I'd better not even try.

This Fritillary was a very nice "fresh" one, seen at Griffith Woods on Sunday morning. Some butterflies have so much of their wings missing, that it's a wonder that they can still fly!

Not sure exactly what kind of butterfly this is, other than it is some kind of Fritillary.

"Just" a butterfly on a flower. Some kind of Fritillary.

...of some kind! These asters were covered in butterflies out in the Elbow River Valley, west of Calgary.

I'm not sure what kind of Fritillary this is.