Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: faded

Last fall, on 28 September 2014, was the first time I had been to the Calgary Zoo since before the Alberta Flood of the Century in June 2013. I had been photographing wild things over the summer and just never made it as far as the Zoo. The west parking lot and Zoo entrance are now being kept closed for the winter, and I dread the drive home from the north entrance, so I don't get to the Zoo very often any more. There were so many people everywhere at the Zoo that day. Normally, I wouldn’t go on a Sunday, but I thought it might be a good idea to drive the dreaded Deerfoot Trail on my way home on a slightly quieter day. I usually avoid Deerfoot at all cost, as it’s a dangerous road to be on. Couldn't resist taking a quick shot of this fading Echinacea flower, with its spiky seedhead. This is one of my favourite garden flowers, beautiful at all stages of its life. "Echinacea /ˌɛkɨˈneɪʃⁱə/ is a genus, or group of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. The nine species it contains are commonly called coneflowers. They are endemic to eastern and central North America, where they are found growing in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. The generic name is derived from the Greek word ἐχῖνος (echino), meaning "sea urchin," due to the spiny central disk. Some species are used in herbal medicines and some are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. A few species are of conservation concern." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea

Yesterday morning, three of us spent a few hours botanizing at the Leighton Art Centre, recording (i.e.listing) all flora and fauna found. We did the same about a month ago, so it was important to note any new species that had appeared. The staff and volunteers are then given this extensive list and any photos that are taken, to use in any educational way they wish. Couldn't resist photographing this worn totem pole that was maybe 5' tall. This Centre lies in an absolutely beautiful area of rolling hills SW of Calgary. We were so lucky with the weather - overcast and not good for photos, but thankfully the rain held off till we had finished. After this hilly walk, I decided to drive the backroads in the area, finding all sorts of familiar but neat things to see and photograph. Three or four hours later, I arrived home in thunder and rain. This morning is beautifully sunny, thankfully. On Friday night, one of the communities in Calgary (Sunnyside) suffered bad flash floods after newly fallen rain. As if the Flood of the Century two weeks earlier wasn't enough! www.leightoncentre.org/about-the-centre/philosophy www.leightoncentre.org/about-the-centre/history