Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Strawflower

Tonight, I have just added 7 photos taken at the Saskatoon Farm, after my longish drive further SE, to look at a few old barns. Lots of colour at the Farm - lots of people, too. Our few hot days have come to an end, at least for now, and we are back to cool, rainy days (the last two days and today, with more to come). This morning, 12 August 2019, the temperature is only 12C again. Four days ago, 8 August 2019, was definitely more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if any of the ones I had seen before were now missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day. My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 10:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn. For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up. After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past. From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition. Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before. Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it. Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy. Total distance covered was 275 km.

I'm always delighted to see a Straw Flower (Strawflower), of any colour. Just fascinated by how perfect they usually are. Love their paper-like "petals" and silky sheen. Photographed (macro) at the Reader Rock Garden on 14 August 2013. The petals aren’t true petals at all, but in fact are modified leaves called bracts, that come in many colours, including yellow, orange, cream, pink, white, and purple. "Xerochrysum bracteatum, commonly known as the golden everlasting or strawflower, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Australia." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerochrysum_bracteatum

I'm always delighted to see a Straw Flower, of any colour. Just fascinated by how perfect they always are. Love their paper-like petals, sheen, and gentle mix of pink and white. Photographed (macro) at the Reader Rock Garden on 26 July 2013. The petals aren’t true petals at all, but in fact are modified leaves called bracts, that come in many colours, including yellow, orange, cream, pink, white, and purple. "Xerochrysum bracteatum, commonly known as the golden everlasting or strawflower, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Australia." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerochrysum_bracteatum

Guess where I got this beautiful Strawflower - exactly, Safeway of course, LOL. The size of the actual flower is around 1" diameter. "The genus Helichrysum (pronounced hel-i-CRY-sum, or hee-li-CRY-sum) consists of an estimated 600 species, in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). The type species is Helichrysum orientale. The name is derived from the Greek words helisso (to turn around) and chrysos (gold). Common names include strawflower and everlasting. It occurs in Africa (with 244 species in South Africa), Madagascar, Australasia and Eurasia. Several species are grown as ornamental plants, and for dried flowers. When cut young and dried, the open flowers and stalks preserve their colour and shape for long periods." From Wikipedia.

A vibrant Strawflower from the archives, taken on 5 October 2009. This morning, the sun is actually shining, but in Calgary, you never know what will be happening in a few minutes' time : ) I think this orange-red flower is a cultivar. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerochrysum_bracteatum Yes, folks, it's spring, but you'd never guess it! The sun finally came out yesterday afternoon and I made a spur of the moment decision to go and check out a pond in SW Calgary, to see if it was open water. No, it was still frozen over, but I did catch an American Robin feeding on the ground nearby. Also saw two pairs of Canada Geese along the edge of the pond. I then thought that, seeing as I had driven this far, I might as well go further and see if I could see any sign of a Northern Hawk Owl that a few people had seen recently. Nothing, of course, but I took a few shots of the ice that was covering the trees and shrubs. Having come this far from the city, I reckoned that I might as well try another place I enjoy. By the time I had reached my furthest point, the dark clouds had rolled in and it began to snow! Wishful thinking took over, and sure enough, it worked again! Found myself a Great Gray Owl : ) The falling snowflakes created white, blurry blobs in many of my photos, but I picked out a few that are OK. So glad I decided to push myself out the front door.

Yikes, too many dark images on this front page - no time to look for different photos, though. Just got home from food shopping after my afternoon volunteer shift. Tiny flower petals using my macro lens back in mid-October.

Couldn't resist buying this small cactus with a brilliant orange Strawflower growing from the top. I love orange : )