Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Polygonaceae

The only reason that I'm posting this uninspiring photo is that I wanted to add it to my album on the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. I was there on a birding walk on Saturday morning and our leader, Janet, had noticed this plant before and didn't know what it was. We found it growing in a small inlet leading into the Bow River. Her concern was that it might be an introduced species that should not be there. The leaves are very green for mid-November, so I should check and see if it is a non-native plant - no, it is a native plant. I don't see it very often and never think of it as introduced. Anyway, seeing as neither of us knew the ID, I sent the photo to our main Naturalist in the city and he let us know that it was Water Smartweed / Polygonum amphibium. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persicaria_amphibia This photo was taken two days ago, at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. It was yet another cold, very overcast day and I almost didn't go. However, I had not been out of the house for several days in a row and just needed to get out somewhere. The lighting was atrocious, though this photo came out well enough for what I needed. Many thanks for the morning walk, Janet and Bernie, and for lunch afterwards at the Blackfoot Diner/Truckstop. Just what was needed after a cold walk. I will add their final list of species in a comment box below.

Two days ago, on 24 July, I went with a couple of friends to Bow Valley Provincial Park to see what birds were to be seen. Only three of us turned up at the meeting place. A fourth person met us out at the park. Fortunately, the other three are very good birders : ) The weather forecast was for a sunny day with a temperature of 28C in the afternoon. We followed the Flowing Waters trail after walking to the trailhead from the Willow Rock Campground. One of the first sightings we had was a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird being fed its foster parent, a much smaller bird, an American Redstart. Later, on the return walk, we saw another Redstart, a male - way ahead of us along the path in the dark forest. I've been on quite a few city walks where people have spotted a Redstart, but this was the first time I could actually see the bird I don't use binoculars, so I know I miss a lot of sightings! I got one rapid shot, but suspect it will be just too blurry to post. "Brown-headed Cowbird females forgo building nests and instead put all their energy into producing eggs, sometimes more than three dozen a summer. These they lay in the nests of other birds, abandoning their young to foster parents, usually at the expense of at least some of the host’s own chicks." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/id From the Flowing Waters trail, we drove further into the park, to Many Springs trail, where we walked the loop. The wildflowers were not as colourful or abundant as they were on my last visit there. Photographed this Dock sp. along the Flowing Waters trail, near the long boardwalk. Such a bright splash of colour. Lunch was eaten at our next stop - a relaxing spot down by the Bow River. Then, we called in at the final location, Middle Lake. It was hot and we had already done a lot of walking, so we just walked down to the edge of the lake. I will add our leader's list of bird species - many thanks for another enjoyable walk at Bow Valley Provincial Park, Andrew! I was happy to see a Northern Waterthrush and to get a tiny glimpse of the American Redstart, both in the forest along the Flowing Waters trail. Got a blurry shot of each bird, that I may still post on Flickr, just for the record. Andrew Hart eBird Checklist Summary for: Jul 24, 2016 Number of Checklists: 3 Number of Taxa: 26 Checklists included in this summary: (1): Bow Valley PP - Flowing Waters Trails Date: Jul 24, 2016, 8:35 AM (2): Bow Valley PP--Many Springs Trail Date: Jul 24, 2016, 11:15 AM (3): Whitefish Date: Jul 24, 2016, 12:45 PM 1 Common Merganser -- (3) 1 Bald Eagle -- (2) 7 Spotted Sandpiper -- (2),(3) 1 Ring-billed Gull -- (3) 106 California Gull -- (2),(3) 2 Willow Flycatcher -- (2) 1 Alder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's Flycatcher) -- (1) 2 American Crow -- (3) 5 Tree Swallow -- (2),(3) 4 Mountain Chickadee -- (1) 1 Boreal Chickadee -- (1) 4 Red-breasted Nuthatch -- (1) 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet -- (1),(2) 1 Swainson's Thrush -- (2) 4 American Robin -- (1),(2) 4 Cedar Waxwing -- (1),(2),(3) 2 Northern Waterthrush -- (1) 1 Orange-crowned Warbler -- (1) 1 Common Yellowthroat -- (1) 2 American Redstart -- (1) 1 Yellow Warbler -- (1) 4 Yellow-rumped Warbler -- (1) 2 Dark-eyed Junco -- (2) 1 White-throated Sparrow -- (2) 1 Red-winged Blackbird -- (2) 1 Brown-headed Cowbird -- (1) Plus Mallard, Goldeneye, Buffleheads, Ring-necked Duck.

This is definitely a species of Eriogonum, possibly flavum (?) or maybe Umbellatum var subalpinum? Seen on the Picklejar Lakes trail, in Kananaskis, Alberta, on 6 August 2010. Location on my map is only very approximate. "Eriogonum is the scientific name for a genus of flowering plants, in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is found in North America and is known as wild buckwheat." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriogonum

I don't see this species very often, so it's always a delight to come across it. This plant was seen growing in the shallow water near the edge of a small pond on the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area, just south west of the city, on August 19th. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persicaria_amphibia

A macro photo of this tiny-flowered plant, found on Saturday, when several of us spent the day botanizing Horseshoe Canyon in the Badlands of Alberta. This place is a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive, north east of Calgary. I don't remember seeing this plant before and found that it's quite pretty when seen magnified this way. www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/ontweeds/prostra...

I think I'm right in identifying this plant as Wild Begonia/Sand Dock/Veined Dock (Rumex venosus). It is found along roadsides, dry soil and sand dunes. We wondered what this plant was when we first saw it on our way to Purple Spring Sand Dunes, near Taber, yesterday. It gave such a wonderful colour to the roadsides. "During the fruiting phase, this species resembles a begonia, hence the common name. Wild Begonia is often one of the first plants to establish itself on active sand dunes. The tender young shoots were used as a rhubarb or spinach replacement by early pioneers. The Blackfoot made a burnt orange dye from the peeled roots." From "Plants of Alberta" by France Royer and Richard Dickinson (Lone Pine publication).

I found this Water Smartweed (enlarged in my image) growing in a small patch of wetland at Glennfield, Fish Creek Park. It belongs to the Buckwheat family and grows in shallow water in ponds and lakes. It is aquatic or semi-aquatic, June to August.