Lovin' the light

A beautiful Ox-eye Daisy (weed) growing at Edworthy Park in the Lawrey Gardens area, on 4 July 2012.

"Introduced from Europe in the early 1800’s primarily as a grass seed contaminant, and subsequently spread as an ornamental, Oxeye daisy has become a serious invader of pastures and natural areas throughout North America. It is a perennial herb that reproduces both by seed and shallow rhizomes. Single plants quickly become patches that continually increase in size. Plants flower June-August and its seed germinates throughout the growing season. Oxeye Daisy and the very similarly flowered Scentless Chamomile can be considered conspicuous, as there are no native white flowered daisies in Alberta."

www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-OxeyeDaisy.pdf

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucanthemum_vulgare

Was out on a long day trip to Plateau Mountain yesterday - was a great day. Rain had been in the forecast, but it turned out to be a beautiful day. I was so lucky to go with three friends who had permission to drive up to the very top, flat plateau to search for rare plants, lichens and mosses that might be growing in this fragile area of permafrost. I've been out on various trips on four of the last six days, so am getting nothing else done, ha. Our growing season is extremely short and I need to take every wonderful chance I get to go with others to places that I can't get to myself and that would not be safe to go to alone, anyway. For a start, there was plenty of evidence that Grizzly Bears had been to the area and dug up the ground. One new plant was found yesterday - I have photos, but need to get the name. When a new plant is found at a location, two pages of forms have to be filled out with tremendous detail and then submitted - so glad that that is not my job : )