Brown-Lowery Provincial Park

Came across this rather fine Coral fungus yesterday, on a walk at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. Trying to find more species of fungus can become almost - addictive, LOL? "Coral fungi, also sometimes called antler fungi, are mushrooms that are so named due to their resemblance to aquatic coral or antlers."

Mushrooms seen at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 8th September last year. Wish I knew more about mushrooms, especially the different stages of each kind.

Came across this beautifully coloured flower at the Eagle lookout/viewpoint at Brown-Lowery Park when I went there with a couple of friends on Monday. This was the only plant of this species we could see there. I think I've only ever seen this uncommon plant two or three times before, so it was a welcome find. Low Larkspur is very poisonous and cattle are often poisoned by this plant.

Spent a few very enjoyable hours today, hiking with a small group at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. This is one of the amazing views taken from the Eagle Viewpoint, looking towards the Rocky Mountains. The fall colours are quite spectacular right now.

These very small mushrooms are always a delight to see in the forest. These ones were growing at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park recently.

I came across this gorgeous display of fungi on 17th August, at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. Today is definitely a day to dream about the joys of summer - our weather is atrocious!

The pale green, more "feathery" Lichen growing from this branch is an Usnea species. Not sure what the darker Lichen is. Found growing in the forest at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 13th November. "Usnea is the generic and scientific name for several species of lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, that generally grow hanging from tree branches, resembling grey or greenish hair. It is sometimes referred to commonly as Old Man's Beard, Beard Lichen, or Treemoss. Usnea grows all over the world. Like other lichens it is a symbiosis of a fungus and an alga. The fungus belongs to the division Ascomycota, while the alga is a member of the division Chlorophyta. Usnea has been used medicinally for at least 1000 years. Usnic acid (C18H16O7), a potent antibiotic and antifungal agent is found in most species. This, combined with the hairlike structure of the lichen, means that Usnea lent itself well to treating surface wounds when sterile gauze and modern antibiotics were unavailable. It is also edible and high in vitamin C." From Wikipedia.

We saw this wildflower, Fairybells, during our walk deep in the forest in Brown-Lowery Provincial park yesterday. Although we have seen Fairybells many times before, these particular flowers look slightly different. Maybe we will find out why : )?

I was so delighted on a walk yesterday at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, when one of the group noticed this very unusual Ladybug. I've only ever been lucky enough once before to see one of this kind. Thanks for finding it, Patsy! The Parenthesis Ladybug(Hippodamia parenthesis) is named after the shape of a particular spot. This particular one is not as yellow as the one I saw before. I still feel extremely tired from this fairly strenuous hike, partly also, I'm sure, because my finger is making me take SO much longer to do everything : ) "There are approximately 35 species of ladybug in Alberta. The Seven-spotted Ladybug was brought in from Europe in the hope that it would help control populations of pests like aphids. It is doubtful that it has made any real difference, but what has happened is some of our native species have suffered a decline in populations since the Seven-spotted was introduced, perhaps because the Seven-spotted outcompetes them." From the Royal Alberta Museum website.