Garden flowers 5

This is a photo from my archives, taken on 10 September 2013, at the Reader Rock Garden.

This photo was taken on 24 July 2013, at the Reader Rock Garden. This particular day was a good day to go, with a large variety of summer plants in full bloom. I always like to see these Giant Scabius flowers - so crinkly and detailed.

Thought I had better post bright, colourful images today after posting three rather dull images yesterday : ) This beautiful Water Lily was growing in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo, on 6 October 2015. That was the last time I visited the Zoo, as the parking lot that I have always used was closed from October and won't be opening again till sometime next year, 2017! The City will be replacing the bridge over the river that I always use, so that road will be closed off. Not sure if I'll be able to make myself drive to the north parking lot and then have to come home via the dreaded Deerfoot Trail. "Calgary's infamous freeway has taken the dubious top spot when it comes to this city's most dangerous place to drive." From the Calgary Sun newspaper. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae

It's always such a delight to see these early spring flowers blooming after seven long winter months of snow and ice on the ground. This winter, though, has been so wonderfully mild, with little snow, but it was still great to see the clusters of these Hepatica flowers growing at the Reader Rock garden yesterday, 6 April 2016, when I called in after a volunteer shift. I wanted to see what flowers had started to grow already, as plants in general are blooming early this year, thanks to the mild weather. The main flowers were all the Hepatica, varying slightly in colour with some paler, as in this photo. There were also scattered tiny Squill flowers and a single Snowdrop plant growing in its usual spot. Funny how this plant hasn't spread anywhere else. "Hepatica is named from its leaves, which, like the human liver (Greek hepar), have three lobes. It was once used as a medicinal herb. Owing to the doctrine of signatures, the plant was once thought to be an effective treatment for liver disorders. Although poisonous in large doses, the leaves and flowers may be used as an astringent, as a demulcent for slow-healing injuries, and as a diuretic" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatica

This is my MAIN photo of the day - I'm wondering if one of my other two shots is being seen by some people as the main one, again. Also, it's almost 12:00 noon and there are only eight new photos showing from my Contacts! Is everyone out enjoying the weather, or is Flickr acting up yet again?? For maybe a week, I have been having a problem getting my photos to be bright enough. So weird - I never had this happen before. They seem to look OK when I edit them the night before, then, when I post them on Flickr the following morning, they almost always look too dark. On 16 September 2015, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden after my volunteer shift. There seemed to be more flowers in bloom than on my previous visit. I love photographing these gorgeous Globe Thistles at any stage. In Calgary, we have seen them growing wild at one of the natural areas (can't think of the name of the place, as it's not a place we normally go to). Not sure, but I believe this is Echinops ritro. "Echinops ( /ˈɛkɨnɒps/) is a genus of about 120 species of thistles in the daisy family Asteraceae, commonly known as globe thistles. They are native to Europe east to central Asia and south to the mountains of tropical Africa." From Wikipedia. There were also quite a few distant small birds flitting from tree to tree at one point They were impossible to see well enough to get photos or IDs - - a little Hermit Thrush was the only bird I managed to photograph. I also noticed a Jack Rabbit in the Garden and then, when I drove through the adjoining cemetery, it or another one was running in among the gravestones. When it saw my car coming, it froze and waited till I had moved on.

This photo was taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 6 October 2015. The west entrance to the Zoo has been closed (for the winter) since 13 October, and I did want to get in one last visit. Now it will continue to be closed because the old, narrow bridge over the Bow River, which I would normally drive over, is being replaced. I don't like the drive home on Deerfoot Trail from the north entrance, so normally tend not to go to the Zoo all winter. Now I would have to do this till the bridge is completed next year (2017). "Calgary's infamous freeway has taken the dubious top spot when it comes to this city's most dangerous place to drive." From the Calgary Sun. The forecast for 6 October was for sun with some cloud, but it turned out to be overcast the whole afternoon and most of my photos, especially those taken indoors, came out less than sharp. There were several of these huge plants in bloom. They quickly caught my eye - can't remember if I've ever seen this species before. Love the pattern of the yellow bracts. "“The plant's inflorescence is set atop a spike and can measure up to 30 centimetres (12 in) in height. The bracts attached to the structure can differ in colour, from white, to yellow, orange, or even red, often darkening as the bracts mature and develop. The flowers themselves are small, with purple petals and yellow spots, and a fragile, papery texture.” From Wikipedia.

I took this photo of a beautiful Petunia flower at the Reader Rock Garden on 24 June 2015, when I called in after a volunteer shift. I often post a brightly coloured image when our weather is overcast or snowy. Yesterday evening, the forecast for today (12 April 2016) was mainly sunny. However, it is overcast this morning, so I'm glad I didn't plan a long drive for today. The temperature is 10°C and supposed to get up to 20°C this afternoon. "Petunias are one of the most popular garden bedding flowers. They have wide trumpet shaped flowers and branching foliage that is hairy and somewhat sticky. Petunias are prolific bloomers, although some forms require deadheading to keep them going. However most varieties will bloom throughout the summer, except in extreme heat. You can now find petunias in just about every color but true blue and with growing habits that mound in borders or trail down containers. Petunias are annual flowering plants, native to Argentina. Within the petunia family there is great variety: single and double blooms, ruffled or smooth petals, striped, veined or solid colors, mounding and cascading habits and even some fragrance. Most of the petunias sold today are hybrids, developed for specific design purposes." gardening.about.com/od/plantprofiles/a/Petunias.htm

This photo was taken on 14 September 2013, when I spent the day at Heritage Park with the photography group that my daughter was running at that time. We spent a few hours wandering through the streets lined with old stores and houses, farm equipment, animals, barns, and so on. Our favourites have always been the Bakery and the Candy Store : ) Around noon, we went to the old Wainwright Hotel and enjoyed chatting over lunch - a nice treat. Weather was great and so was the company.

It's always such a delight to see these early spring flowers blooming after seven long winter months of snow and ice on the ground. This past winter, though, has been so wonderfully mild, with little snow, but it was still great to see the clusters of these little Siberian Squill flowers (macro shot), growing at the Reader Rock garden on 6 April 2016, when I called in after a volunteer shift. I wanted to see what flowers had started to grow already, as plants in general are blooming early this year, thanks to the mild weather. The main flowers were all the Hepatica, varying slightly in colour with some paler and some darker. There was also a single Snowdrop plant, growing in its usual spot. Funny how this plant hasn't spread anywhere else in the garden. "Scilla (/ˈsɪlə/; Squill)[2] is a genus of about 50 to 80 bulb-forming perennial herbs in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and seashores throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle-East. A few species are also naturalized in Australia, New Zealand and North America. Their flowers are usually blue, but white, pink, and purple types are known; most flower in early spring, but a few are autumn-flowering. Scilla has most recently been classified as belonging to the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae; the subfamily was formerly treated as a separate family, Hyacinthaceae. Prior to that, it was placed in the Hyacintheae tribe of the Liliaceae family." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scilla