Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: shiny

Yesterday morning, 27 July 2018, there was a good turnout for a bio-inventory walk in a woodland area in Black Diamond. Geoff Hoffner and Jean Gallant had invited us to go and explore this area, though they were a little concerned in case we didn't find it particularly interesting. Quite the contrary! It was a great morning, seeing so many species of plants, along with a few birds and even a few insects. I was thrilled to spot three small, beautiful Cottonwood Leaf Beetles. "All parts of the plant are poisonous. However, accidental poisoning is not likely since the berries are extremely bitter. The berries are the most toxic part of the plant. A healthy adult will experience poisoning from as few as six berries. Ingestion of the berries causes nausea, dizziness, increased pulse and severe gastrointestinal discomfort. The toxins can also have an immediate sedative effect on the cardiac muscle tissue possibly leading to cardiac arrest if introduced into the bloodstream. As few as two berries may be fatal to a child. All parts of the plant contain an irritant oil that is most concentrated within the roots and berries." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actaea_rubra The berries of this plant start off green, then change to either red or white. The flower cluster is white and beautiful. "Black Diamond, named after the high grade coal once mined here, maintains the traditional values of a small town community, where people care about their neighbors and work together to maintain a sense of pride and respect for one another, the town's history and its beautiful surroundings." From link below. www.town.blackdiamond.ab.ca/251/Come-Visit During our walk, we kept hearing a distant hawk, but we weren't sure if it was a Red-tailed or a Swainson's. Further along the trail, we were able to see a very high and very distant nest with one white, fluffy youngster visible - there may have been others, too. Mum/Dad flew over to the nest and then flew off and landed on top of a very tall coniferous tree, giving a chance for a quick shot or two. Thanks so much, Geoff and Jean, for arranging this outing. We always enjoy visiting a new place and seeing what species can be found there. Always nice to come across people who are keen to find out more about where they live. Thanks, Dorothy and Stephen, for the much-appreciated ride. This was the first time I had ever seen this much of Black Diamond.

Yesterday morning, 27 July 2018, there was a good turnout for a bio-inventory walk in a woodland area in Black Diamond. Geoff Hoffner and Jean Gallant had invited us to go and explore this area, though they were a little concerned in case we didn't find it particularly interesting. Quite the contrary! It was a great morning, seeing so many species of plants, along with a few birds and even a few insects. I was thrilled to spot three small, beautiful Cottonwood Leaf Beetles. It was a very hazy day, but the temperature was pleasant. "All parts of the plant are poisonous. However, accidental poisoning is not likely since the berries are extremely bitter. The berries are the most toxic part of the plant. A healthy adult will experience poisoning from as few as six berries. Ingestion of the berries causes nausea, dizziness, increased pulse and severe gastrointestinal discomfort. The toxins can also have an immediate sedative effect on the cardiac muscle tissue possibly leading to cardiac arrest if introduced into the bloodstream. As few as two berries may be fatal to a child. All parts of the plant contain an irritant oil that is most concentrated within the roots and berries." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actaea_rubra The berries of this plant start off green, then change to either red or white. The flower cluster is white and beautiful. "Black Diamond, named after the high grade coal once mined here, maintains the traditional values of a small town community, where people care about their neighbors and work together to maintain a sense of pride and respect for one another, the town's history and its beautiful surroundings." From link below. www.town.blackdiamond.ab.ca/251/Come-Visit During our walk, we kept hearing a distant hawk, but we weren't sure if it was a Red-tailed or a Swainson's. Further along the trail, we were able to see a very high and very distant nest with one white, fluffy youngster visible - there may have been others, too. Mum/Dad flew over to the nest and then flew off and landed on top of a very tall coniferous tree, giving a chance for a quick shot or two. Thanks so much, Geoff and Jean, for arranging this outing. We always enjoy visiting a new place and seeing what species can be found there. Always nice to come across people who are keen to find out more about where they live. Thanks, Dorothy and Stephen, for the much-appreciated ride. This was the first time I had ever seen this much of Black Diamond.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, to all those who celebrate! Remember that kids will be out this evening, so please drive carefully! I just haven't had a chance to take a Halloween photo to post for today. Thought these orange Sea Buckthorn berries were the closest thing to a pumpkin, lol. Taken at The Saskatoon Farm on 23 October 2014. "Once used extensively in shelterbelts, this plant is making a comeback due to its highly nutritious (and medicinal) bright orange berries. Silver foliage is also very attractive. Male and female plants are required for fruit production. Shrub-like in growth habit, Sea Buckthorn will require at least 3 square meters for its mature size. Sea buckthorn is a very hardy, drought tolerant plant that also “fixes” its own nitrogen in the soil through a complex interaction between its roots soil micro-organisms." www.theurbanfarmer.ca/plant_profiles.html "The fruits are rich in carbohydrates, protein, organic acids, amino acids and vitamins. The concentration of vitamin C in sea buckthorn fruit, ranged from 100–300 mg/100 g fruit, is higher than strawberry, kiwi, orange, tomato, carrot, and hawthorn. Sea buckthorn is also high in protein, especially globulins and albumins, and fatty acids such as linoleic and linolenic acids. Vitamin E content in sea buckthorn (202.9 mg/100 g fruit) is higher than wheat embryo, safflower, maize, and soybean." www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1999/v4-335.html

This is one of the beautiful, shiny Anthuriums that was growing in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 14 October 2014. Love these plants, with their almost metallic look. The solitary, red spathe is a showy modified bract that can be somewhat leathery in texture. They have such a beautiful finish to them. "Anthurium is a large genus of about 600- 800 (possibly 1,000) species, belonging to the arum family (Araceae). Anthurium can also be called "Flamingo Flower" or "Boy Flower", both referring to the structure of the spathe and spadix." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthurium

A couple of days ago, on 13 August 2014, I had a volunteer shift and afterwards, as I sometimes do, drove to the Reader Rock Garden. Thought I'd better see what flowers were in bloom, as summer is slipping away so fast and I haven't taken all that many colourful images of flowers, garden or wild. They come in so handy during the seven long months of winter that are not all that far away now, breaking the monotony of "white" photos. Some of the flowers were well past their prime, but can still make an interesting shot. A lot of the Baneberry plants were putting on a great display of these gorgeous red, shiny berries. Some of the Baneberry plants had clusters of white berries (Actaea pachypoda). I saw something move and when I looked closer at this cluster, I noticed this tiny black and white Jumping Spider. Got a shot just before he jumped and disappeared. I've added a previously posted photo of the beautiful white flower in a comment box below, for anyone not familiar with this plant. "All parts of the plant are poisonous. However, accidental poisoning is not likely since the berries are extremely bitter. The berries are the most toxic part of the plant. A healthy adult will experience poisoning from as few as six berries. Ingestion of the berries causes nausea, dizziness, increased pulse and severe gastrointestinal discomfort. The toxins can also have an immediate sedative effect on the cardiac muscle tissue possibly leading to cardiac arrest if introduced into the bloodstream. As few as two berries may be fatal to a child. All parts of the plant contain an irritant oil that is most concentrated within the roots and berries." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actaea_rubra

A photo from my archives, taken on 2 October 2010. Photographed (macro) these beautiful, shiny Sea Buckthorn berries at South Glenmore Park. Also referred to as sandthorn, sallowthorn or seaberry. "Sea-buckthorn berries are edible and nutritious, though very acidic (astringent) and oily, unpleasant to eat raw, unless 'bletted' (frosted to reduce the astringency) and/or mixed as a juice with sweeter substances such as apple or grape juice. When the berries are pressed, the resulting sea-buckthorn juice separates into three layers: on top is a thick, orange cream; in the middle, a layer containing sea-buckthorn's characteristic high content of saturated and polyunsaturated fats; and the bottom layer is sediment and juice. Containing fat sources applicable for cosmetic purposes, the upper two layers can be processed for skin creams and liniments, whereas the bottom layer can be used for edible products like syrup. Nutrient and phytochemical constituents of sea-buckthorn berries may have potential effect in inflammatory disorders, cancer prevention or positive effect on bone marrow after chemotherapy or other diseases, although no specific health benefits have yet been proven by clinical research in humans. The fruit of the plant has a high vitamin C content – in a range of 114 to 1550 mg per 100 grams with an average content (695 mg per 100 grams) about 15 times greater than oranges (45 mg per 100 grams) – placing sea-buckthorn fruit among the most enriched plant sources of vitamin C." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea-buckthorn

This is one of the beautiful, shiny Anthuriums that was growing in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 13 March 2010. The photo was taken with my old Panasonic DMC-FZ28. Love these plants, with their almost plastic look. The solitary, red spathe is a showy modified bract that can be somewhat leathery in texture. They have such a beautiful finish to them. "Anthurium is a large genus of about 600- 800 (possibly 1,000) species, belonging to the arum family (Araceae). Anthurium can also be called "Flamingo Flower" or "Boy Flower", both referring to the structure of the spathe and spadix." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthurium

Came across this photo while I was trying to get a few of my endless images backed up yesterday. These pebbles were bought - you can't remove anything from any park, or at least only if you are breaking the rules. Having had to deal with three different computer problems the last 2-3 weeks, it has scared me enough to make me start on the long, monotonous chore of backing up more of them to my external hard drive. I do this one small folder at a time - I don't have things set up for a complete, automatic back-up of my hard drive.

Two days ago, a handful of us went north west of Calgary to a natural area, Sundre Natural Area, to record all plants, birds and wildlife seen during the day there. These small mushrooms are hardly spectacularly photogenic - but, hey, they ARE mushrooms! It seems that we might come across one fungus on a day's outing at the moment. Really, really hoping that this will improve in the next few weeks! These were such a beautiful colour and shiny, and definitely better than seeing nothing. Thank goodness I didn't sleep right through an hour of blaring, alarm clock music this morning, which is what I did yesterday morning (plus another hour and a half) and consequently missed a day trip with a few friends to Bow Valley Provincial Park. The University of Calgary held their Open House at their Field Station in Kananaskis today - near Barrier Lake. Four of us went to the mountains for this and enjoyed going on a botanizing walk first on our own. Then two of us went on a Butterfly walk with a young, very knowledgeable guy named Steve, who is at the Station for part of the year. We saw several different butterflies and two or three other insects - and we made it rain, LOL! The wildflowers are just so spectacular at the moment - a joy to see so many bright orange Western Wood Lilies. Absolute food for the soul!

This certainly is a very unusual photo for me to have taken and to be posting! I just love it, though. When we were at Janel Butler's (and family) farm a few days ago, to botanize their acreage, I noticed this sweet little pair of silver slippers/shoes belonging to their little daughter on their wooden deck. I didn't take a photo at first, and by the time we retraced our steps, someone had bumped into the tidy little pair and I Ioved the way they were resting. I accidentally caught a keyboard key and this image ended up as my desktop photo - looks so neat : )

This cluster of Oyster Mushrooms was quite spectacular. Found while botanizing private property near Millarville, south of the city, on 25th June.

I just HAD to post something that was vibrant, rich RED, to take my mind off how cold it is : ) It is -21C today with a windchill of -27C. It can get a lot colder than this - and I really don't want to think about THAT : ) This was one of the beautiful, shiny Anthuriums growing in the new Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. "Anthurium is a large genus of about 600- 800 (possibly 1,000) species, belonging to the arum family (Araceae). Anthurium can also be called "Flamingo Flower" or "Boy Flower", both referring to the structure of the spathe and spadix." From Wikipedia. Just spent a good part of the afternoon copying four folders of nature images into a new folder, ready to burn to DVD. For some weird reason, it kept removing all my titles, leaving just the number of each photo, which is definitely not what I wanted. That's what I call a wasted afternoon : )

This beautiful, vivid yellow flower was growing in a friend's garden on 19th August. The shiny petals had an almost waxy look to them.

Found this image deep within my archives, taken on 31 August 2004 with my very first digital point-and-shoot camera! Wanted to add it to my Fungi of Alberta Set. These satiny mushrooms were growing off Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66).