Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Lori S. on March 07, 2009, 06:21:42 PM
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Well, as it will be months before I get out to these areas again (unless by back-country skiing), I thought I would remind myself of the pleasures of living in the shadow of the Rockies... or at least as little as a 45 minute drive away, anyhow. ;) I hope others find it interesting, as well!
First, a few scenes and plants from Banff, Healy Pass area and The Ramparts:
edit by M: A reminder to new readers.... click the pix to enlarge!
Egypt Lake, Banff
The Ramparts, Banff
Pedicularis arctica
Dryas octopetala
Silene acaulis
Castilleja rhexifolia(?)
The Ramparts, Banff
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Lori, this is terrific! Thanks!
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Thank you, Maggi! (Hey, that's all the encouragement I need... you'll have a hard time making me stop now. ;D)
I love seeing Veratrum eschscholtzii in all its stages of development. I find it amazingly beautiful.
Halfway through a long (28 km) hike on a very hot day (26 deg C, very hot for that elevation!), we got to "cool our dogs" in the cold waters of Eohippus Lake... heavenly!
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Super Lori, I love that Veratrum eschscholtzii, it's a new one on me.
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Fabulous Lori, you must show us more, a lot more.
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Lori,
Great scenery, fabulous flowers. Many thanks, Paddy
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Fantastic Lori, these are the mountains and plants (like the Castilleja) we seldom see!
Great pictures!
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Thanks, all!
Brian, to be correct, I probably should have said Veratrum viride ssp. eschscholtzii... which will probably bring it back into the realm of the familar.
Sparrowhawk Tarns in Kananaskis Provincial Park, one of our favourite hikes:
Sparrowhawk P1010069
Saxifraga bronchialis IMG_1829
Saxifraga bronchialis IMG_1831
Sparrowhawk P1010073
Anemone parviflora IMG_1721
Sparrowhawk sheep P1010026
Epilobium clavatum? P1010015
sparrowhawk epilobium latifolium P1010062
epilobium latifolium P1010069
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And some from Taylor Lake - Panorama Ridge, Banff:
Taylor Panorama 1- stream through the larch(Larix lyallii)-bordered meadows above Taylor Lake.
Kalmia microphylla - in the wet meadow at the outflow of Taylor Lake.
Anemone occidentalis
Scenery
Taylor Panorama 2 - Panorama Ridge is the scree slope to the right.
pika - Ochotona princeps ; living in the boulderfield in loose colonies; they can be seen collecting vegetation to dry and store for the long winters (through which they do not hibernate, amazingly); we came along their little hay piles on the shoreline rocks, with all the Petasites stems arranged to point in the same direction.
Taylor Panorama 3
Oxyria digyna
Anemone occidentalis - showing the bluish outer petals.
Taylor Panorama 4
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Oops, I forgot Ranunculus eschscholtzii, which I meant to show in the last set... beautiful glistening petals!
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Veratrum viride ssp. eschscholtzii, from emergence to bloom, and some others. It occurs in moist meadows, at or near treeline, and in forest openings just below treeline. My main and best source of local plant info is Flora of Alberta (Moss and Packer); it states that the range is from Alaska to California, and east to Idaho and Montana. (In the strenuous slog uphill - and it's all uphill in the mountains! - coming upon veratrum is a bit of a relief, as it means the alpine zone is near! Whew!)
Veratrum eschscholtzii
Veratrum eschscholtzii
Veratrum eschscholtzii
Veratrum eschscholtzii
Smelowskia calycina
Potentilla hyparctica?
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By the way, if I am misidentifying anything, I do hope someone will point it out! (I am trying to teach myself how to key out plants, but am frequently confused where similar species exist... or, perhaps I should just say frequently confused, in general. ;))
An interesting little oddity, Silene uralensis ssp. attenuata, formerly Lychnis apetala... found on rocky alpine slopes. I have yet to see these in large number anywhere, and they are certainly a treat to find... quite easily overlooked, too, as the entire plant is about 5 cm tall in these conditions. Moss & Packer describe the range as circumpolar, from Alaska to Ellesmere Island and south to BC, northern Montana, south Mackenzie District, Hudson Bay, northern Quebec, Utah and Colorado.
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Here is Veronica wormskjoldii (formerly V. alpina), occurring in moist alpine and subalpine areas, and a second photo of the same, for scale.
And from rocky areas, generally below treeline, Penstemon ellipticus.
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Another form of plant life, that results in so-called "watermelon snow"... In summertime, the remaining snow patches develop concentrations of Chlamydomonas green algae; each organism contains a bit of hematochrome pigment, which causes the pinkish colour of the snow (which I hope is visible in the foreground of this photo). (Re. Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, Ben Gadd - an excellent resource for information on every aspect of life and scenery in the Canadian Rockies.)
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these are great to see. lori..
what time of year are these from?
i'm hoping to get a few trips to some good mountain habitats this year, but we are a couple hours from the higher alpine areas; hopefully do a couple of overnight trips, so i can get more quality time in for the amount of driving!
i want to figure out some good times to go when lots will be in flower, and will have to find some good short distance hiking areas, due to time constraints and a companion with 0 interest in plants...lol..
do you know anyone selling these plants from the rockies? i have looked at all the sources i have been able to find, and the alberta plants available are very few..... its far easier to get plants from turkey or china than from our own province!!
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Hi, Cohan. These photos are from July and August. The timing to go depends on what one wants to see and on the conditions that year. For example, two years ago, we pretty well missed the glacier lily bloom. We drove to the trailhead of our usual annual glacier lily hike, only to find it still under heavy snow (so we hiked somewhere else instead). We returned the following weekend to try again, and hiked to the alpine meadows, only to find that, with a few days of warmer-than-usual weather, the show was already over! :( Some blooms are quite fleeting! Last summer, due to twice the normal snowfall, blooms were delayed, and we were still finding good bloom density of the later species in mid-August. By contrast, in 2006, there had already been a hard frost by August 9th (hard enough to freeze water bottles!), such that the plants were already in fall colours. Generally speaking, though, the best time would be from July 1st to perhaps the third week in July, to be safe.
Re. short hikes, there aren't too many that are both short and easy (short but grueling is another option, not one I assume would be of interest!) but I'd suggest Helen Lake in the northern part of Banff, past Lake Louise along the Icefields Parkway, as an excellent candidate. Most of the elevation gain is done by driving, and it's good for a slightly later hike within that key period, due to the high elevation. Well-marked trail, often a fair number of people (to be expected, as on all the easy and scenic trails). Another easy one is Elbow Lake in Kananaskis; once up there, you can keep going on connecting trails of the Elbow Loop, as you wish. Ptarmigan Cirque, from Ptarmigan Pass in Kananaskis is short and easy, relatively. Also, Chester Lake in the adjacent Spray Valley P.P. is an easy hike, that gets you up to the edge of the alpine. Anyway, I'd recommend buying/borrowing the trail guides and scoping it out. (If backpacking, you'll have to consider where the campgrounds are, too, of course.)
Re. Rocky Mountain plants... I dunno, most of the areas in which we hike are protected; one would need to get a permit to collect seeds. (I find it hard enough to ID some of these species with confidence in full bloom; in seed, yikes! But that's just me...) ALCLA in Calgary sells native plants, which they grow, primarily, I gather, for restoration purposes by commission; they do get the necessary permits, etc. for seed collection. In my dealings with them, they have generally had sub-alpine species, but it may be worth checking into.
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Speaking of glacier lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum), we were lucky to witness, in 2004, one the best blooms since the mid-1970's (according to mountaineering friends of ours who are long-term residents here). These are from the alpine meadows at Healy Pass in Banff, on July 1st. The perhaps equally-abundant (but less showy) white flowers are Claytonia lanceolata.
Photos: Erythronium grandiflorum in Banff, Healy Meadows - close-up
Erythronium grandiflorum in Banff, Healy Meadows
Erythronium grandiflorum in Banff, Healy Meadows
Erythronium grandiflorum in Banff, Healy Meadows
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/Glacier_lily_Erythronium_grandiflorum_July_1_04_023.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/June_30_04_007.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/June_30_04_003.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/June_30_04_024.jpg)
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thanks for those tips, lori..
i will need to do some more research.. and doubtless it will be a matter of luck, since i cant go out week after week to catch things..
yes, of course most of the areas are justly protected; and i know what you mean about seeds--you really do need to know the plants very well, to know them in seed, apart from few easy ones;
but surely the number of parks is not the reason that there are a bazillion plants from everywhere else readily available? not to say you should have the answer...lol--its just frustrating to me...
i have looked at ALCLA, among others; they do have some nice things, though as you say virtually no alpines, nor much for dryland plants, either;
beavercreek does have a few things, and wrightmans as well, but really very little :(
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Speaking of glacier lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum), we were lucky to witness, in 2004, one the best blooms since the mid-1970's (according to mountaineering friends of ours). These are from the alpine meadows at Healey Pass in Banff, on July 1st. The perhaps equally-abundant (but less showy) white flowers are Claytonia lanceolata.
spectacular! are you growing any erythronium? they are high on my wish list, but not sure i will get that far(down the list) this year..lol
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Cohan, it may be worth an e-mail/phone call to ALCLA, in which you specifically mention the species you seek. They grow a great deal more than is necessarily shown on the website, as I have found in my few visits there.
The only erythronium I am growing is E. dens-canis canis-densi(ooops), a European species - they've taken forever to get to blooming size (even though they were bought as corms, or whatever the correct term is. Hence, my enthusiasm to try others has been dampened somewhat.) Many other species are hardy here, though, according to what I understand the keener gardeners are growing.
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Truly amazing and wonderful shots Lori !
Thank you so much for taking us along on your hikes !
I was fortunate enough to visit the area some 10 odd years ago and drove down the Icefield Parkway from Jasper to Banff - unfortunately in just two days so there was no time for extensive hiking :'( - just some sightseeing (which was spectacular enough)... :o Some of the most impressive scenery I've ever seen.
And by the way... these Erythronium fields are awesome !!
I'm still hoping to go back some day... you may have triggered next year's holliday plans... ;D
Thanks again !
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Collapse Alert! Ian Young, a man proud to have been addressed by the late Wayne Roderick as "a miserable erythronium grower" has fallen in a faint at the beauty of these erythronium meadows....... I need to bring him round pretty quickly, since he leaves for the NARGS Western Study Weekend on Wednesday. :o
These photos are breath-taking ..... stunning photos of a truly remarkable sight.... and site!!
Lori, you have made at least two Scots VERY HAPPY!!
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Lori,
FABULOUS...and my heart-felt thanks for this......although you also made my heart ache miserably to know I've had to give up my dreams of relocating to the Alberta Rockies.
Cohan, and others, there is a wonderful Youth Hostel right in the heart of Kananaskis Provincial Park, which is always happy to have even "seasoned youths" as myself as guests. I have always been able to reserve the private room, as well (sometimes for up to a week) which allows for really great exploration time of the area.
There are good easy hikes, and plenty to be seen right at the sides of the roads---but of course the really spectacular plants (and animals) are higher up.
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Cohan, and others, there is a wonderful Youth Hostel right in the heart of Kananaskis Provincial Park, which is always happy to have even "seasoned youths" as myself as guests. I have always been able to reserve the private room, as well (sometimes for up to a week) which allows for really great exploration time of the area.
There are good easy hikes, and plenty to be seen right at the sides of the roads---but of course the really spectacular plants (and animals) are higher up.
tks, kristl, another good tip..i will need to do a bit more planning/research than usual--typically we just decide a day or two before and off we go--which is nice, but you can miss the less obvious spots... last fall we drove up to the athabasca glacier, and stopped to eat lunch at a roadside pulloff not too far from there--this was a nice spot with some interesting plants, though it was cold and snowing, so we didnt stay long...
my friend has never been to banff, so we may go that way this year..
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but you can miss the less obvious spots...
Yes, it would take a good chunk of time (even a good chunk of a lifetime) to come away with more than some fleeting glimpses, really. :)
So, sorry, Kristl! It sounds like you really enjoyed your times out here, and I hope you can continue to visit!
Thanks, Luc and Maggi!
Helen Lake area photos:
1. The Dolomites, with Mt. Hector and Hector Glacier in the background. (BTW, the approach trail (such as it is) to get up to Hector Glacier goes through a lovely understory of Rhododendron albiflorum... the most I've seen in one spot.)
2. Seedheads of Anemone occidentalis... I've heard these referred to as "hippies on a stick"!
3. Cirque Peak, behind the kruppelholz of alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa).
4. Helen Lake.
5. Alpine fir.
6. Bow Crowfoot Glacier and Bow Lake, and the spires of alpine fir.
7. Map(?) lichen on white Gog Quartzite.
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Here are some of the plants and scenery from dry, windblown Forget-Me-Not Ridge and Forget-Me-Not Peak (only a modest one) in Kananaskis Provincial Park... elevation ~2200-2300m.
Photos:
1. Forget-Me-Not Ridge, Little Elbow River in distance.
2. Forget-Me-Not Ridge
3. Potentilla nivea -this area has the most breath-taking clumps of P. nivea (or at least I assume that's what it is!)
4. Physaria didymocarpa.
5. Oxytropis podocarpa, in flower - a very abundant plant there.
6. Oxytropis podocarpa, in seed.
7. Turfy areas...
8. And scree ridges...
9. Campanula uniflora.
10. Saussurea nuda var. densa.
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Super pictures again Lori!
Great to see such plant as the Physaria in the wild.
I never realised it would grow up there in the scree.
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Here are some of the plants and scenery from dry, windblown Forget-Me-Not Ridge and Forget-Me-Not Peak (only a modest one) in Kananaskis Provincial Park... elevation ~2200-2300m.
some more great views and plants--the physaria is cool--one of my favourite spots west of here is in the Kootenay Plains; i have never got there in blooming season, though i dont know how much bloom there is--there are lots of rosettes of something silvery, and i was hoping there would be some 'cabbages' of some kind, but i fear they are mostly/entirely composites.... hopefully i will find out this year...
the saussurea is very cool, my poor wildflower book doesnt mention this genus, but the name seems familiar--probably from some alpines catalogue/list?
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Thanks, lvandelft and cohan!
Cohan, I wasn't even aware of Kootenay Plains but have just looked it up... looks like a nice place to explore. At that relatively low elevation, "silvery rosettes" may be antennaria or artemesia, as a couple of possibilities? It doesn't seem to me like native Brassicaceae ("cabbages", yes?) make up a very big part of the flora here... ???
Yes, the genus Saussurea is present in Europe, Asia, and North America (according to the Google entry... what would I do without Google?)
For books that cover native alpine species, it seems one has to get either publications that are aimed fairly specifically at alpines (these are not usually comprehensive, though, e.g. Plants of Kananaskis Country, Hallworth and Chinnappa, or contain only rudimentary description along with a picture of the flower, often not the plant itself!) or the really comprehensive treatments, e.g. Flora of Alberta, Moss and Packer, in which only verbal description and range maps are provided. It's good to have a battery of books in the former category, to help interpret the books in the latter category (in other words, to provide some nice, colourful pix to look at!)
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Other plants of the drier, somewhat lower elevation areas:
1. Oxytropis sericea (or so I believe, judging from the bloom time, etc.).
2. Eriogonum umbellatum(?)
3. Silene parryi
4. Silene parryi, close-up
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Magnificent thread, Lori ... superb images of true alpines! Many thanks for such enjoyable postings.
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Cohan, I wasn't even aware of Kootenay Plains but have just looked it up... looks like a nice place to explore. At that relatively low elevation, "silvery rosettes" may be antennaria or artemesia, as a couple of possibilities? It doesn't seem to me like native Brassicaceae ("cabbages", yes?) make up a very big part of the flora here... ???
Yes, the genus Saussurea is present in Europe, Asia, and North America (according to the Google entry... what would I do without Google?)
It's good to have a battery of books in the former category, to help interpret the books in the latter category (in other words, to provide some nice, colourful pix to look at!)
lori, i will have to post some pics from kootenay plains, even though i havent been there in mid season, yet; there is lots of Antennaria--its a very tiny rosette species, in nice size patches;i did get some cuttings from a roadside area outside the protected zone and they are doing very nicely in my garden--we also have 2 or three local species, but the smallest is just a bit bigger...
there are artemisia also, and i got some of that for my garden too--very very common in those areas--something like A frigida, though i dont know about really id'ing artemisias...lol
i probably have pics of the rosettes i'm referring to, and will post it with kootenay pictures; its much bigger than Antennaria, and not divided leaves like Artemesia..i have a feeling its Compositae, not sure what though..
i know what you mean about the books; i dont have the Flora; i have Plants of Alberta by Royer/Dickson--which is not bad, and covers non flowering plants somewhat also--; some only have flower close-ups, others have good overall shots; i also have a book on flowers of the rocky mountain parks (cant lay my hands on it right now to check details) which has small watercolours, good for some things, too
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Other plants of the drier, somewhat lower elevation areas:
the eriogonums are high on my list--beavercreek has a number, and i think somewhere i have seen alberta species listed--maybe ALCLA or Bedrock by edmonton..
i just looked at the Campanula above--it is nice--C rotundifolia is SO ubiquitous here that i am a bit prejudiced against the genus--they are pretty, but so common that easily overlooked; i still have lots of pictures of them anyway...lol; i havent yet tried planting to see how it looks growing on its own..
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Well, Campanula spp. tend to be quite highly valued in both the alpine garden, and in the perennial border, if that says anything. ;)
I've grown C. rotundifolia for many years, and have not found it problematic (though in "softer" climates, I think I have read that it can get to be a bit of a thug; perhaps someone can comment?) - our conditions seem to keep it in check very nicely. Since it blooms all summer long, it's a very nice addition to the border (along with a multitude of other campanula spp.).
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Well, Campanula spp. tend to be quite highly valued in both the alpine garden, and in the perennial border, if that says anything. ;)
i know the lists are full of campanula...lol
also not always my fave colour--although i dont feel the same with violets., and i do like shades all around it...lol
i'm sure there are many campanulas of the thousands ;) that i'd like; but starting from scratch, there are so many things to try, i havent worried about challenging my few prejudices...lol--BUT, for cute and native species i will certainly remain openminded :)
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A few more...
Erigeron humilis
Cassiope tetragona -there are no true heathers here, only cassiope and phyllodoce.
Cassiope tetragona
Crepis nana
Phyllodoce glanduliflora
Phyllodoce empetriformis
Saxifraga lyallii - can grow very densely on the banks of alpine stream and in snowmelt drainages.
Saxifraga lyallii close-up
Androsace chamaejasme
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Lori,
can you say something about the soil, where the Cassiope tetragona grow?
We grow it in the nursery I work and have every year problems with the cultivation. Maybe we used a wrong pot mixture (rhododendron mixture) ?
Very nice pictures. For me total new, I'am an alpine plant newbie.
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I'm afraid I can't say anything useful about its cultivation - I've tried to grow it here (in an acid bed, for lack of anywhere better) where it survives the summer, but is dessicated (we have dry conditions, chinook winds, thin and fleeting snow cover (usually) and low humidity here) by spring.
My observations from the wild is that it grows on substrates and outcrops of limestone (the lithology of this area of the Rockies is overwhelmingly limestone). Granted, there is a turfy buildup of organic matter, but assuming the roots must penetrate deeply, I think they must come into contact with alkaline rock. Also, where a substrate of carbonate (i.e. limestone) rock exists, the shallow groundwater must become alkaline from contact with the rocks it flows through, so I have always assumed that Cassiope and Phyllodoce must be tolerant of lime...
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Thank you, ranunculus and onion!
Saxifraga oppositifolia
Salix reticulata? and Saxifraga bronchialis
Salix spp.
Arnica spp., growing thickly in a hanging meadow.
Some of the amazing flower colour variation in Castilleja ssp.. (There are 10 species (and hybrids)* but unfortunately I haven't yet figured out how to distinguish them!)
(*- In Alberta.)
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more nice ones--i really like the willows, and willow with this sax is a really great combination--great idea for the garden..
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Thanks Lori for the information. I see the same problems as with rhododendrons growing in areas with limestone. These species a a bit different than the other one's.
Here you have a link for the Castilleja
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castilleja
Uli
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Thank you, onion.
I need to get down to reading and absorbing the differences between the Castilleja species that occur here... I even have a key, which I'm sure is very useful, if only I would apply it, LOL!
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my immediate surroundings have several 'colours' ..i'm not even sure if they are distinct species, though some species descriptions i have seen seem to suggest it
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And here is (are? I swear I used to know grammar!) the Dolomites (pictured earlier) from yesterday... a photo from my husband's backcountry ski trip.
After another 8" of snow overnight, our yard looks much the same, minus the peaks. :( (Will this very unusual, incredibly snowy winter never end?)
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Well, the bulbocodiums had melted out today, but another 5 cm of snow is forecast for overnight... and down it comes... :(
It's sort of interesting to see, but I don't imagine this alpine ever makes it onto the show bench... Minuartia austromontana.
Saxifraga cernua
Saxifraga occidentalis
Hoary marmot.
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After another 8" of snow overnight, our yard looks much the same, minus the peaks. :( (Will this very unusual, incredibly snowy winter never end?)
snowing here, too--interestingly, in the town where i work, only about 30k west, snow started several hours earlier than here..proximity to the mountains (here in alberta) really does make a difference in the weather, especially precipitation..when we left work, it had been snowing quite a while, but hadnt been cold enough yet for much accumulation/.... probably 10k or so towards home, and the road was dry; started here later; we may get up to 15cm...
march is actually often the snowiest month in alberta, historically; i think the difference this year is that we had more snow the rest of the winter than we often do, so it seems like its neverending--dont worry, only a couple more months of it, lori ;)
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i really like the minuartia! thanks for showing it :)
the genus name was familiar--i wonder if there is a species on a catalogue list?
i looked in royer/dickinson, and i see and some things have been moved out of arenaria into this and other genera; i think we have some of these (others) around here (i remember a kind of cool one growing on hummocks in slough areas-great little grassy/mossy clumps with tiny white flowers) will be trying to figure some of them out this year..
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That minuartia is sort of an ugly duckling compared to the more flowery wonders shown on this site - the petals are absent or at best rudimentary... but it's interesting! Yes, there are other, much-showier, species available (even locally, surprisingly). Most of the minuartia species here are essentially alpine in their distributions (a couple with broader ranges) - what you are seeing might also be stellaria or cerastium.
This is the most snow we've seen in 12 consecutive years here (14 total) and it's some sort of a record since the mid-1950's; I imagine you'd normally have more snow cover where you are, but here, snow cover is normally thin and temporary. Yes, the big dumps of snow are normally always in spring here too. What a lovely climate - I've seen frost on the ground in every month of the year - such a treat. ;)
But we are close to the mountains...
Mt. Lipsett
Sparrowhawk
Saxifraga lyallii in moss garden
Sparrowhawk
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Beautiful area, Lori.
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Lori, the pictures of Arnica and Saxifraga lyallii (the first one) are very impressive!
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Thank you!
Light snow continues to fall here, but it should warm up next week! (Is the end in sight?) :D
The fall larches (Larix lyallii) on Panorama Ridge, Banff:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/Sept2505PanoramaRidge009.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/Sept2505PanoramaRidge018.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/Sept2505PanoramaRidge1022.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/Sept2505PanoramaRidge020.jpg)
Lineham Ridge, Kananaskis:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/July1705LinehamRidgewithNancyandArn.jpg)
Myosotis alpestris on Lineham Ridge, a fabulous wildflower area:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/MyosotisalpestrisJuly1705LinehamRid.jpg)
Erigeron aureus:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/ErigeronaureusJuly1705P1010030.jpg)
Pedicularis bracteosa:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/PedicularisbracteosaBractedLousewor.jpg)
Townsendia parryi:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/TownsendiaparryiParrysTownsendiaJul.jpg)
Some unusual colours of Penstemon procerus, which is normally purple-blue, in this area... (The last one may be P. confertus, though I had thought it was P. procerus - I'll have to look at it again, though unfortunately I didn't get much of the foliage in the picture.)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/P1010001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/P1010003.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/porkchopflossie/old%20post/P1010005.jpg)
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Amazing pictures Lori ! :o :o
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Lori,
How wonderful! Such light and the larch are particularly amazing.
Paddy
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That minuartia is sort of an ugly duckling compared to the more flowery wonders shown on this site - the petals are absent or at best rudimentary... but it's interesting! This is the most snow we've seen in 12 consecutive years here (14 total) and it's some sort of a record since the mid-1950's; I imagine you'd normally have more snow cover where you are, but here, snow cover is normally thin and temporary. Yes, the big dumps of snow are normally always in spring here too. What a lovely climate - I've seen frost on the ground in every month of the year - such a treat. ;)
But we are close to the mountains...
of course there are flower covered mounds that i do like, but i do like plants which are also structurally interesting, and with interesting foliage..
yes, by 'others' i meant related genera..some certainly stellaria..
we do usually have a more persistent snow cover than you in midwinter, but its not unusual to have a lot of melt in february (and subsequent recovering, of course); i dont know if we have neared any records or not, but certainly there is more snow on the ground still than has been usual...
personally i've never seen frost in june(apart from probably the first week) and not at all in july, past mid august its no surprise.... yeah--such a long growing season...lol;
your summer last year was quite a bit cooler than ours...i
i wouldnt mind a move to drumheller area--i love the landscape, and its often among the warmest spots in the province, all year..
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missed this wunderful thread. :o :o :o
Thanks Lori.