May 09 in the Rockies

[cohan]

this is from may 30th, we made a daytrip--read-sprint! west from here, into the foothills and mountains, going through the Kootenay Plains montane area and on to the area of Lake Louise (we didnt actually see the lake: we got coffee/treats in Lake Louise Village--nice little shops, but on this late spring weekend, things were already busy, i wouldnt brave it in high summer, on a weekend at least!; when we got to the parking area for the lake proper, it was swarming! and we promptly turned tail and headed for less populated spots...) then back..

i used an online distance calculator, which tells me driving distance one way is around 170km from rocky mtn house to lake louise, another 30 to get to rocky mtn house from where i live, so somehthing like 400km for the day if thats all correct, so with several stops for pictures and eating, you see why i call it a sprint--plus, my friend/driver, has no interest in plants, only mountains, so typically while i was off looking at/for plants, he was waiting in the van, so even more sprinting
so considering the short time at each site, i was very lucky to find some great plants, many others still in bud only...

flowering was going strong at the lower to mid elevations,in the highest stretches along the icefields parkway (bow lake etc) there was still snow near the highway, and at lake louise, although it felt like a nice summery day, there were huge mounds of (not fresh) snow at the edges of the parking lots..

here are views from first stop, a generic roadside near nordegg, alberta, high foothills...
a gravelly ditch, with a wetter area in the deepest part, then drier conditions up a small embankment..
the last couple of views across the road, where you see the poplars leafing out..

 

[cohan]

plants from that first stop;then off to work, more later..
Antennaria sp
are everywhere at these altitudes, often, but not only, in very harsh dry conditions
Aquilegia sp
one that got away, not yet in flower..
Arctostaphylos
uva-ursi presumably, i havent worked out details on the species.. flowers and berries simultaneously; some plants have very pale flowers, others very pink; another almost universal plant in these altitudes...
Viola adunca
also very common

[Paddy Tobin]

A great sprint, Cohan.

Many thanks for the lovely and enjoyable images.

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

Your Antennaria seems much like Gnaphalium spp in the NZ landscape.

[cohan]

A great sprint, Cohan.
Many thanks for the lovely and enjoyable images.
Paddy

thanks paddy
lesley, i wasnt familiar with the genus you mention, so did  a little search--seems like we have at least a couple that are or were in that genus in the province, and one looks familiar to me, we may have some or similararound, though not positive; ours arent flat like the antennarias, but then antennarias already have that niche...lol
those composites really are all over, arent they?? i was just taking pics on the farm of the pink flowered antennaria yesterday, havent transplanted any to my garden yet, but will sometime soon...

[cohan]

second stop: Lake Abraham; a manmade lake associated with the Bighorn Hydorelectric Dam; flooded part of the Kootenay Plains montane zone, a dry area historically popular with wildlife and therefor native peoples  in part due to its lesser  snowcover/good winter grazing...
this site is a roadside viewpoint; in the general views you can see the guardrail, and a grassy area below it before a drop off to the lake; the plant photos in the next post were taken in that grassy area.. this spot has been windy pretty much every time i have been there, a further stress on the plants in an already dry environment..
the 'swimming pool' colour is true, from rock powder in the water...

[cohan]

this site had a couple of peas--
Astragalus? Oxytropis? from my one book, i cant tell enough to id them, so far, will take more time..any pointers appreciated..

[cohan]

still at site 2, lake abraham;
Androsace septentrionalis
and another unknown, i was thinking brassicaceae, but maybe thats the wrong direction, maybe something more like
Cryptantha??
this is a tiny thing, only a couple of inches, and very gracile, i saw it at another place later and it was the same...

[cohan]

still in the area of the Kootenay Plains, some views shot from the moving vehicle...
you can see that this part of the Rockies is quite dry, overall..

[Paul T]

Beautiful, Cohan.  The blue lake colour is amazing, and some wonderful plants thereabouts.  I love the second unknown fabaceae with the white flowers and purple tips.

[cohan]

the next few posts are in the Kootenay Plains, at the Siffleur Falls Staging area, where a trail heads off across the flats, partway up a mountain on the other side, to the Falls;
i have never made it to the falls, though we once went, probably , most of the way (we hiked over an hour one way, not sure how much farther it was..lol) since i tend to lose interest in the forest on the other side, the interest for me here is the dry plains..
there are a number of different microhabitats in here, presumably all about water, and maybe wind; when you first enter the trail, there is a light forest of poplar and  spruce, with grassy areas,  indicating a bit more moisture in this zone; this is where i saw
Androsace chamaejasme
a tiny delight; ironically, when i finished my hike and got back to the parking lot, the best patch of it i saw was right in front of the van, in a grassy area...lol; i didnt see this species farther out in the drier areas
 

[cohan]

thanks paul, that was one of my faves too, and the only time i saw that species, in flower, at least..
some more views along that trail...
1-where the spruce give way to mainly grasses and forbs, but still fairly solid growth
2-junipers and artosphylos, both cover very large areas
3-mountain view
4,5,6,7-across the plains, the paletted daubed with the hues of patches of varying plants
8-junipers meet peas..

[cohan]

another presumed cress?
Brassicaceae sp?
this one forming small clumps like an alyssum--maybe 4-6inches high; ranging from grassy spots to very dry exposed sites..

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wonderful pictures Cohan !! 
Splendid views of spectacular nature !!

I drove down the Icefield Parkway myself a number of years ago and it still is one of my most favourite "bits" I've ever seen on this planet.
The view of Peyto lake (I hope I have the spelling right) is one I'll never forget (among many others !!)

Didn't have time to look for plants at the time, so you're filling a gap here !! 

Thanks a lot for posting and do not hesitate to make more "sprints" through the season... 

[cohan]

Wonderful pictures Cohan !! 
Splendid views of spectacular nature !!
I drove down the Icefield Parkway myself a number of years ago and it still is one of my most favourite "bits" I've ever seen on this planet.
The view of Peyto lake (I hope I have the spelling right) is one I'll never forget (among many others !!)
Didn't have time to look for plants at the time, so you're filling a gap here !! 
Thanks a lot for posting and do not hesitate to make more "sprints" through the season... 

thanks, luc--i definitely hope to get at least a few more trips over the season, i've mostly only been in fall for the last couple of years, and before that was long ago; many more pics to come from this trip, but off to bed now