I confess that my weakness is for native plants. I don't recognize many plants but I do go out on field trips to find plants.
Here we have bush and all kinds of plants that grow in the under bush. With deciduous trees we have a very lush undergrowth. I like prairie flowers best , but since I don't live on the prairie I don't see the prairie flowers.
Yesterday I was birding in the morning. Birds and plants were at their peak. We identified 39 species of birds. I tried getting some flower photos but since I'm not that steady anymore the camera is continually refocusing .
We started at a foot bridge across the Red Deer River. There were hundreds of cliff swallows nesting under the bridge.
Then we walked along the escarpment of the river so it's a challenging walk . It's set up for cross country skiing but it goes through heavy bush.
So here are some of the flowers I found.
You are fortunate having that fauna and flora. So much is disappearing
ReplyDeleteI love looking for wild flowers too. One of those looks like a strawberry plant.
ReplyDeleteThis time of year the bush has many flowers.
DeleteInteresting wild flowers Red - they are none of them familiar to me but like all wildflowers, they sit perfectly in the landscape. I have Benign Essential Tremor which makes taking photographs impossible - the shots are always out of focus.
ReplyDeleteAnd we probably don't have many of your flowers here either.
DeleteNIce little lady slipper capture, Red. That is a whole lot of birds!!
ReplyDeleteThe lady slipper is from last year.
DeleteIt's good to appreciate the little things. I like seeing the yellow lady slipper orchids. We only seem to have pink around here.
ReplyDeleteWe have 2 more species but they are more rare and smaller.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteBirding is best in the early morning. I like the yellow lady slipper orchid, we have the pink color here. Take care, have a great day and happy week ahead.
We have two more orchid species here but they are smaller. I don't think I'd get many birders early in the morning even when they know it's a better time to see birds.
DeleteIt is fun to see the wild blooms when out for a hike! I wish I could get more of these to appear in my garden without having to do much work!
ReplyDeleteA lot of them don't trmsplant very well.
DeleteI love to identify wildflowers. The last is something called 'blue eyed grass'. Before that, cinquefoil, before that, lady slipper. wild strawberry. The first, because I could not distinguish the leaves, I'd guess what we call wild rose. I am not sure that this is the right name. If you have a smart phone, here's a key: mywildflower.com It's a fun application for walks in the woods.
ReplyDeleteYou're right on the last one. The edges of the bush are thick with wild roses.
DeleteIt's so good that you got out for a walk there and saw these lovely flowers.
ReplyDeleteI walk every night but this was a different place with lots of plants.
DeleteLovely flowers! I don't think I've ever seen a buttercup, but if they are to be found in Alberta, I'm sure they would be here too.
ReplyDeleteI like to walk on the native grasslands at this time of year as there are many, many flowers.
DeleteRed, we are in agreement about prairie wildflowers. They are the best. Now, you said, “I'm not that steady anymore the camera is continually refocusing.” Despite that, I enjoyed all your photos and hope you’ll keep taking them and sharing them. Your pic of the Red Deer River really piqued my curiosity so I took a close look at it on Google Maps. I found 2 footbridges. One is called Riverlands Pedestrian Bridge, in the southwest part of the city, and the other one near Discovery Canyon, northeast of the city. Wondering which one you were using?
ReplyDeleteMost of the photos were from other years. I was at the Discovery canyon bridge but that area is called Riverbend. The other area is called Heritage Ranch.
DeleteLady's Slipper Orchids are extremely rare in the UK, though I did once find some in the Dolomites. It's a beautiful time of year to be out in the countryside.
ReplyDeleteThis time of year is special as you have such a variety of plants in their prime.
DeleteA nice walk and you found some pretty flowers.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good walk over some rough terrain.
DeleteOh, you have Lady Slippers like Connie's in Minnesota!
ReplyDeleteAnd the Lady Slipper is Connie's favorite flower.
DeleteYou did pretty well! Good work.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I cheated a bit and used older photos.
DeleteI love that ground cover this time of year! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSadly most of the ground cover is non native.
DeleteWonderful shots.
ReplyDeleteI used photos from past years so I was cheating ...a bit!
DeleteFinding a wild flower (or a bird) is like finding a treasure. Enjoy your days outdoors :)
ReplyDeleteIf you put the camera on "flash", it will capture the image. 'Course it may not look natural but . . .
ReplyDeleteYou found some good flowers! Nice job finding that many birds too!
ReplyDeleteIt always feels a little bit like magic when flowers pop out again after a long winter. I see wild roses and strawberries there - ours are blooming too!
ReplyDeletei am glad you found some pretty little blooms on the way :)
ReplyDeletesorry but it seems that you have moved somewhere else from older place ,please correct if i am right .
if so i hope weather and environment is pleasing and friendly dear Red!
When we lived in VA years ago, we would go out on walks looking for native flowers, some of which were planted in the yard. At the time, I could ID far more than today.
ReplyDeleteI love the lady's slippers -- I'm not sure I've ever seen those in real life. Just in pictures! I recognize the strawberry right away, too.
ReplyDelete