Sparrow's-egg Orchid / Cypripedium passerinum

Also known as Franklin's lady's-slipper.

Two days ago, on 19 June 2018, there were two walks I wanted to go on - an afternoon botany walk at Griffith Woods, especially as I have missed most of the walks this session; and a birding walk in the evening at Lafarge Meadows in Fish Creek Park. Usually, I don't do two walks on the same day, as it is just too much walking for me.

Quite a few plant species were seen at Griffith Woods, including both Yellow lady's-slippers and the white Sparrow's-egg lady's slippers. The flower in this photo is the Sparrow's-egg lady's-slipper, also known as Franklin's lady's-slipper. We don't see these white orchids very often.

We were lucky enough to see two Black-crowned night-herons in Fish Creek Park, though they were far, far away. A Great Blue Heron stood at the river's edge, fishing, and the occasional American White Pelican flew high up. The group of 8 of us saw 39 bird species in total.

After the evening walk, a few of us went to Tim Horton's for coffee and chat. Coffee doesn't usually keep me awake, but I guess I'm not normally drinking it at 10:00 pm! Despite feeling tired out from two walks, I was also 'wired' and it was 6:00 am before I finally fell into bed the next morning. An hour later, I was awake, so yesterday was definitely a slow day at home.