The one-legged stance
A fun find
A garden in the forest
Young Spruce Grouse
A brief moment's rest
A family of textured caps
Conserving heat
Exploring the forest
Fine 'threads' of a mushroom veil
Picked for demonstration purposes - Honey Mushroom…
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Aspen Roughstem Bolete / Leccinum insigne
Sainfoin / Onobrychis viciifolia
Breaking through the storm clouds
Texture
Mom and her spotted twins
False Morel fungus
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Hen and rooster at the Saskatoon Farm
An odd colour in nature
Lynn's cat at Marsland Basin
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk
Gathering in the forest
Lovage / Levisticum officinale
Predator with prey
A cute little cluster
Yellow Columbine
Cream and wine-coloured
Swainson's Hawk female, dark-phase
Yellow Avens / Geum aleppicum
Swainson's Hawk male, light phase
Pinedrops / Pterospora - rare
Mustard White butterfly / Pieris oleracea
Handsome male Bobolink / Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Fungi family
Delicate wild Rose
Geometry can be such a challenge
Looking beautiful
Popular with the flies
One of my favourite meadows
A gathering of female Bighorn Sheep
Northern Gentian
Young Spruce Grouse
Northern Willowherb / Epilobium ciliatum
A bright splash of blue in August
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Mushroom in a wonderfully lush setting
On 12 August 2016, friend Dorothy phoned and asked if I'd like to go with them to Kananaskis for the day. A last minute decision - and of course I said yes! What a great day we had in the mountains, with perfect weather and so many mushrooms to keep all three of us happy.
When I think how many endless rainy days we have been having for so many weeks, we were so lucky that the sun shone, the temperature was pleasant, and a slight breeze kept comfort levels just right.
Our first brief stop was at a pond on the way to Bragg Creek, where a mutual friend had been seeing a Common Loon, but there was no sign of it when we were there. From there, once we eventually reached the mountains, we stopped at a large pond to check for birds and kept our eyes open for any mushrooms. The ground seemed too dry here, for any fungi to be growing. However, we were treated to wonderful views of a beautiful Osprey perched on top of a tall coniferous tree further down the path. It flew to a few different trees and then finally made the plunge for a fish, with success. What a splash it made! Once caught, it flew out of sight - maybe it had a nest somewhere with young ones to feed.
"Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/id
Our next stop was further into the mountains and we found that the ground was damper and more conducive to the growth of mushrooms. I suspect that after all the rain we've had this summer, one could find mushrooms growing anywhere. We were certainly lucky at this location, finding various species. One of the highlights of the day for me was seeing one of my favourite fungi, Strawberries and Cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii - the one that produces small, ruby red droplets on the surface. The individuals we saw were not hugely photogenic, but wonderful to see, both at this location and our next stop, at Kananaskis Lakes.
Lunch was eaten at a convenient picnic table right by a large creek after this first walk. While we were sitting there, a cute little Chipmunk (Least Chipmunk?) stopped long enough to take a quick peek at us through the tall grass blades. I suspect it thought it was well hidden.
After our lunch, we drove to Kananaskis Lakes and went for a most enjoyable hike - a fairly slow one, as there were mushrooms everywhere! We had been along this trail in previous years and had found a good variety of fungi. This photo was taken along this path. There were so many people on the trail! Good to see everyone out enjoying the good weather, fresh mountain air, and beautiful scenery. My friends returned to the same areas two days later and found about two-thirds less the number of mushrooms, so hopefully we will have more rain soon (and preferably at night!).
Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, not just for this great day out, but for also helping to make my wait for my new car to arrive, easier! Greatly appreciated. Thank goodness, the wait came to an end on 29 August.
When I think how many endless rainy days we have been having for so many weeks, we were so lucky that the sun shone, the temperature was pleasant, and a slight breeze kept comfort levels just right.
Our first brief stop was at a pond on the way to Bragg Creek, where a mutual friend had been seeing a Common Loon, but there was no sign of it when we were there. From there, once we eventually reached the mountains, we stopped at a large pond to check for birds and kept our eyes open for any mushrooms. The ground seemed too dry here, for any fungi to be growing. However, we were treated to wonderful views of a beautiful Osprey perched on top of a tall coniferous tree further down the path. It flew to a few different trees and then finally made the plunge for a fish, with success. What a splash it made! Once caught, it flew out of sight - maybe it had a nest somewhere with young ones to feed.
"Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/id
Our next stop was further into the mountains and we found that the ground was damper and more conducive to the growth of mushrooms. I suspect that after all the rain we've had this summer, one could find mushrooms growing anywhere. We were certainly lucky at this location, finding various species. One of the highlights of the day for me was seeing one of my favourite fungi, Strawberries and Cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii - the one that produces small, ruby red droplets on the surface. The individuals we saw were not hugely photogenic, but wonderful to see, both at this location and our next stop, at Kananaskis Lakes.
Lunch was eaten at a convenient picnic table right by a large creek after this first walk. While we were sitting there, a cute little Chipmunk (Least Chipmunk?) stopped long enough to take a quick peek at us through the tall grass blades. I suspect it thought it was well hidden.
After our lunch, we drove to Kananaskis Lakes and went for a most enjoyable hike - a fairly slow one, as there were mushrooms everywhere! We had been along this trail in previous years and had found a good variety of fungi. This photo was taken along this path. There were so many people on the trail! Good to see everyone out enjoying the good weather, fresh mountain air, and beautiful scenery. My friends returned to the same areas two days later and found about two-thirds less the number of mushrooms, so hopefully we will have more rain soon (and preferably at night!).
Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, not just for this great day out, but for also helping to make my wait for my new car to arrive, easier! Greatly appreciated. Thank goodness, the wait came to an end on 29 August.
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