Calgary Zoo 1

I'm always fascinated by the bright Tropical plants that I see at the Calgary Zoo.

I had to smile when I got home and saw the reflection or pattern in the tiny puddle on the lilypad. To me, it looks like a frog's face.

These are just a few of the many cacti in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. I usually take photos of the tiny Burrowing Owls in this particular "room", but as they are aggressive at the moment because they are nesting, I decided to turn my attention to the cacti instead.

There were two or three different colours of Calla Lily at the Calgary Zoo the other day. This yellow was so vibrant.

This little Tawny Owl is in the same enclosure as the family of Snowy Owls at the Calgary Zoo. It was the very first time that I saw this owl fly and be more active - usually it just sits up on a high branch, barely visible.

An Antherium at the Calgary Zoo.

A full view of this Snowy Owl from the Calgary Zoo. Not sure if it is the adult female or one of her three youngsters from last year. I suspect it could be Mom.

Wish I could see a Black-crowned Night-heron this close in the wild! They are always SO far away. The pair of these birds at the Calgary Zoo is nesting and, while I was there a few afternoons ago, they changed place on the nest and the one leaving the nest flew and perched on the wooden railings that I was standing by, only two or three feet away from me. That was quite a feeling! During breeding season, the bird has two white plumes trailing down from the crown - you can just see a bit of them in the lower, right corner. These white plumes are present for most of the year, but they are most noticeable during breeding season. The male gathers the nesting material and the female builds the nest.

I thought these green pupae hanging in a small, open cabinet in the Butterfly House at the Calgary Zoo looked interesting. They are certainly easier to photograph at this stage!