A Gaillardia that is a little different, found on the beautiful Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation area just south of Calgary.
Tags: Alberta Canada wildflower nature flower Canon Powershot S3 IS plants flora Gaillardia Gaillardia aristata Canon S3 IS IMG_1000747 Ann & Sandy Cross Area annkelliott Talkaboutwildlife.ca
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Taken at the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area, SW of Calgary, on August 19th. Unfortunately, Creeping Thistle (also called Canada Thistle) is intensely invasive. Status in Alberta is Noxious.
Tags: Alberta Canada southern Alberta Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area SW of Calgary nature plant flower Thistle Creeping Thistle Canada Thistle Cirsium Cirsium arvense non-native introduced weed invasive insect butterfly Skipper sp. bokeh beauty in nature Panasonic DMC-FZ40 DMC-FZ40 FZ40 Lumix point-and-shoot P1150518 FZ40 annkelliott beautiful_expression © Anne Elliott 2011 © All Rights Reserved
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The White Admiral is a large butterfly that can be found across Alberta from mid to late June and into summer. Sometimes, a small second generation appears in late August. They can be found along wooded roadsides and in clearings.
Tags: Alberta Canada Wildlife nature insect butterfly White Admiral Animal Planet annkelliott P6300077 Olympus C750UZ Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Talkaboutwildlife.ca
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This was the first Blue Lettuce flower that I had seen this year, so I was happy when a group of us came across it at the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area, on August 19th. Each flower is about 2 cm across.
Tags: Alberta Canada southern Alberta Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area south of Calgary nature flora flower flowers wildflower Blue Lettuce Lactuca tatarica Asteraceae blue flower head macro close-up Raynox DCR-250 beauty in nature Panasonic DMC-FZ40 DMC-FZ40 FZ40 Lumix point-and-shoot P1150460 FZ40 annkelliott beautiful_expression
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This very uninspiring photo was all I've ended up with from my walk with a friend this afternoon. Bitterly cold, windy with blowing snow. Converted, it equals -36F, windchill -32.8F! We went to the beautiful Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation area south of Calgary. A lovely place - in summer, it is full of wildflowers and butterflies. We saw very little today - a few Ravens, a Hairy Woodpecker (which was nice to see) and a hawk that was "wind-hovering", flapping its wings to maintain a stationary position while facing upwind. Not sure if one of my photos, taken for ID purposes, will be fit to upload. I think it could be a Rough-legged Hawk. After two hours of walking, mainly uphill climbing in quite a few inches of snow, I really felt that I could have gone absolutely no further by the time we had climbed the last hill back to the parking lot : ). How on earth the early Pioneers ever survived, amazes me - of course, not all of them did survive. Thank goodness for central heating!!!
Tags: Alberta Canada south of Calgary Ann & Sandy Cross Cross Conservation area nature hills winter snow gate Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Panasonic FZ18 FZ18 P1050027 FZ18 annkelliott
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