Monday, 26 July 2021: our temperature is 18C (feels like 18C) at noon. Sunrise is at 5:52 am, and sunset is at 9:31 pm. Another smoky day from the wildfires in British Columbia, but we are no longer under a Statement of Air Quality, at least for now.

Argh, just lost my description when my computer suddenly changed to the next photo. Here goes again .....

My daughter had a free day yesterday, 25 July 2021, so, as we have both been fully vaccinated for a few months, we decided to go for a day's drive.

Our destination, Olds College, was way up north of the city. A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the Botanical Gardens and Wetlands of the College on a bus trip. This time, I had to drive there for the first time, but fortunately, my daughter is really good at navigating. I wanted to avoid the main highway for most of the time and the backroads we took were very confusing. The given time for Calgary to the College is about an hour, but we took two to three hours. Needless to say, we kept stopping to take photos.

The very first thing we stopped for was a female deer crossing the road ahead of us. I slowed right down, partly to try and get a photo, but more importantly, to make sure that there was no other deer about to cross the road. What we did see was a fawn who had been following Mom, but then was unable to get past the fence. It walked into the grass and low bushes by the fence and hid there. Female deer do hide their fawns and leave them alone for long periods of time. I would imagine this had happened on other days, too, as she seemed comfortable with going on by herself. She did give a backward glance once, and I managed to get just one, greatly zoomed showing her face. A deer in a glorious, golden field of canola is a photographer's dream, so we were happy with this beautiful start to our day.

Will finish description when I have had breakfast/lunch .

Tags:   Alberta Canada N of Calgary nature wildlife wild animal deer female doe mother was with one fawn field crop canola yellow golden colour colourful distant farm walking through canola outdoor summer 25 July 2021 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2021 © All Rights Reserved

© All Rights Reserved

Original photo was so blurry, so I added a touch of filter in post-processing in order to post the image, just for the record.

Monday, 26 July 2021: our temperature is 18C (feels like 18C) at noon. Sunrise is at 5:52 am, and sunset is at 9:31 pm. Another smoky day from the wildfires in British Columbia, but we are no longer under a Statement of Air Quality, at least for now.

Argh, just lost my description when my computer suddenly changed to the next photo. Here goes again .....

My daughter had a free day yesterday, so, as we have both been fully vaccinated for a few months, we decided to go for a day's drive.

Our destination, Olds College, was way up north of the city. A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the Botanical Gardens and Wetlands of the College on a bus trip. This time, I had to drive there for the first time, but fortunately, my daughter is really good at navigating. I wanted to avoid the main highway for most of the time and the backroads we took were very confusing. The given time for Calgary to the College is about an hour, but we took two to three hours. Needless to say, we kept stopping to take photos.

The very first thing we stopped for was a female deer crossing the road ahead of us. I slowed right down, partly to try and get a photo, but more importantly, to make sure that there was no other deer about to cross the road. What we did see was a fawn who had been following Mom, but then was unable to get past the fence. It walked into the grass and low bushes by the fence and hid there. Female deer do hide their fawns and leave them alone for long periods of time. I would imagine this had happened on other days, too, as she seemed comfortable with going on by herself. She did give a backward glance once, and I managed to get just one, greatly zoomed showing her face. A deer in a glorious, golden field of canola is a photographer's dream, so we were happy with this beautiful start to our day.

Will finish description when I have had breakfast/lunch .

© All Rights Reserved

Monday, 26 July 2021: our temperature is 18C (feels like 18C) at noon. Sunrise is at 5:52 am, and sunset is at 9:31 pm. Another smoky day from the wildfires in British Columbia, but we are no longer under a Statement of Air Quality, at least for now.

Argh, just lost my description when my computer suddenly changed to the next photo. Here goes again .....

My daughter had a free day yesterday, so, as we have both been fully vaccinated for a few months, we decided to go for a day's drive.

Our destination, Olds College, was way up north of the city. A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the Botanical Gardens and Wetlands of the College on a bus trip. This time, I had to drive there for the first time, but fortunately, my daughter is really good at navigating. I wanted to avoid the main highway for most of the time and the backroads we took were very confusing. The given time for Calgary to the College is about an hour, but we took two to three hours. Needless to say, we kept stopping to take photos.

The very first thing we stopped for was a female deer crossing the road ahead of us. I slowed right down, partly to try and get a photo, but more importantly, to make sure that there was no other deer about to cross the road. What we did see was a fawn who had been following Mom, but then was unable to get past the fence. It walked into the grass and low bushes by the fence and hid there. Female deer do hide their fawns and leave them alone for long periods of time. I would imagine this had happened on other days, too, as she seemed comfortable with going on by herself. She did give a backward glance once, and I managed to get just one, greatly zoomed showing her face. A deer in a glorious, golden field of canola is a photographer's dream, so we were happy with this beautiful start to our day.

Will finish description when I have had breakfast/lunch .

© All Rights Reserved

Monday, 26 July 2021: our temperature is 18C (feels like 18C) at noon. Sunrise is at 5:52 am, and sunset is at 9:31 pm. Another smoky day from the wildfires in British Columbia, but we are no longer under a Statement of Air Quality, at least for now.

"The Heritage Barn, also known simply as The Red Barn, provides the anchor for the south end and Main Entrance into the Botanic Gardens and Constructed Wetlands. It is the oldest building standing on our campus.

Despite repainting, the barn was kept its original red colour as a call back to earlier times, when paint was expensive and hard to procure for farmers. Farmers created their own linseed oil based paint, and would mix milk, lime, and rust into the paint, which would result in the bright red that we have come to know as the traditional colour for barns. This homemade paint was used not for esthetic reasons, but because it would kill fungi and mosses that tried to grow on the wooden structure"

The mission of the College is, taken from the College website:

"Our goal is to develop a Botanic Garden on the Olds College campus, which introduces, conserves, and maintains a diverse, well-documented and accurately labeled collection of prairie hardy plants.

Our collections will preserve our natural heritage, expand the role of Olds College as a Centre of Excellence in Horticulture, and gain formal recognition with the Canadian Botanical Conservation Network (CBCN) and the American Public Garden Association (APGA).

Olds College Botanic Garden will enhance and support education, training, demonstration, and applied research programs that span the generations and encourage the exchange of information and ideas with industry, students, other botanical gardens and the public.

The Botanical Garden will also raise awareness with the public regarding the importance of sustainable environments."

About the College, taken from the College website:

"Not just a walk down the garden path, the gardens are designed to meet the instructional needs of courses and programs on campus, and are used as the location and subject matter for research projects. The Botanic Gardens are an aesthetically beautiful, diverse and well-maintained garden and constructed wetlands. Highlights include our collections of hardy peonies, lilies and roses, natural areas, a wide variety of aquatics, herb garden, fabulous annual displays each year and much more.

The Gardens are comprised of three phases spread over 25 acres and are populated with a wide ranging collection of prairie hardy plant material, both native and ornamental. The most established parts of the garden are the Central Portion opened in 2002.

The third and most recent phase of our Botanic Gardens is the East Portion which contains the Treatment Wetlands, opened in early September of 2013.

The three phases when considered together include naturalized landscapes, specialty gardens, walking trails, demonstration plots, an arboretum and 20 constructed treatment wetlands and display ponds. The area is complete with two public gazebos, an amphitheater and event areas. The Botanic Gardens & Treatment Wetlands has the ability to host weddings, reunions, graduations, workshops, and boasts 1.3 kilometers of trails throughout the gardens and wetlands.

Botanic gardens are quite different from other public garden spaces or show gardens. To be able to be identified as a botanic garden, several criteria must be met. For example, botanic gardens must:

Be open to the public
1. Exhibit a degree of permanence
2. Use a scientific basis as the foundation for their collections
3. Document and monitor the collection
4. Communicate information to other gardens, institutions and the public
The Botanic Gardens and Treatment Wetlands at Olds College is dedicated to meeting all criteria and continuing to expand its value to the college and extended community."

Argh, just lost my description when my computer suddenly changed to the next photo. Here goes again .....

My daughter had a free day yesterday, so, as we have both been fully vaccinated for a few months, we decided to go for a day's drive.

Our destination, Olds College (founded in 1913), was way up north of the city. A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the Botanical Gardens and Wetlands of the College on a bus trip. This time, I had to drive there for the first time, but fortunately, my daughter is really good at navigating. I wanted to avoid the main highway for most of the time and the backroads we took were very confusing. The given time for Calgary to the College is about an hour, but we took two to three hours. Needless to say, we kept stopping to take photos.

The very first thing we stopped for was a female deer crossing the road ahead of us. I slowed right down, partly to try and get a photo, but more importantly, to make sure that there was no other deer about to cross the road. What we did see was a fawn who had been following Mom, but then was unable to get past the fence. It walked into the grass and low bushes by the fence and hid there. Female deer do hide their fawns and leave them alone for long periods of time. I would imagine this had happened on other days, too, as she seemed comfortable with going on by herself. She did give a backward glance once, and I managed to get just one, greatly zoomed showing her face. A deer in a glorious, golden field of canola is a photographer's dream, so we were happy with this beautiful start to our day.

Will finish description when I have had breakfast/lunch .

© All Rights Reserved

These two beautiful youngsters were on a haybale far out in a field, with other haybales. First, it took me a few seconds to find the right haybale and I had to zoom in, in order to even see what was on the top. Camera zoom really can do wonders : ) Just need to try and do a better job of holding the camera steady, lol.

Monday, 26 July 2021: our temperature is 18C (feels like 18C) at noon. Sunrise is at 5:52 am, and sunset is at 9:31 pm. Another smoky day from the wildfires in British Columbia, but we are no longer under a Statement of Air Quality, at least for now.

Argh, just lost my description when my computer suddenly changed to the next photo. Here goes again .....

My daughter had a free day yesterday, so, as we have both been fully vaccinated for a few months, we decided to go for a day's drive.

Our destination, Olds College, was way up north of the city. A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the Botanical Gardens and Wetlands of the College on a bus trip. This time, I had to drive there for the first time, but fortunately, my daughter is really good at navigating. I wanted to avoid the main highway for most of the time and the backroads we took were very confusing. The given time for Calgary to the College is about an hour, but we took two to three hours. Needless to say, we kept stopping to take photos.

The very first thing we stopped for was a female deer crossing the road ahead of us. I slowed right down, partly to try and get a photo, but more importantly, to make sure that there was no other deer about to cross the road. What we did see was a fawn who had been following Mom, but then was unable to get past the fence. It walked into the grass and low bushes by the fence and hid there. Female deer do hide their fawns and leave them alone for long periods of time. I would imagine this had happened on other days, too, as she seemed comfortable with going on by herself. She did give a backward glance once, and I managed to get just one, greatly zoomed showing her face. A deer in a glorious, golden field of canola is a photographer's dream, so we were happy with this beautiful start to our day.

Will finish description when I have had breakfast/lunch .

Tags:   Alberta Canada N of Calgary video nature wildlife avian ornithology bird bird of prey raptor hawk Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni juvenile immature young two on distant haybale watching the sky alert waiting for Mom or Dad to return field outdoor summer 25 July 2021 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2021 © All Rights Reserved

© All Rights Reserved