We finally got out on our first hike of the season yesterday. Banff National Park - to Taylor Lake, then through the larch-filled meadows above it, and then we followed the creek along a series of tarns and scree fans to Panorama Ridge.
The head of the creek at the top of the meadows:
First of the tarns:
I love your hikes!
Thanks, Tammy! I wish everyone could see this in person*!
At the higher elevations, where the snow was recently off, Anemone occidentalis**, western anemones, were in full bloom... though already done blooming down in the meadow.
* Although perhaps not at the same time as we are enjoying enviable solitude there, LOL!
** Or "hippies on a stick", as I read about them being referred to once, LOL!... a very apt description of the plumey seedheads that come later.
This message was edited Jul 6, 2008 8:22 PM
Another shot of Anemone occidentalis, showing the rather ethereal bluish colouring on the backs of the petals:
On to the next tarn:
Just a little one:
Cassiope tetragona, white mountain "heather", blanketing the slopes:
Ranunculus eschscholtzii, with their beautiful glistening petals, were common too where the snow was just off:
And, speaking of "rock gardening"... the screes in the upper levels of this valley are white and pinkish/tan quartzite (with gorgeous gray and purple argillites). For some reason I don't understand, the most wonderful lichen growths around here seem to be on quartzite:
More... If you can zoom in on this picture, you can see "growth rings" in the lichens:
How's this for blue?
Oxyria digyna, in the scree:
This year, we had half again the usual snowfall in the mountains, so things are a bit slow... it was mostly only the snowmelt plants that were blooming at the higher elevations.
I believe these are Saxifraga bronchialis (someone correct me if I'm wrong!), not yet in bloom in the scree.
Now, totally off topic, here's one of the denizens of the scree... Ochotona princeps, pika... We came upon their little hay piles at the first tarn - leaves of Petasites, that they'd gathered and laid out to dry on rocks where the scree slope ran into the tarn.
And, not looking so summery any more in the brief drizzle, this was as far as we went... might be another tarn around the corner, or just a rocky chute, but the rocks were getting a little slippery and tippy, so we saved it for another day.
And, heading down again... (this is for those folks from more southerly climes who like seeing that white stuff, LOL!):
In the meadow, Caltha leptosepala:
And Trollius laxus albiflorus:
This message was edited Jan 26, 2013 10:26 PM
The larch forest:
Veratrum eschscholtzii in the meadow:
And back at the boggy outlet of Taylor Lake, Kalmia microphylla:
And last one, from along the forest trail, Calypso bulbosa:
And she does fauna as well as flora! Loved the "off topic" cutie. Very
nice photos!
And it seemed so appropriate that I sit here enjoying your wonderful trek, while listening to "As it Happens". About as Canadian as I am going to get, I'm afraid. But at least us Minnesotans get to listen to the second half now . . .
Thanks, Tammy - it was great being out there!
Rick... what? Why did you only get the first half of "As It Happens"?
And speaking of "being Canadian"...
I noticed this evening that one of the two massive flower stalks on Crambe cordifolia got bent over in the crazy winds of yesterday's thunderstorm. Still looked healthy though, so I figured I'd try splinting and staking it up again. So what did I use to splint it up but... duct tape... thinking about it, I just felt so... I don't know...Canadian!
Hmmm, but you know, I'm sure there's a marketing opportunity there... green duct tape, "The Gardener's Friend". Waddayathink?? LOL!
Well... they figured out they can repackage pantyhose, dyed green and cut into
peices to sell to gardeners to tie up their plants. I can't believe no marketing type
has figured out the "gardeners friend" idea. Definitely a winner!
LOL, the duct tape. He still has a strong following down here.
A bent over Crambe would really look ugly, IMO. You did the right thing. There is also green electrical tape . . .
Re: As it Happens, I thought you guys always knew up there! Barbara Budd would always close the first half with something like:
"And now it's time to say good-bye to our American friends, but for the rest of us, stay tuned for the second half of As it Happens."
I just assumed you all heard that too. I also just assumed either our MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) didn't want to pay for the second half, or the second half was more local stuff of interest to Canadians only.
But now we hear it all, and the mystery is over.
