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Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
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Topic: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff) (Read 11093 times)
Lori S.
hiking & biking on our behalf !
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Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
on:
March 07, 2009, 06:21:42 PM »
Well, as it will be months before I get out to these areas again (unless by back-country skiing), I thought I would remind myself of the pleasures of living in the shadow of the Rockies... or at least as little as a 45 minute drive away, anyhow.
I hope others find it interesting, as well!
First, a few scenes and plants from Banff, Healy Pass area and The Ramparts:
edit by M: A reminder to new readers.... click the pix to enlarge!
Egypt Lake, Banff
The Ramparts, Banff
Pedicularis arctica
Dryas octopetala
Silene acaulis
Castilleja rhexifolia
(?)
The Ramparts, Banff
«
Last Edit: August 28, 2010, 06:46:18 PM by Lori Skulski
»
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Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm
Maggi Young
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #1 on:
March 07, 2009, 06:31:55 PM »
Lori, this is terrific! Thanks!
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Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!
Editor: International Rock Gardener e-magazine
Lori S.
hiking & biking on our behalf !
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #2 on:
March 07, 2009, 06:46:41 PM »
Thank you, Maggi! (Hey, that's all the encouragement I need... you'll have a hard time making me stop now.
)
I love seeing
Veratrum eschscholtzii
in all its stages of development. I find it amazingly beautiful.
Halfway through a long (28 km) hike on a very hot day (26 deg C, very hot for that elevation!), we got to "cool our dogs" in the cold waters of Eohippus Lake... heavenly!
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Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm
Brian Ellis
Brian the Britisher
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #3 on:
March 07, 2009, 06:47:44 PM »
Super Lori, I love that Veratrum eschscholtzii, it's a new one on me.
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Brian Ellis, Brooke, Norfolk UK. altitude 30m Mintemp -8C
David Nicholson
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #4 on:
March 07, 2009, 06:54:01 PM »
Fabulous Lori, you must show us more, a lot more.
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David Nicholson
in Devon, UK Zone 9b
"Victims of satire who are overly defensive, who cry "foul" or just winge to high heaven, might take pause and consider what exactly it is that leaves them so sensitive, when they were happy with satire when they were on the side dishing it out"
Paddy Tobin
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #5 on:
March 07, 2009, 07:04:22 PM »
Lori,
Great scenery, fabulous flowers. Many thanks, Paddy
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Paddy Tobin, Waterford, Ireland
https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/
Lvandelft
Spy out IN the cold
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #6 on:
March 07, 2009, 09:09:08 PM »
Fantastic Lori, these are the mountains and plants (like the Castilleja) we seldom see!
Great pictures!
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Luit van Delft, right in the heart of the beautiful flowerbulb district, Noordwijkerhout, Holland.
Sadly Luit died on 14th October 2016 - happily we can still enjoy his posts to the Forum
Lori S.
hiking & biking on our behalf !
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #7 on:
March 07, 2009, 11:41:59 PM »
Thanks, all!
Brian, to be correct, I probably should have said
Veratrum viride ssp. eschscholtzii
... which will probably bring it back into the realm of the familar.
Sparrowhawk Tarns in Kananaskis Provincial Park, one of our favourite hikes:
Sparrowhawk P1010069
Saxifraga bronchialis IMG_1829
Saxifraga bronchialis IMG_1831
Sparrowhawk P1010073
Anemone parviflora IMG_1721
Sparrowhawk sheep P1010026
Epilobium clavatum? P1010015
sparrowhawk epilobium latifolium P1010062
epilobium latifolium P1010069
«
Last Edit: March 08, 2009, 09:33:43 PM by Lori Skulski
»
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Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm
Lori S.
hiking & biking on our behalf !
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #8 on:
March 08, 2009, 12:29:19 AM »
And some from Taylor Lake - Panorama Ridge, Banff:
Taylor Panorama 1- stream through the larch(
Larix lyallii
)-bordered meadows above Taylor Lake.
Kalmia microphylla - in the wet meadow at the outflow of Taylor Lake.
Anemone occidentalis
Scenery
Taylor Panorama 2 - Panorama Ridge is the scree slope to the right.
pika -
Ochotona princeps
; living in the boulderfield in loose colonies; they can be seen collecting vegetation to dry and store for the long winters (through which they do not hibernate, amazingly); we came along their little hay piles on the shoreline rocks, with all the
Petasites
stems arranged to point in the same direction.
Taylor Panorama 3
Oxyria digyna
Anemone occidentalis - showing the bluish outer petals.
Taylor Panorama 4
«
Last Edit: February 28, 2010, 05:59:43 AM by Lori Skulski
»
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Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm
Lori S.
hiking & biking on our behalf !
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #9 on:
March 08, 2009, 12:45:14 AM »
Oops, I forgot
Ranunculus eschscholtzii
, which I meant to show in the last set... beautiful glistening petals!
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Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm
Lori S.
hiking & biking on our behalf !
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Posts: 1647
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #10 on:
March 08, 2009, 03:29:36 AM »
Veratrum viride ssp. eschscholtzii
, from emergence to bloom, and some others. It occurs in moist meadows, at or near treeline, and in forest openings just below treeline. My main and best source of local plant info is
Flora of Alberta
(Moss and Packer); it states that the range is from Alaska to California, and east to Idaho and Montana. (In the strenuous slog uphill - and it's all uphill in the mountains! - coming upon veratrum is a bit of a relief, as it means the alpine zone is near! Whew!)
Veratrum eschscholtzii
Veratrum eschscholtzii
Veratrum eschscholtzii
Veratrum eschscholtzii
Smelowskia calycina
Potentilla hyparctica?
«
Last Edit: March 08, 2009, 08:34:20 PM by Lori Skulski
»
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Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm
Lori S.
hiking & biking on our behalf !
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Posts: 1647
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #11 on:
March 08, 2009, 07:14:12 PM »
By the way, if I am misidentifying anything, I do hope someone will point it out! (I am trying to teach myself how to key out plants, but am frequently confused where similar species exist... or, perhaps I should just say frequently confused, in general.
)
An interesting little oddity,
Silene uralensis ssp. attenuata
, formerly
Lychnis apetala
... found on rocky alpine slopes. I have yet to see these in large number anywhere, and they are certainly a treat to find... quite easily overlooked, too, as the entire plant is about 5 cm tall in these conditions. Moss & Packer describe the range as circumpolar, from Alaska to Ellesmere Island and south to BC, northern Montana, south Mackenzie District, Hudson Bay, northern Quebec, Utah and Colorado.
«
Last Edit: March 10, 2009, 05:19:50 AM by Lori Skulski
»
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Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm
Lori S.
hiking & biking on our behalf !
Hero Member
Posts: 1647
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #12 on:
March 08, 2009, 10:06:43 PM »
Here is
Veronica wormskjoldii
(formerly
V. alpina
), occurring in moist alpine and subalpine areas, and a second photo of the same, for scale.
And from rocky areas, generally below treeline,
Penstemon ellipticus
.
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Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm
Lori S.
hiking & biking on our behalf !
Hero Member
Posts: 1647
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #13 on:
March 08, 2009, 10:29:46 PM »
Another form of plant life, that results in so-called "watermelon snow"... In summertime, the remaining snow patches develop concentrations of
Chlamydomonas
green algae; each organism contains a bit of hematochrome pigment, which causes the pinkish colour of the snow (which I hope is visible in the foreground of this photo). (Re.
Handbook of the Canadian Rockies
, Ben Gadd - an excellent resource for information on every aspect of life and scenery in the Canadian Rockies.)
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Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm
cohan
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Re: Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
«
Reply #14 on:
March 08, 2009, 11:12:04 PM »
these are great to see. lori..
what time of year are these from?
i'm hoping to get a few trips to some good mountain habitats this year, but we are a couple hours from the higher alpine areas; hopefully do a couple of overnight trips, so i can get more quality time in for the amount of driving!
i want to figure out some good times to go when lots will be in flower, and will have to find some good short distance hiking areas, due to time constraints and a companion with 0 interest in plants...lol..
do you know anyone selling these plants from the rockies? i have looked at all the sources i have been able to find, and the alberta plants available are very few..... its far easier to get plants from turkey or china than from our own province!!
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west central alberta, canada; 1000m; record temps:min -45C/-49F;max 36C/93F;
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Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)
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