Alberta Wanderings 2010

[cohan]

thanks a lot, cohan....you must drive to arizona or utah  , so you can find a lot of seed 
cheers my friend, have a nice day

chris

lol--now that would be some driving

[christian pfalz]

hello cohan, i visit you, then we ca drive 
cheers
chris

[cohan]

sounds like a plan! but, spring for flowers or fall for seeds?

[christian pfalz]

hello cohan, it was a choke 
thnaks
cheers and have a nice day
chris

[cohan]

i know i forgot to add a 

on a much smaller scale, i was out for a walk yesterday in the bush, and today a bike ride up the road; found a couple of new species for me... its been hard to get out, so many rainy days, so i guess the season will pass and i will miss some things still..oh well ..

[cohan]

last set for this site by the columbia icefield;
full album:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsJune262010F4CressAndWillows#

1-3 unidentified Brassicaceae
i doubt its anything unusual, quite common at this site, from tiny plants huddled behind rocks or among other species -and flowering very small- to 'large' clumps, maybe 6 inches across, growing fully exposed
4 a different unidentified Brassicaceae
much less common at this site, not seen in full flower, though the flowers still seem to be white; very attractive foliage on this one..
5-7  Salix spp
lots  at this site, as you can imagine, from prostrate to low shrubs, though this time i did not see any of the truly tiny/flat species
8 Saxifraga oppositifolia?
just missed the flowering, only a few small clumps, several inches across

[cohan]

continuing on along the icefields parkway, more or less north, toward jasper..
edit: album for this set:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsJune262010G#

1-4 views from the car, and  a brief stop at a site called bubbling springs;
5 we nearly missed the small bubbles coming up from the bottom of the pool..
6 Anemone multifida? a nice colony along the roadside
7 Castilleja -bent stem, not dwarf, and Dryas drummondii
8 Dryas drummondii in full bloom at this intermediate altitude
9 Platanthera dilatata? growing along a little stream; we have lots of bog orchids at home, but all green

[cohan]

a brief stop in the town of jasper (national park of the same name), which was a bit of a treat for us- living in an area of small towns, a street of restaurants, souvenir shops and multinational tourists was a pleasant novelty; we didn't stay long, a little souvenir shopping and a take-out coffee and treat, and we were back on the road...
1-2 just outside town
3 the main tourist street; this strip continues for some distance along one side
4 the erstwhile botaniser backtracks to find the earlier spotted bakery cafe!

[cohan]

back on the way home, more or less southward on the icefields parkway;
i kept seeing vibrant pink and purple clumps of flowering peas, but we never saw them in time to be able to stip, or at places where we could stop...
finally, we decided to stop at a roadside pullout for viewing of several mountain peaks, and took a few shots there, although there were none of the great specimens here, there were probably the same species i'd been seeing...
full album:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsJune262010I#

1 Oxytropis spp
2 Oxytropis splendens
3 Oxytropis sp?

[cohan]

same site, a few other plants..
1 Castilleja sp
2 Castilleja sp w/ Vicia sp
one of those vignettes so clear in real life as the eye works, hard to photograph the juxtaposition, but you can get an idea..
3 Vicia sp with Juniperus
4 Tofieldia glutinosa
like stephen, i wasn't there at the right time for open flowers..
5-6 views along the road leading to the site..
7 the site, along the road

[cohan]

much of the icefields parkway between the saskatchewan crossing and jasper follows along river valleys with mountains on each side, and large stretches are marked as avalanche zone (mainly in winter, i presume, but also rock slides, also probably triggered most often by frost/moisture, though i haven't looked it up).
in many places you see rocks of various sizes that have fallen down the mountains, and a bit unnerving if you think of something even toaster size hitting your car at speed, nevermind the rocks bigger than your car!
this old slide site was not too interesting botanically, but the rocks were wonderful!

full album, larger pics:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsJune262010J#

1 checking out rock garden ideas
2 the plantings could use more variety, but you must give the design bonus points for  boldness!
3 'can i fit this one into the van? what-only if i stay here?!'

[cohan]

just some more highway views, from one of the higher stretches of the route, where snow (in june this year) and tree line is near the highway..fairly near the icefields; some of these are clearer than many of my from the car shots, since i finally remembered i could open the side window to shoot! didn't help for forward shots of course..

full album, larger pics:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsJune262010K#

[Maggi Young]

Such inspiring scenery.... I love it!

[cohan]

Such inspiring scenery.... I love it!

thanks, maggi--you know i often think i'd love to live somewhere around treeline--love those 'bare' rocky vistas, green valleys and majestic slopes--in summer! then i remember the 10 months of winter 

[Maggi Young]

Such inspiring scenery.... I love it!

thanks, maggi--you know i often think i'd love to live somewhere around treeline--love those 'bare' rocky vistas, green valleys and majestic slopes--in summer! then i remember the 10 months of winter 

Oh, Cohan, you've reached the age of sense ......that strange time when we can have notions about things but realise that the grass may not always be greener!
One of the next stages is when you think it might be good to live nearer the hospital!!