Alberta Wanderings

Another bike ride, June 28, last year; Only about 6 1/2 miles from home, but on a road I would never have had any reason to go on if not for botanising!
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/June282010APrimrosesSparrowSEg...

The ride is pleasant, with some wildflowers along the way, but no big concentrations until arriving at the main site--one of the first sites I found (stumbled on) when I started riding around local back roads on 2009: one of those unassuming little patches of roadside (ditch, in local speech) that just happens to be much richer in species than most spots.
Adjacent to the road is a fenced area, presumably used to graze cattle for at least part of the year, a mixed wooded area, with semi-wooded wet land and some open grassy wet area.

This habitat all extends into the ditch, although growth in the ditch in this spot tends to be a bit less lush, probably due to soil disturbance from the road building (not recent) leaving it with a less organic soil.

When I first visited this site, I found dried flowers of our local mealy primrose, Primula incana, so one of my hopes for 2010 was to catch them in flower, and this visit was timed just right!

There is a sizable colony on one side of the road, more plants on the other side, and they also extend into the grassy area beyond the ditch.

A view of the foliage, and a pollinator!

Same site.
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/June282010APrimrosesSparrowSEg...

The primula is by no means rare, (it used to grow on the family farm until that area became too overgrown with woodies and taller forbs once grazing was decreased) but a more commonly seen plant, in similar wet grassy places (or just easier to find?) is Pedicularis groenlandica.
The fourth shot has an Eriophorum sp in the background.
     

An even more common plant--or genus, at any rate, I am just beginning to attempt to distinguish them-- is Platanthera/Habenaria. This one could be Platanthera viridis?, owing to apparent bracts; I will have to do a new set of photos of this common genus here, knowing some of the distinguishing characters!

Also widespread and common are numerous sedges and allies such as cottongrasses; Here, presumed Carex aurea, and an Eriophorum sp.

Same site:
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/June282010APrimrosesSparrowSEg...

A few scattered things, one of our tallish Erigeron sp common to damp grassy places

the always delightful Sisyrinchium montanum

and a choice willow, Salix sp; not one of our most common  I don't know how large this gets,  I've seen a couple smallish ones, but they may have been grazed or cut, I'll have to keep watching, and will probably try to find some cuttings and/or next year

Stellaria sp, delicate things found in grassy/damp places..

Less common, I was excited to find Cypripedium passerinum at this site--only a couple of plants, but they likely occur farther away from the road as well. Plants were quite small--young? or less happy than where I have seen them farther west in an extensive colony of robust plants. From my limited experience, they seem to like damp/wet conditions in semi-shade--perhaps this site is more exposed than they prefer? Just a couple of crappy shots, sorry.. I'll have to dig up photos from the other site sometime..

https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/June282010APrimrosesSparrowSEg...

Last set for this stop, starting with the very common (going from full sun to deep shade, as long as the soil is at least somewhat moist) Geum rivale, here with the more compact form of plants growing in sun--fairly compact golden green basal foliage, compared to bluer, lusher foliage in shade, flowering stems still fairly tall (60cm at a wild guess) but not  as tall and flopping as in shade..

Fourth shot shows primula in background, last shows a flower heading to seed...

This final plant is a bit of a mystery to me (I have yet to see if the Flora will illuminate it..). It seems similar to our common Pyrola asarifolia?, but has conspicuous raised veining on the leaves, which generally seem smaller, and flowers maybe just a touch darker (though they don't stay as dark as buds seen in some of these shots); I have only seen this form in wet semi/wooded areas, here it is growing along the fenceline, under/near small trees where the more open ditch transitions to open woodland on the other side of the fence..

McDonough wrote:

Nice series Cohan, the photos really convey the habitat in which the plants are found growing.  Regarding Pyrola asarifolia, I'm surprised it can survive in such a competitive environment with grasses. 

I checked the USDA Plant Profile for Pyrola asarifolia, and there are two subspecies listed, with ssp. asarifolia found throughout much of the US and Canada.  I suspect with such a huge distribution, the plant is variable.  I don't know the distinction between ssp. asarifolia and the northwestern ssp. bracteata.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PYAS

The Burke Museum of Natural History site is a great resource, some excellent photos of this Pyrola there.  Some photos show much more textured leaves than others, so this must be one of its variable characteristics.
Pyrola asarifolia ssp. asarifolia:
http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=...

Pyrola asarifolia ssp. bracteata:
http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=...

My first encounter with P. asarifolia was when I lived near Seattle, Washington (even though this species is also native to my Massachusetts home).  I potted up a couple pieces, barely anything you'd call roots at all, just the long horizontal threads that "pose as roots" and run under the woodland duff.  It was potted in a wide low bowl-shaped clay container, with light duffy soil and topdressed with pine needles, and keep moderately moist.  I was amazed, the pot quickly filled up with lots of rosettes and flowers, and made for a fetching container for the 4 years I lived there; ultimately I gave it away when I moved back east.

Thanks for the comments, Mark, you prompted me to finally do some digging in the Flora and online; I will still need to go look carefully at specific characters in season, but based on photos it seems likeliest to be just variations in P. asarifolia-- all other possibilities do not seem to have sufficiently blunt leaves.. nor did I see any white/ish flowers on these, but that seems to be variable.. The odd thing is that this form seems visibly distinct from the more common P asarifolia forms, here, and specific to these wettish semi-wooded places; maybe its an environmentally caused difference in appearance, but I have doubts, as the usual smooth leaf form is found in a lot of places; I'll have to keep looking in the future, and see if I am just mis-observing the distinction...
Here are two pics side by side to compare--it may  be that I am just imagining a distinction, but in person they feel more different than they seem here...
"Regular" form

"Special form" this is a different locale than those posted earlier, and this is a roadside recently cleared of woody plants, so the temptation is to say that this is just what P asarifolium looks like when it gets sunburned, as this one clearly is, but I'm sure I have seen this in intact habitats where it still feels different than the regular form.. I will need to keep documenting this year....

McDonough wrote:

Catching up here...Cohan, your photos of Primula incana are so informative for me, and tell me why I failed with this species.  I see that it needs SUN and moisture!  I was growing it in shade, and it could be I lost it due to conditions much drier than it needs.  The flowers are so cute, not a show-stopper, but I like such demure understated plants.  Nice shots, I like the one with the bee :D

Mark, this species definitely grows in spots that are at least seasonally damp to wet, here; I imagine they could take drier conditions, at least for the later summer, since there are years when all but the wettest parts of our wetlands are dry in mid-late summer, but probably not a dry spot in your hot dry summer weather. Recent years (3 or 4) have been much wetter than typical, with water standing in places I only would have expected it in spring, growing up...
I expect the moisture might be more important than full sun, since it does have tall grasses etc around it--it is a species that has disappeared or mainly so, from the overgrown (with woody species and tall ungrazed forbs) from wet areas on the family farm where it used to grow, but that is likely both shade and overcompetition..I haven't tried this yet in the garden, seeds have been scarce to non-existent (likely they disperse quickly...)

Thanks, Trond! I have to admit I am jealous of those who come from areas with a lot of endemism--many of our local species occur over vast natural ranges (often without much visible variation!) --but I guess that's cool in its own way  ;D
Anyway, I think its always neat to see the habitat where someone else lives/travels and see how it's different or the same!
I've been slowly catching up on your old posts esp in the garden walks thread, and nice to see for sure both your nature and nurture :) Fun to see both related and completely new plants...

Back to the present!
A photo set from the woods on the edge of the farm, just past my acreage boundary;
This is where I have been cutting firewood for the last week or two..
Textures and colours of bark, lichens, moss, fungi etc..
Full album: https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/March132011ForestTextures#

The first photos are all birches: presumably all Betula papyrifera; varying in colour from one tree to another, even various trunks/branches on the same tree..

Fungi

Lichens and moss, latter showing Populus balsamifera trunk..

Thanks, Mark-- I have to find what I can at this time of year..lol..That was a fairly sunny day, so there was a nice bit of glow..
Trees, in any kind of detail, I still find a challenging subject, but I was quite happy with these trunk shots..portraits of more of the tree at once, I still need to work on....

Okay, I think I'm not going to worry about being perfectly chronological, or I may never get anything posted ;)
A few images from May 05, my first find this year of Petasites, our first wild flower, usually..
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/May052011FirstWildFlowers#
The first I found were just up the road, and some appeared to have been open possibly a week or more...
We seem to have P sagittatus, and P frigidus v palmatus, as well as intermediates, sometimes growing together.. I'm trying to watch sites this year to compare flowers to leaf forms --not always easy, as leaves are undeveloped when flowers start.. my feeling is that flowers vary little between the forms, but considerably within them... some have considerable purple on buds/backs of flower heads and cream to purple within the disk flowers, others all white; flower heads also vary from a mix of male and female flowers to mostly/all one or the other..(royer/dickinson says mixed or all female..)

I guess you'd need quite a bit of space for them in the garden..lol--I'd like to try some plantings, but I can give them many metres space...
Actually i really like the leaves of the ones we have here-- the arrow leaf type can get large, to 30cm long, and I like the way they stand straight up, and also like the white hairs on them..
In fact, though I like the flowers--mostly on immature stalks- the plant is flashiest when the leaves and seeding stalks are at full size--you can see them from far away, unlike the flowers!
We also have what I presume to be P frigidus palmatus, with palmate leaves which are super common in woodlands here, but rarely flower, and I like these just for the palmate leaves--usually not too big 10 cm or so, but can be bigger...

From the same walk on May 05; same album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/May052011FirstWildFlowers#
A view of the roadside wet area (we call it 'slough' like all wet areas that aren't big enough to call lakes--marsh/bog/fen/swamp--those are not vernacular here...lol) which is cut in two by the road.. usually deep enough to hold some standing water all year, with marshy areas around...

Several willows and a happy pollinator..

Same day, same album, but off the road and out onto the farm..
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/May052011FirstWildFlowers#

Another Salix, this time female flowers

Just emerging Caltha palustris, no flowers yet that day.. Ranunculus sp, and Rumex sp

Several views of pasture areas on the farm; most of this standing water will not last, though depending on rain, some spots will have water all year, and many will remain damp/wet..

A couple more road views from May 17, same day as last view I posted in Image of the Day..

McDonough wrote:

Cool shots Cohan, we never have those straight-as-an-arrow highway views here, are roads are more like spaghetti. The Salix bloom closeups are most artistic, I have looked at these closely several times, close attention to details is one of the joys of gardening and nature, thanks for sharing these :)

Thanks, Mark--except for occasional roads near rivers (not that many around here) or until you get to the mountains, straight roads are definitely the norm here!

I have some more spring flower shots coming up, and many of them are macro views-- Shepherdia, Geocaulon, Violas--many flowers that must be seen very close-up to appreciate at all...lol

Stephenb wrote:

Looks like Sweden...

I guess there should be many parts that look similar to Northern Europe--especially here around the boreal forest zone--half our species are 'circumboreal'!

May 31, a 'sprint' into the mountains ( I call these daytrips that because we usually cover a lot of ground, and so not too much time is spent at any one stop)..
This trip was about 525km round trip, taking about 13 hours including a quick breakfast and fueling stop in Rocky Mountain House, and another short stop there for a couple of grocery items on the way home.. of that time, about 6.5 hours were spent driving, and the rest divided among  10 or so stops (not going back to count the sites right now...lol)....

Spring was late this year, and snowfalls heavy in many areas, although much of May was warm, so I wasn't sure what I would find floristically, but many sites came through with hoped for or unexpected finds!

First full album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsMay312011...
Things were green here in the 'lowlands'--just near home, and just past Rocky Mtn House

Always good to get those first views of the mountains....

The road (Highway 11/ David Thompson Highway, which extends from the Banff- Jasper Highway /Icefields Parkway junction, past home and on east through the city of Red Deer where we often shop) past Rocky Mtn House and into the foothills and mountains, is mercifully nearly empty on a late May weekday, and seems endless, as are the views!

More animal life seen this time than we usually have--from the common-- deer, to the not so often seen domestic animals which roadsigns warn you to watch for! To more 'wilderness' animals, seen later..

The seemingly 'bare' grassy and gravelly roadsides along into the foothills seem uninteresting speeding past (apart from seasons and times when patches of colour may catch your eye) but in fact there are many nice plants, which no doubt get space to grow due to roadbuilding and maintenance have deforested this strip, and keeping some of it bare...
Just starting at this time of year to grow and flower....

https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsMay312011...

The usual players: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi   Dryas drummondii         Artemisia sp          Antennaria sp

Some early flowers: Dryas            Oxytropis sericea?                  Arctostaphylos                      Astragalus sp?

Ah, what the heck..... Taraxacum;     the site.....

A short stop at the viewpoint along Abraham Lake..

https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsMay312011...

many things not yet in flower, but I did see this species I have not before (that I remember!) Arabis species??

Another cress;

Views just before (note: most views, unless taken from plant stops, are taken from the moving vehicle, through the glass) and from the stop..

A second stop along Abraham Lake, this little area is the foot of a mountain, which has been cut off by the road passing through..

This is the site where I photographed the Eriogonum last fall; There were several familiar and unexpected things in flower...
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsMay312011...

I found some Androsace chamaejasme flowering here even late in the year, but this seemed to be their peak.. they occur in rock crevices, gravel patches as well as grassy areas with more soil...

At first I thought the Dryas were not yet in flower, but many were! I think this is Dryas integrifolia but could be wrong...

Here's the Eriogonum, which was discussed on this site earlier in the year (have to dig up the link) and I think it was settled on Eriogonum androsaceum .. almost missed it in this season, much harder to find than in its fall colours! Note the tiny crucifer to the left of the first image... more on that later...

Someone's been raiding the Arctostaphylos uva-ursi flowers! (second image)

The surprise of this stop was this Potentilla sp At first I only saw some leaves and buds, but then!

This small sedge seemed to be making its own mounds of humusy soil-- presumably its own decomposed foliage and trapped blowing soil etc..

Viola adunca  another species flowering across a range of altitudes

Nice to see some bloom from out in that neck of the woods!

Thanks, Lori-- I was pleased to see there was even some bloom higher up than these photos ( I think I've estimated-based on reading something- that it should be around 1200m around the lake, so not very high)..soon to come....

Rick, I have to admit I haven't examined the trees closely enough to say too much... I think the only options for spruce are Picea mariana (which at a really superficial look I'd say they don't look like, and probably too dry a habitat) P glauca, and P engelmannii comes into the mix somewhere in subalpine areas (we only have the other two, so I know nothing about engelmannii), with hybrids between it and glauca as well

They're Englemann spruce, or hybrids of same with white spruce - the narrow spires are characteristic.  (The elevation is too low for subalpine firs - which are also spire-like - and I have never seen them in that sort of habitat.  The trees in the photo don't have the distinctive characteristics of black spruce, either.... and come to think of it, the habitat doesn't look too apt for black spruce either.)

Same site, new album
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsMay312011...

This tiny thing was new to me-- I first saw some yellow buds behind other plants--a plant so small, it looked tiny behind Androsace chamaejasme!

And with a fingertip for scale--this is an extra small one, but even the larger clumps no more than a couple of inches across...

Then I saw more, in flower, but I'm not certain whether these were all the same species (haven't tried keying yet, and will probably find I didn't record the right details..lol)--some with quite linear leaves and at least one with very Physaria like leaves..... (so small, I didn't see that pebble in the middle of it!)

Close-crop view of texture and buds-- I guess the dark ones are fertilised flowers?

Skulski wrote:

They're Englemann spruce, or hybrids of same with white spruce - the narrow spires are characteristic.  (The elevation is too low for subalpine firs - which are also spire-like - and I have never seen them in that sort of habitat.  The trees in the photo don't have the distinctive characteristics of black spruce, either.... and come to think of it, the habitat doesn't look too apt for black spruce either.)

Thanks for the input, Lori.. I have no knowledge of the trees outside my immediate area...lol.. I agree the site is much drier than any I would expect for black spruce (Picea mariana) though I might not have known that if this were my only visit--everything was wet this year, every spot we stopped!

The other cress at that site was a white flowered species, still low growing, but not nearly as small as the first, though it can flower on small plants...
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsMay312011...

Last set from this site, some views and mountain sheep, which we always see evidence of (poops!) rarely see the animals themselves
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsMay312011...

... this montane area is key for wildlife in winter, since snowfall is generally shallow on the grassy Kootenay Plains..
Not shy at all, this little herd was only maybe 30-40 metres from where we parked (no other people around) and paid not the slightest attention as we wandered around for quite a while (never in their direction, below the parking area, we only went up)

Several views showing the various substrates around the site, and surroundings....

Part of the parking/roadway, an overview of the cleft carved in the mountain to let the road pass through, and a view toward the site from the previous viewpoint on the lake--in the lower centre of the image, you see the highway curve into the dark cleft, while a small gravel road goes off to the left; it curves around that hill, and the site is much more extensive than it seems in its context of massive landscape features!

Hoy wrote:

Interesting landscape, plants and animals, Cohan! The small yellow was a nice one. The dark "flowers" are seedpods I think.
Seems you can keep a higher speed than I can when driving here. What is the speed limits of the roads there?

Thanks, Trond... yes, that's what I thought-- fertilised flowers, though I think they are some time away from ripe seeds..
Speeds depend on roads-- our gravel back roads have no posted speeds, and since I am not a driver, I have not looked it up...but you'd have an interesting ride over 80km an hour on the gravel roads...lol
Regular highways around here are 100km/h, some smaller ones may be 80 or 90, and the big highway between Edmonton and Calgary, the two largest cities in the province is 110km/h.. unfortunately most people speed, and 120-130 is typical, even on the highways that are 100km/h..

In the mountains, that wide empty highway that we take to Banff Park boundary (same highway we take to work, but its not as wide and much much busier here) has a speed limit of 100km/h, but it is wide and easy, with only some big hills, not many sharp curves or sudden inclines.. Once on the Icefields Parkway, which is narrower, it's 90km/h and less in the more extreme sections-- 60/50km/h..that's in 'summer' driving conditions (its never really summer at the highest sections) we don't go on that highway in winter, large sections have 'no stopping, avalanche zone' signs.. doesn't inspire confidence...

Maybe that means you have fewer traffic accidents? People here drive like maniacs, generally! And all the while talking on the phone, texting, etc etc.. small wonder you see deer smeared all over the road all the time--they go too fast, don't pay attention, and have no time to react.. not that I have an opinion....lol

Lis wrote:

That Taraxacum is interesting. Might be T. ceratophorum. Not Your Mother's dandilion! Dandies are interesting plants. They do not need fertilization to produce viable seeds, in fact they are never fertilized. As a result there is little genetic variation, but what there is has led to identifiable clones and races. Some think there are many species or sub-species, others think they are all just different forms. Very cool.

Nice trip - your pictures made me miss the Rockies for a few minutes, Cohan. I lived in Calgary for 4 years and the best thing about the place was the nearby mountains.

Thanks, Lis-- I know there are some other dandelion species at high altitudes, but haven't made any attempts to figure out which are which...lol
I do know many of these composite species have those confusing self-fertilising clones, Antennaria is another one, and Trond has mentioned Hieracium in his part of the world..
I still have many more photos from this trip to post, including some more dandelions from much higher up....I think what I posted so far is from the foothills, not very high up at all...
It is great to be able to get into the mountains though my access isn't nearly so fast as in Calgary-- I can be in fairly wild areas within a half hour driving, but an hour at least to get to the actual foothills, and probably another hour to get any real altitude... Its all lovely on the way out, though it seems really long coming home...lol

cohan wrote:

...an hour at least to get to the actual foothills, and probably another hour to get any real altitude...

Well, yes, assuming that the highway is both the means of getting there and is pretty much at the level of the destination, more-or-less.  If not, though... once the car is abandoned at the trailhead, it's another half hour or more to get out of sight and sound of the highway, then another hour or more to get to the start of the really good stuff!!  ;D  ;D

Skulski wrote:

cohan wrote:

...an hour at least to get to the actual foothills, and probably another hour to get any real altitude...

Well, yes, assuming that the highway is both the means of getting there and is pretty much at the level of the destination, more-or-less.  If not, though... once the car is abandoned at the trailhead, it's another half hour or more to get out of sight and sound of the highway, then another hour or more to get to the start of the really good stuff!!  ;D  ;D

My driver is mainly interested in scenery, not plants, so he usually gets all he wants without venturing too far from the vehicle, which means my excursions out of the vehicle can't be too time consuming...lol..
I think he might be coaxed out for a nice trail ( there are supposed to be some in the Nordegg area where you can get somewhat high) but I don't think he'd be coaxed to leave the vehicle unattended for any length of time, nor to slog through bush for more than a few minutes...lol.. Another factor is busy-ness-- a lot of our out of the way stops feature no other humans at all, which is great, but if there is even one other car there its probably too busy for my friend (no good pointing out the unlikeliness of running into them if the trail has any length or forks!)... Since we already live in the country, getting away from people is to a different standard--our one neighbour at less than  a half mile is audible (tractors etc on occasion) but not really visible, so at home we see no other people at all; the Icefields Parkway, ironically, is full of people by our standards.. this trip was not bad at all, though even still the Columbia Icefield tourist area was busy!

cohan wrote:

My driver is mainly interested in scenery, not plants, so he usually gets all he wants without venturing too far from the vehicle, which means my excursions out of the vehicle can't be too time consuming...lol..
I think he might be coaxed out for a nice trail ( there are supposed to be some in the Nordegg area where you can get somewhat high) but I don't think he'd be coaxed to leave the vehicle unattended for any length of time, nor to slog through bush for more than a few minutes...lol.. Another factor is busy-ness-- a lot of our out of the way stops feature no other humans at all, which is great, but if there is even one other car there its probably too busy for my friend (no good pointing out the unlikeliness of running into them if the trail has any length or forks!)... Since we already live in the country, getting away from people is to a different standard--our one neighbour at less than  a half mile is audible (tractors etc on occasion) but not really visible, so at home we see no other people at all; the Icefields Parkway, ironically, is full of people by our standards.. this trip was not bad at all, though even still the Columbia Icefield tourist area was busy!

No, it's not the least bit ironic!  I don't think anyone would argue that the whole highway tract, including townsites, stops off the highway and the popular funnel-the-crowds-through "must-see" scenic hikes all through the mountain parks, is not a madhouse!!   :o
(But, honestly, getting off the highway and expending some effort is, thankfully, how you lose the crowds and often see no one at all... Also, I'm certainly not complaining that people don't get out in the backcountry... I GREATLY prefer it that way!  ;))  Anyway, far off-topic...  :)

I think the third photo (and maybe others?) in this set http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=591.msg9580#msg9580 might be Lesquerella arenosa or arctica??

That's one of the joys of the David Thompson highway--far less busy than the national parks! We are lucky that we can go on weekdays, also, though that makes less difference in mid-summer
Someone locally mentioned Mount Baldy as being an alpine flower destination, I think that's at Nordegg, so I should look into access....
Yes, best that not so many people get into the back country--the long in-walks to the alpine zones are a great protector, no doubt--though even at the Columbia Icefield with hundreds of cars parked, many walk straight up the trail to the ice, but a mere handful wander around among the moraines below, and most of those few just to stand on top for views--down between them where most of the plants are, no one is around!
The back-country closer to home, apparently, is not so lucky-my brother lives a bit south and west of here (near Caroline) and his land borders on a river, and, I think, crown (government) land--he has people tracking across his land to get to the river, occupying a shed, etc etc, and in Rocky you see huge numbers of people heading west with quads (all terrain vehicles) seems a sad way to interact with nature--driving over it and churning it into mud :(
Still, between Rocky Mountain House and the Saskatchewan River Crossing, we see very few people, and those mostly clustered in a few campgrounds etc...

Thanks for the tip on Lesquerella, I had that kind of vaguely in mind as a possibility, though I know very little about those little crucifers!