Image of the day - 2014

Forums:

To inspire thoughts of alpine plants and travels in the new year, here's a view of rich alpine tundra with Hector Glacier in the distance!

Comments

Toole (not verified)

Lovely vista Lori.

Fri, 01/03/2014 - 1:38pm

Lovely vista Lori.

Although it's supposed to be summer I'd expect the views into the 'hills' down here to be showing quite a bit of white stuff soon as well as snow is forecast down to 1500 mtrs next few days.Sure temps are meant to reach 21c on the coast here today however with gale force 85km winds predicted on the tops I'm staying put. Been a very wet and windy last couple of weeks ......

The up side is that I can start potting on a small number of various seedlings that have germinated in the last 6 weeks..

Cheers Dave.

Lori S. (not verified)

Sub-alpine larches, Larix

Sun, 10/12/2014 - 9:57am

Subalpine larches, Larix lyallii, on Pocaterra Ridge, Kananaskis Country, AB, Sept. 21/14:

Trond Hoy

Larches are so much nicer in

Sun, 10/12/2014 - 10:24am

Larches are so much nicer in the fall than spruces or pines!

We have no native larches in Norway but Ll. decidua and kaempferi are commonly planted.

The first snowfall occurred at our mountain cabin last week (quite normal). Only Vaccinium uliginosum and myrtillus show some colour in the snow.

deesen (not verified)

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 12:15pm

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, looks like Christmas, he said in his best Scroogian voice

Richard T. Rodich

And it snowed in Sydney,

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 2:38pm

And it snowed in Sydney, Australia, too, I hear. Not looking forward to it. I should be out digging lily bulbs right now!

Lori S. (not verified)

Erigeron glabellus? on

Sun, 10/19/2014 - 12:53pm

Erigeron glabellus? on Forgetmenot Ridge, AB, early August:

Lori S. (not verified)

Myosotis asiatica in Tyrwhitt

Sun, 11/02/2014 - 12:47pm

Myosotis asiatica in Tyrwhitt Cirque, Kananaskis Country, AB, August 18th:

There is snow on the ground here today, from a snowfall that started yesterday - quite normal for this time of year, and it should be gone again by Monday or so.

Trond Hoy

Seems Myosotis species look

Tue, 11/04/2014 - 12:42pm

Seems Myosotis species look better in Canada than here. Our plants get more leaves and less flowers!

Lori S. (not verified)

Wonder why that would be.

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 10:39am

Wonder why that would be. Something to do with all that rain? Would you have both Myosotis asiatica and M. alpestris there, Trond?

Looking back through my photos, as I try to ID plants, I thought the following one was fairly atmospheric, with both interesting plants and a bit of scenery - a dry, windswept ridge with Eriogonum androsaceum, Delphinium glaucum, and what I have begun to think of as Astragalus vexilliflexus v. vexilliflexus (please correct me if I'm mistaken).

deesen (not verified)

Yes, I agree Lori, it does

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 12:42pm

Yes, I agree Lori, it does look atmospheric.

Trond Hoy

Lori S. wrote:

Sat, 11/08/2014 - 12:13pm

[quote=Lori S.]

Wonder why that would be. Something to do with all that rain? Would you have both Myosotis asiatica and M. alpestris there, Trond?

. . . .

[/quote]

None of these is native but M alpestris is naturalized from gardens and M asiatica seems to be synonymous with sylvatica and alpestris which both grow here so I think they're pretty similar!

Although it is rainy here at the coast it is not in the inland. I think it is the level of light that is most essential to the development of the plants. You are a bit higher up and the insolation is greater therefore you get more buds and less leaves!

Can't help you with the pea though but the picture is alluring!

Trond Hoy

Rainy but mild. That's the

Sat, 11/08/2014 - 2:18pm

Rainy but mild. That's the weather this fall. Today is no exception. 10C and a slow drizzle. A bit difficult to take pictures but I try. Not many plants in flower though but this Agapanthus praecox ssp minimus

in a pot is an exception. It has stayed in flower for months in a small pot. I haven't dared to plant it out in the ground. Maybe I should try. Seems we are in a period with mild winters. The coldest I measured last winter was -4C for one night. The only wintry period lasted for 2 weeks with sub zero temps at night (-2 - -3C).

Lori S. (not verified)

My favourite tarn... and

Sat, 11/15/2014 - 7:06pm

My favourite tarn... and since this not a scenery forum, but an alpine plant forum, I guess I ought to show one... Erigeron humilis, same area (with my second favourite tarn in the distance):

Tim Ingram (not verified)

Lori - those are two super

Mon, 11/17/2014 - 4:14am

Lori - those are two super photos! We have been spending much of the year working on the garden and nursery so haven't come onto the Forum for a while but it's great to see pictures of plants in the wild like this. Our local woods at Blean (near Canterbury) have good autumn colours at the moment but I neglected to take the camera - so this is picture of Cornus controversa 'Variegata' and Acer griseum in the garden here just now.

bessarmstrong (not verified)

Awesome. Thanks for sharing .

Sun, 12/07/2014 - 11:33pm

Awesome. Thanks for sharing .

Lori S. (not verified)

Silene acaulis, Banff N.P.,

Mon, 12/08/2014 - 6:28pm

Silene acaulis, Banff N.P., mid-August:

Lori S. (not verified)

Tonestus lyallii, Banff

Sat, 12/13/2014 - 12:28pm

Tonestus lyallii, Banff National Park, Alberta, August 27th:

Trond Hoy

Lori, I like rocks and plants

Sun, 12/14/2014 - 9:37am

Lori, I like rocks and plants!

Here is one from my garden taken between the showers the other day. Selfsown in the steps, Helleborus foetidus.

Steve Newall (not verified)

Flowering yesterday in our

Mon, 12/22/2014 - 8:21am

Flowering yesterday in our old garden in Dunedin - I couldn't take them with me - Puya alpestris

Claire Cockcroft

Wow! I can see why its

Mon, 12/22/2014 - 10:01am

Wow! I can see why its common name is "Sapphire Tower". What a striking plant.

Lori S. (not verified)

That is amazing! What

Mon, 12/22/2014 - 10:05am

That is amazing! What unusual colours.

Richard T. Rodich

I kept looking at it,

Mon, 12/22/2014 - 12:29pm

I kept looking at it, wondering if it was really real!

Steve Newall (not verified)

I know the feeling Rick . It

Mon, 12/22/2014 - 11:31pm

I know the feeling Rick . It looks like there's quite a bit of flowering to go yet and I will do some follow up pictures . I also hope to gets lots of seed

Trond Hoy

Amazing, Steve!

Tue, 12/23/2014 - 3:50am

Amazing, Steve!

I have been fascinated by Puya ever since I saw some in South America many years ago!

I have tried to grow them from seed and succeeded in germinating them but the tiny seedlings have disappeared during the summer. I have another batch of seedlings now and will wait till the plants get bigger before trying some outside.

Steve, does your plant experience frost?

Steve Newall (not verified)

I discovered over the years

Tue, 12/23/2014 - 10:24am

I discovered over the years that the climate at our Dunedin house was a little unusual Hoy . At 230m our garden was high enough to get some snow during the winter but as it is situated on the side of a hill the frosts were not as severe as those further down the hill in the valley . Also a lot of wind movement and 2-3 times as much rainfall as the city centre only 5km away .

So some light frosts and brief snow cover in the winter . I hope to get lots of seed to try growing it here in Balclutha where the winters are colder . I have other Puya spp in pots here in Balclutha and they cope with the frosts here . The air temperature doesn't go below -10C here

Trond Hoy

Thanks for the info, Steve.

Tue, 12/23/2014 - 12:09pm

Thanks for the info, Steve.

Gives me hope for growing Puya here also. Usually the temperature never goes below -8C, and last winter the coldest night was -4.5.

Tim Ingram (not verified)

That Puya is really striking

Fri, 12/26/2014 - 10:37am

That Puya is really striking Steve - our winters are just too cold and wet for them to grow outside (at least a couple that I've tried) and they are real pains to keep potting on but well worth it when they flower like this. I've always wanted a cold Mediterranean glasshouse to grow these sorts of plants, such as Hectia argentea at Kew (This plant is over 150 years old!). At the Malahide Garden near Dublin they grow puyas in a small glasshouse with all the side glass removed (along with bomareas, an interesting mix).

A very mild winter again so far here - early snowdrops flowering (Galanthus elwesii 'Hiemalis Group').