Veronica

In the 1970s I started growing various kinds of alpines and other flowers suitable for a rock garden or along a flower border. Veronica (V. longifolia) was but one of them. Campanula latifolia was another. This is a series of photos (all Veronica) taken in 1977 (London, Ontario) in the back garden. I later moved the alpines to another flower bed in the front yard. I had ordered a few seed packets from a seed house that contained mixed alpines and veronica was one of those included in the mixture. There were still some of these flowers growing in the garden when I sold the house in 2005. As you can see, the bees loved them! - V

Western Pearly Everlasting

In July 2009 I hiked some of the lower trails on Hollyburn Mountain and in August of that year I made it all the way up to the summit. On the upper parts of the trail I saw plenty of these alpine flowers, the Western Pearly Everlasting, or Anaphalis margaritacea occidentalis in Latin. There were clumps of them growing here and there along the trail. This included finding a bumblebee resting on one such flower. These bees are known to be docile but I wasn't about to test the theory. Enjoy these photos and the new header photo! Feel free to comment or ask any questions. - V

Wide-leafed or Giant Bellflower

Back east in southwestern Ontario I had a home with a garden I maintained since the late 1960s. The home used to belong to my parents. I grew bellflowers in the garden in the back since the 1970s. These were the Wide-leafed or Giant Bellflower (Campanula latifolia) that spread easily around the yard. In fact, I found them growing in the cedar hedge row! I used to allow the seed heads to dry (brown) and then collect the seed in large mason jars. When they were young plants, it was easy enough to transplant them but once established, it was better not since they had long whitish taproots! They're easy enough to start from seed anyway. That's how I got my planting started back in the 1970s. The image above is from Wikipedia but I plan to check my own photos for some and post the best ones here. I grew other alpines, not just Campanulas! Note: This bellflower is native to central and southern Europe and is found as far east as Russia. There are 500 species of Campanula in the world. This is but one of them! - V

the bumblebee

Late yesterday afternoon (Friday) I spent a little time at Queens Park near home to photograph some bumblebee activity there. The species seen is the Yellow-faced Bumblebee (Bombus vosnesenskii) which is native the the west coast of North America from California to British Columbia. As a note of interest, there are 50 species of bumblebees native to North America. This is but one of them! The bee is taking nectar from the flowers of an Allium, a member of the onion family. Enjoy!!!- V

Davie Village Community Garden

A visit to Vancouver today gave me enough time to visit the Davie Village Community Garden. This is an assortment of photos I took while there. These include shots of foxgloves and poppies in bloom, a bumblesbee, a butterfly (cabbage butterfly, I believe). Enjoy!!! - V

tulips

Spring is most definitely here and the sun and warm temperatures prove it. Locally the tulips are done for the year but these are some that were on the dining room table in April. I thought I would share the photo as you might enjoy them!

I'm off to north Burnaby tomorrow and will be taking more photos plus I have others to share as well. Have a good night! - V

flowers and bees

I was in Vancouver's West End a week ago this past Sunday. The photo above is just one of many I took while checking out the Davie Community Garden at Burrard and Davie Streets. I love having birds, or in this case, insects, to help gauge the size of things compared to what we know. There will be more images from my Vancouver visit soon and also more from the Balcarra to Sasamat Lake hike. Meantime, take care!!! - V

more photos from Buntzen Lake

Here are more photos I took during the walk from Port Moody to Buntzen Lake. I decided to walk rather than wait for the C26 bus. As I was perhaps a quarter of the way up the hill, the bus passed by. Just the same, if I hadn't walked, I wouldn't have seen what I did on the way. The last few rhododendrons were still in bloom but fading and the sky had some clouds in it but it was much more blue sky than we'd seen in a while.
There is a view down the hill or mountain toward Port Moody in the photo above. There were enough flowers to see, such as Scotch Broom and foxgloves as well as seen below. And I love the blue sky against the fresh green growth of conifers. The first wild raspberries were ready for picking. Well, the birds have certainly found some!
There is a beautiful view of the mountains as I walked west-northwest along East Road to Anmore from where the road leads to Buntzen Lake. I found a couple of horses in a field along the road in Anmore and immediately thought of a friend in Pennsylvania who loves horses and has her own. I had to take a couple of photos of which I'm posting one of them.
Then I entered the park and proceeded north along the road to the Buntzen Lake. The water levels at the lake are higher than normal because of construction work below the dam at the north end of the lake. As you view the following photos, you'll see some with picnic tables, signs and trees sitting in water in areas normally dry land.
Swallows were flitting low over the lake and there certainly were enough mosquitos to keep them fed. The birds used this cedar to rest before continuing their foraging.
I also took a few photos of the sky as I waited for the C26 bus into Port Moody at a bus stop in Anmore. We're not seeing enough blue sky this year and temperatures are not as warm but all was well that day! I hope you've enjoyed these photos. There will be more as my trail hiking is only beginning! - V