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

update

I had a mini-stroke in early May, took five weeks off work to recuperate and then returned to work. As my strength improves, I'll be out again taking photos as usual. There are some more trails I'd like to explore northwest of Port Moody on Burrard Inlet. Eagle Mountain and Eagle Ridge are in my sites. I may have a friend of mine join me in the beginning as things continue to improve health-wise. - Volker

Fly Agaric

In the fall of 2007 I posted some photos of the Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) and other wild mushrooms. This fungus looks pretty but its poisonous, so enjoy the looks of it but keep your hands of it and keep it out of the kitchen. I've decided to use the first image as my latest header photo since the one with the goldenrod and the honeybee has been there for a while (2007). That one was taken at White Rock, British Columbia. The Fly Agaric series of photos was taken at Hastings Park in Vancouver in the autumn of 2007. Enjoy them once again! - V

Niagara Falls

Until early 2006 I spent most of my life living in southwestern Ontario, other than the few years we lived in Germany up until 1957 and the six months I spent in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1991 into early 1992. In 1968 we went to Niagara Falls for the day and went there at least twice. These are photos from one of those visits. The photo above shows the Horseshoe Falls from the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The Niagara Gorge is below it.
The American Falls as seen in the image above is not as beautiful as the Horseshoe Falls but you have to appreciate it too.
A photo taken from near the edge of the Horseshoe Falls shows you the power of the water going over the edge into the gorge. If you look very carefully in the last photo you'll see a rainbow in the mist above the falls. If you've never seen them, a visit is recommended. Its well worth the trip to see the falls and the floral clock to be found to the north of Niagara Fall, Ontario. Enjoy the photos! - 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