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Emily Murphy Park

Emily Murphy Park

This past weekend, we visited old friends in Edmonton. Before returning to Calgary, we spent some time walking in the Emily Murphy Park. At first, we could not find the road that led into the park, so we flagged down a car and asked for help. A friendly Edmontonian not only gave us directions but led us to the park entrance!

Emily Murphy Park

Emily Murphy Park

peaceful river

In much of Alberta, the wind is carrying smoke from the wildfires into the cities.

North Saskatchewan River

North Saskatchewan River . . . and smoky skies

Emily Murphy Park

quiet path

Emily Murphy Park

fall foliage

We are having a most enjoyable autumn this year. Usually there is snow by now. But, this year, the days are warm, the trees are holding on to their leaves, and the season is extended!

A Walk Around Town

A Walk Around Town

After a long summer of wildfires and too many days that were 30+ Celsius, it’s soothing to take a walk around town in the cooler days of autumn.

We parked by the river in Kensington and then walked the loop to Sunnyside and back.

autumn in Calgary

“Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods.”
– William Wordsworth.

The Peace Bridge

The Peace Bridge

autumn in Calgary

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.”
— Emily Bronte

“As for marigolds, poppies, hollyhocks, and valorous sunflowers, we shall never have a garden without them, both for their own sake, and for the sake of old-fashioned folks, who used to love them.”
– Henry Ward Beecher

the beautiful Bow River

the beautiful Bow River

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” — Albert Camus

We finished our walk with lattes at the the Espresso Café.

the Espresso Café

I think Anon says it best:

“If you don’t like fall, you can leaf me alone.”

Maple leaves from canstockphoto2523415

Return to Boom Lake

Return to Boom Lake

Earlier this month, Rolf and I hiked to Boom Lake. We’ve done this trip several times over the years. I wrote about one trip here. Since the last time we did the trail, this new boardwalk has been added.

boardwalk along the Boom Lake trail

Clear blue skies today!

clear blue skies

Lots of wildflowers along the trail. This is Bunchberry Dogwood.

Bunchberry Dogwood

To the west, Mount Quadra . . .

Boom Lake

. . . and to east, the “boom” – where an old moraine touches the surface of the water in a crescent to catch driftwood floating past, as if it were a lumber boom.

Boom Lake

Here I am at the lake.

The sparkling waters of Boom Lake!

Boom Lake

This is a favourite September hike. We had perfect weather and finished off the day with dinner in Banff. Can’t ask for more!

 

The Many Springs Trail

The Many Springs Trail

On Wednesday, Rolf and I drove to Bow Valley Provincial Park and hiked the Many Springs Trail. Well, it wasn’t exactly a hike. It’s more of a walk. The Many Springs Trail is flat and well-groomed and quite short. Only 1.6 km. (That’s about a mile.) It’s also famous for its wildflowers.

Here’s the map of the trail, which is a loop.Many Springs Trail

At the junction, there’s a sign pointing you to the right. You follow along and reach the boardwalk. The actual loop is only about 1.3 km.

Most of the Bow Valley is dry, grassy meadows with stands of aspen and evergreen. But the Many Springs Trail is a lush wetland fed by, you guessed it, many springs.

At this time of year, lots of people come looking for the Yellow Lady Slipper Orchid.

Yellow Lady Slipper Orchid along the Many Springs Trail

Yellow Lady Slipper Orchid

The first time you see one, you get all excited and take about a million pictures. And then you realize it is everywhere along the trail.

The Wood Lily is here too.

Wood Lily

Wood Lily

And, of course, there’s the Prickly Rose.

Prickly Rose aka the floral emblem of Alberta

Prickly Rose aka the floral emblem of Alberta

Prickly Rose aka the floral emblem of Alberta

Prickly Rose aka the floral emblem of Alberta

Where the trail opens up, there are some peaceful views of the mountains.

Creeping Juniper with berries

Creeping Juniper with berries

Limber Honeysuckle

Limber Honeysuckle

boardwalk at the Many Springs Trail

boardwalk

Meadow Zizia

Meadow Zizia

Red-osier Dogwood

Red-osier Dogwood

Mount Yamnuska view from the Many Springs Trail

Mount Yamnuska

Purple Clematis

Purple Clematis

And everywhere there is Silverberry. 

Silverberry

Silverberry

It was a morning walk with lots of time for pictures. We drove on the 1A instead of the busier TransCanada, which meant that we went through Cochrane. So, on the way back, we stopped in Cochrane at McKay’s Ice Cream.

Always a good way to end a trip!

It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day!

It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day!

I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather for the last week or so. No fever, so not COVID, but some kind of bug that has made me tired and achy. At any rate, I’ve been cooped up indoors. This morning, I finally felt good enough to go for a long walk. After days of extreme cold in Calgary, we are now above freezing, and the sun is shining. I decided to go for a walk along the river.

Here’s the view of the mostly frozen Bow River from a lookout on the pathway through Bowmont Park.

Bow River

And now I am down by the river.

Bow River in winter

Bow River in winter

In the Dale Hodges Park, I like to visit my friends, the ducks.

my friends, the ducks

I’ve always wondered why there are a few ducks that don’t fly south for the winter. I guess they find enough to eat on these little open patches of water.

Here I am on the snow-covered boardwalk.

Dale Hodges Park

This is the Dale Hodges Park. It’s a natural environment park along the north bank of the Bow River. Surprisingly, the area used to be a gravel pit. And now it’s been reclaimed.

Dale Hodges Park

The project was a joint effort between Parks, Water Resources and Public Art. Stormwater from several upstream residential communities flows slowly through the water structures and is filtered before entering the Bow River.

Dale Hodges Park

The park is connected to Bowmont Park and is a wildlife habitat. It has a system of boardwalks, cycling and walking trails, marsh and meadows, and views of the Bow River.

Dale Hodges Park

But now it’s mostly covered with snow.

Later in the day, even on a cold winter day, there will be a lot of people down here. But, early in the morning, there’s just me, and the ducks.

The silence is amazing and uplifting. After an hour and a half of walking, I am feeling much better and ready to get back to the world.

Prairie Crocus

Prairie Crocus

Every spring, the Prairie Crocus is the first plant to bloom on the prairie—even when it’s still snowing, like it has been in Calgary.

The Prairie Crocus has many names. I’ve been looking through my four plant identification books and, while they all refer to the Prairie Crocus, they don’t seem to agree on a botanical name. Some say Pulsatilla patens. Some say Anemone patens.

The Prairie Crocus is also called Cutleaf Anemone, Prairie Anemone, and Pasqueflower. But in Calgary, we call it the Prairie Crocus.

The flowers are usually pale blue or mauve but sometimes they are white or light yellow. When they open they are 1 ½ inches to 2 ½ inches in diameter.

Prairie CrocusGenerally, flowers have Sepals and Petals. A sepal is the outer part of the flower. And the petals are within the sepals. Sepals are usually green and their job is to protect the tender petals inside.

In the case of the Prairie Crocus, there are no petals, only sepals, 5 to 7 sepals. These sepals, of course, are not green. They are the showy colours we see on the brown prairie hillsides.

Each stem holds one bloom. The stems are about 4 inches high and they are “hairy” or “woolly” as though Mother Nature decided to dress them warmly so they can tolerate the cold spring.

Prairie CrocusIn fact, the Prairie Crocus knows a lot about staying warm. The sepals create a saucer shape, allowing the crocus to direct the sunlight on the inner stamens and pistils. Not only that, this intelligent plant follows the sun as it crosses the sky, collecting warmth all day long. The warmth helps the pollen and seeds develop, and provides a warm place for insects on a chilly spring day.

The Prairie Crocus is found in the dry prairie grasslands throughout the Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Manitoba has adopted the flower as its floral emblem, and it appears on this stamp with Manitoba’s coat of arms.

2014-05-06-canstockphoto6572872Do you have Prairie Crocuses where you live? Is that what you call them? Or do you give them a different name?

Crocuses from Rolf Stengl
Stamp from Canstockphoto.com #6572872