Know Thy Limits and Respect Them
I was craving a communal walk in nature and drove outside of the city with a friend to the Cooking Lake Blackfoot Recreational area and went to the Blackfoot staging area where we met another friend.
The three of us walked along the Whitetail trail to a pond and instead of turning back at that point, kept going to the Blackfoot junction and up the Buck Run back to the starting point. I have not walked this trail for about ten years and believe me, I felt the difference.
Great if you are in shape. Two days ago I had trouble moving even a few steps, but it rained and the barometric pressure changed. Yesterday I felt good. We did not do the math beforehand as they list the length between each junction-and there are a few- it turned out the total length was just under 7km. I ran out of energy half way so found it to be a gruelling trek.
At the end of the walk I was surprised that I could do it but truthfully wondered many times if I would be able to make it. My friends were wondering if I could make it and one of them hadn’t bothered with mosquito repellent but as the day grew long he was suffering.The other friend took off after the walk, probably to do more exploring.
I think that I would like to start small and slowly work my way up. Today I am lazing about and drinking water as I did get dehydrated. So must remember: baby steps, take water, extra clothing, snacks, puffer, mosquito repellent.At least At least I drank before I left and put on lots of repellent.
I did get some nice shots and enjoyed relaxing by the ponds. We saw a few garter snakes but they left before we could capture an image. One of my friends was lucky to catch a larger sized one sunning itself beside the cook house.Here are some images from the day that made it worth while:
From Birds to Butterflies
I have been reading a lot of blogs that have mentioned, and seen for myself, the scarcity of sightings of our fine feathered friends. They are laying low, bringing up their young and perhaps molting. The festivals in the city with the noise and crowds seem to make the birds disappear, as least temporarily. I can’t blame them but I did notice as soon as the last festival ended and people were doing tear-down, the gulls arrived in hoards to take advantage of the pickings.
When the bird sighting numbers lower in July, I see a lot of my birding friends change their sights to the butterflies and flowers. I tend to focus on the butterflies more because they are so beautiful. It seems they perch on the flowers a little longer towards the latter part of the day. This one at Elk Island National Park was sighted about a week ago and stopped on the bench of a picnic table. I do not know the identity as I have not bought a bug book yet or borrowed one from the library-that will more than likely occur at some point in the future. Your expertise is welcome; if you know what it is, feel free to comment.
©Jane Chesebrough
Hand-held at 300mm, 1/40 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Visiting the Butterfly House
I went with a friend to the Devonian Gardens a couple of weeks ago and after a very deliscious ice cream treat headed over to the butterfly house. The heat and humidity just about knocked me out but i did get this photo of this large butterfly or moth.with a hint of its beautiful blue inner wings but found the markings on the outside fascinating as well.Devonian gardens is run by the University of Alberta and is north of Devon, about a half hour west of Edmonton. Does anyone know what this butterfly/moth is?
©Jane Chesebrough
My Heartsong 