August23_2010

Botanical Glossary - Home - References Cited

Photos - Some last looks at Spotted Lake along Highway 3 in Richter Pass near Osoyoos before moving on back to Kelowna.

Photos - The eco system here is typical of the Okanagan Basin with lots of Artemisia Tridentata (Big Sagebrush), Chrysothamnus Nauseosus (Common Rabbit Bush) and the Sisymbrium Loeselii (Loesel's Tumble-mustard) weeds shown in frame right with the yellow blossoms lining the side road.

Center frame: Ranunculus Acris (Meadow Buttercup) flower head. Meadow Buttercup is a hairy perennial with one or several hollow stems. Leaves are heart shape in outline with deep lobes and divided nearly to its base, giving the hairy leaf a ragged appearance. Flowers are bright yellow in loose clusters at the terminal of hairy stalks. This is a European, weedy, introduced species that is now naturalized and widespread in scattered crops at low to middle elevations in moist meadows, roadsides and river banks. The juice of this plant is poisonous to cattle.

Photos - Frames left and center: Blossoms of Lewisia Rediviva (Bitterroot) in a pocket of dirt on an open rock face. This is a perennial that has flowering stalks produced from a branching tap root. The flowers are solitary at the end of a short stalk and can be dull pink to a deep pink in color. The plant likes open spaces in grass lands and sagebrush slopes in the Okanagan basin area.

Frame right: Colaptes Auratus (Red Shafted, Northern Flicker) sitting pretty in a tree next to Bertram Street om Downtown Kelowna. This is one of the very few woodpeckers that have become urbanized and manage to survive in towns and busy cities. Flickers are members of the woodpecker family (family Picidae), mainly feasting on ants or other wood boring insects. In winter, these birds have been known to also feed on berries. 'Red Shafted' Flickers are common in the Pacific Northwest, while their cousin, 'Yellow Shafted' Flickers are common east of the Rocky Mountains, and 'Gilded' Flickers are found in desert areas.

Click here for photos of Mission Creek Greenway in Kelowna for this day.