One More From Cairn Park

As 'Paul from Powell River' commented yesterday, Cairn Park is one of Victoria's tiny jewels, so for you Paul, here is one of the many fabulous views from near the top. The colors this fall have been phenomenal haven't they? - Fern

Highrock Park

Cold blustery rain in the mornings lately has been followed by clearing and brilliant blue skies. Here's what yesterday afternoon looked like on top of Highrock Park in Vic West. The brilliant blue Camas Lilies are just beginning to bloom but I'll wait until they peak in a few days before I show them here. They'll soon cover the slopes of this park with swathes of rich blue.

Smallflower Woodland Star (Lithophragma parviflorum)

One of the challenges of photographing tiny little flowers like this one is that, perched on the top of slender stems, they are sensitive to the gentlest of breezes. With close-up macro photography such as this the slightest movement means a blurry photo. In years gone by I have simply given up on days when there were breezes. This year I've been experimenting with using higher iso settings that enable me to shoot using faster shutter speeds thus diminishing the problem of movement. The photo above was shot using the iso 800 setting. I find that with my camera (Sony Alpha 550) any higher iso setting results in too much noise for me. So, if youre wondering why there are so many close-ups of flowers lately it's because of this experimentation. I'm still working out how to get the depth of field I want, also. With a flower like this I actually wanted a greater depth of field (smaller aperture) to show a little more detail on the leaf that is visible lower down on the flower stem. But a smaller aperture would have meant a slower shutter speed and would probably have resulted in another blurry photo (I have dozens - I've spent two mornings in Highrock Park photographing this same little flower!). As it was I settled for f11 and a shutter speed of 125th of a second. This tiny flower is called the Smallflower Woodland Star (Lithophragma parviflorum), a lot of name for a very small flower but the name is very fitting. It's a member of the Saxifrage family.

Chionodoxa

Having just learned that yesterday's flowering plant was an invasive species called the Red Deadnettle, I decided to post another Highrock Park invader today, though these little blue and white blossoms seem innocent of any imperial intent. This is Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa). This patch comes up every year in the same place and probably escaped from a nearby garden some years ago.

Hairy

This year I have decided to try to be a little more comprehensive when it comes to local wildflower blooms and include some of the less spectacular (smaller) flowering plants whenever possible. I like hairy plants and this one certainly qualifies. I don't know what it is but I'll find out and let you know soon. These are blooming in little patches all over Highrock Park, small plants about 6 inches high. Below is a patch mixed with Miner's Lettuce.Later...I've been through both of my field guides to local wildflowers without being able to make an identification of this plant. Any ideas?

---

Reader sonicmur identified this plant as the Red Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum), native to Europe and Asia and classified here as an invasive species. Despite its similarity to true nettles this one is not related and has no sting, hence its name.

Early Bloomers 2

Also while on my first spring flowers walk in Highrock Park I found these Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii). These are named after "one of Oregon's most important early botanists," Louis Fourniquet Henderson.

Highrock Park Sunset

The mossy summit of Highrock Park in Victoria West catches the last rays of a winter sunset.

Highrock Skyline

Victoria's looking pretty craggy and Gothic in this photo. It's hard to believe this is in the middle of long settled residential area, at the summit of the small Highrock Park. It's a favorite place for me in the spring and summer when its luscious greens are overlaid by Sea Blush and Camas and its gnarled Garry Oaks are in leaf.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

The rich profusion of blossoms above belong to a plant most of us pass by without a thought these days although it has an incredibly rich history in Europe and Asia as well as America. It's a common roadside weed called Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). It's been used as a tool for divination and has many medicinal uses in cultures around the world. Whenever I see it I always recognize it and remember its pungent and unique smell and taste. The tea is good for you but if you drink it once I guarantee you will never forget its flavor.

Bachelor's Button (Centaurea cyanus)

I have been very interested this year to begin to become aware of the progression of wildflowers in this area. The early Fawn Lilies, Shooting Stars and Camas are all pretty much gone now and have been replaced by tall grass dotted with the brilliant blue flowers above and to the right. These bright blue flowers were one of the first I ever learned to recognize although I never knew the reason for the nomenclature until today (thanks to Wikipedia). It has a number of common names but the name I was taught was Bachelor's Button (Centaurea cyanus). The reason for the name was that in folklore it was a flower that would be worn in a buttonhole by a bachelor in love. If the flower faded quickly, it meant his love would not last. I don't know about love but the picture to the right illustrates something which is definitely fading, the honeybee population. That insect digging around in the Bachelor's Button is not a honeybee. It's some kind of bumblebee.

I've not seen a honeybee this year though I've been out photographing flowers almost every sunny day since spring began. Honeybees are disappearing over large parts of North America and Europe and nobody quite knows why. There are some stories on the phenomenon HERE and HERE.