Living Fossils in Calgary, Update, Year 4

 

     I can't believe 4 years have passed since planting these! Above, Kentucky Coffee Tree Gymnocladus dioicus seems to be settling in quite nicely. This year it decided to give up on the top leader branch and leaf out further down instead, that said it grew a new shoot 8" or 20 cm which is pretty good for a "slow grower". I was not even thinking about this when the big hail storm came in June, however, it had barely begun leafing out and thus avoided any damage, talk about a slow leafing out! We were having a warm spring and June was a lot more like summer this year and still this tree was taking it's sweet a** time! When the leaves do grow though what a beautiful sight.

You can see by mid summer the twice compunded leaves reach very large proportions almost 2' or 60cm from stem to end. The leaves will also fold upwards a little in hot weather as you can see here.

This photo taken October 1st shows the fall colour, for the first time in many years we did not have a snow event or even a frost until mid October. The leaves fell almost all at once leaving a skeleton of the main stems which dropped a week or so later.

     Ginko biloba, while surviving is not having a very lucky time, I guess 2020 was bad for ginko too!? Recently I decided to move it to a much more open area which it seemed to be liking. This is also a pretty slow leafer in our area and I could see the green buds slowly developing over weeks in the late spring, one day we were cleaning up some dead branches and my partner pulled a famous jinx move and wacked off the top bud, arghhhhh, after considering divorce for a short time I realized being angry would not change anything. Then we had several hailstorms, the first one literally devastated all of the new tiny leaves so I just thought fate had it out for me. By July new leaves emerged again and when it was getting kinda OK someone threw a frisbee into the top which wrecked those leaves again! So I don't know how much more bad luck could happen to this poor thing but maybe we are done for a few years??? Yeah right! Anyway here are a few leaves in the summer. It has not grown one god damed millimeter it only opens a few leaves when it can. No fall colour this year, it was green right up to the snow October 18 and then just froze.

Better luck next time baby!

Clouds 2020

 

     The great Joni Mitchell wrote the song Both Sides Now, "I've looked at clouds from both sides now. From up and down and still somehow. It's couds illusions I recall. I really don't know clouds at all." Well I do know one thing about clouds they are often doing something amazing! I used to get in trouble for wasting film on "something stupid" like a cloud but in this era we can take pictures of everything. Here are my best cloud pics of 2020.

Nearing the Summer Solstice when the sun sets around 10pm.

Altocumulous? I am no cloud scientist but know that clouds like this are shaped by high winds coming off the mountains in the higher levels of the atmosphere.

A type of Cirrus cloud sets off this summer evening.

Looking at downtown from the Bow River and some scattered cumulous clouds.

One of the many summer storms to pass thru, cumulonimbus I presume?

So many storms!

Just missed us!

And passes to the South

All this needs is some Greek Gods and some flying Putto!

I think I took this just because it looked so pleasant and was not a giant storm for once!

A sunset in Saskatchewan, this is why it is called Land of the Living Skies.

Looks like a texbook case of Cirrus uncinus!

I like how the contrail casts a shadow on this cirrus cloud and note the sparrow in midflight.

This one seems suspiciously pleasant.

Cirrocumulous stratiformis

Stratocumulous castellanus

This was our two day cold spell in September, a little rain and wet snow.

Halleluja comes to mind

3 from the same sunset.

I had to run down the alley to get this shot and orange you glad I did?

Same night in panorama

Also from that same sunset.

Well, if this isn't Altocumulous floccus I'll eat a bug!

Some interesting layers on display here.

Heading into fall we get very nice sunsets!

Many dramatic sunsets in October.

And November!

I woke up to this and bolted out of bed to run down the alley to get this sunrise, yes I am a hero, you're welcome!

Panorama view

And a few moments later

Only me, the dog and this empty school to witness this symphony.

This is more like being in a cloud!

In December if there is a Chinook happening the day will be total cloudy gloom but as the sun sets it will produce a sunset like this!

The same night yet the camera picks up completely different colours.

These almost look like lenticular clouds with their opalescent colouring.

And here too as the sun rounds this Chinook Arch.

The days are so short in the winter but when conditions are right spectacular sunsets fill the winter monochrome.

Moonrise and sunset, goodnight 2020.