Sunday, December 2, 2018

Late Autumn Within The Garden

Each season, I like to photograph the Landscapes Of Canada Gardens at the Canadian Museum of Nature to show things from that seasonal point of view. I was passing through the area one sunny day early last month and decided to take advantage of the clear skies. The Gardens consist of plants from four distinctive ecosystems in Canada. The first is Boreal Forest, with the trees, bushes, and shrubs one finds in the vast belt of woodland.


The golden tree you see above and below in this shot is a tamarack. It looks like a coniferous tree, but is in fact a deciduous tree- its leaves have the shape of needles and turn a deep golden yellow late in the fall before falling, usually after the bulk of the regular leaves are down.


Prairie Grassland follows, with the grasses and flowers one finds in the west planted here and growing well over the course of the summer.


This work of art spans the pathway, an iceberg in steel by the late artist Bill Lishman.


Over at one entrance, a number of bricks can be found with the names of people who have donated for  this, mostly families or those doing so in memory of another. I like how autumn leaves look against the bricks.


This view of the Museum and the iceberg is from the sidewalk. The third ecosystem, Arctic Tundra, is represented in the plants and shrubs planted amid the rocks on this side of the path. They're residents of the far north, and yet do quite well in an Ottawa growing season as well.


The path carries on, with Prairie Grassland at the right. On the left are plants that were present in North America thousands of years ago and remain present today. Mammoth Steppe is the last of the ecosystems making up the Gardens. A statue set of a family of three mammoths, life sized, are by the path. They were moved here from their original position, close to the iceberg, when the Gardens were devised. They're surrounded by the plants that the real mammoths would have been consuming around the time of the last ice age.

34 comments:

  1. This is interesting. I look forward to seeing it in other seasons.

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  2. Interesting idea to design a garden just using native species. I like that iceberg sculpture.

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  3. ...gardens are always a pleasure, but 'natural' gardens can be the best.

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  4. It looks very nice with the autumn colours.

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  5. Each garden is beautiful in its own way and with the fabulous museum in the background, incroyable!

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  6. Hello, lovely views of the gardens. People loved to donate these bricks with their names in memory of loved ones. I love the elephant sculpture. Enjoy your day, have a great new week!

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  7. Hello William!
    Such a beautiful garden! Like the Autumn scenery and the museum!
    Lovely sculptures! Thank you for sharing! Have a lovely week!
    Dimi...

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  8. This is an outstanding serie, William. Great shots of that wonderful garden in fall colours. The museum is very nice in the background. And I love those benches in the shade. :-)

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  9. An enjoyable walk through these gardens, and I love the mammouths!

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  10. I like the gardens and never miss being able to walk on the tundra, prairie or woods. Throw in the mountains too!

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  11. what a fun walk. looks like a gorgeous fall Canadian day. nice! ( ;

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  12. @Joan: I pass through often. I may do so again this morning.

    @John: it is quite a sculpture.

    @Tom: I agree.

    @Marianne: it does.

    @Grace: definitely.

    @Eileen: thank you!

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Dimi: a pleasure to show it.

    @Anvilcloud: yes it is.

    @Janey: it does.

    @Jan: I do too.

    @Barbara: thanks!

    @Red: the gardens are a treat.

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  13. Things are looking very fall-like in the garden. I love the iceberg sculpture.

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  14. You were lucky to have a sunny day - a rarity lately!

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  15. I enjoyed this walk and the prairie grassland. :-)

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  16. Lovely photos. The gardens and sculptures are inspirational against the building in the background.

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  17. Beautiful sceneries. I like how autumn leaves look on the bricks, too :-)

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  18. The garden looks nice with all the autumn colours. I like the ice sculpture too.

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  19. @Beth: one of the few sunny days we get in fall!

    @Sharon: I do too.

    @Red: quite so!

    @DJan: it looked quite different this morning when I passed through.

    @Maywyn: they are!

    @Tamago: thanks!

    @Bill: thank you!

    @Happyone: they do stand out.

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  20. What great photos. It amazing how your leaves on tree is still yellow. Our trees here in North Idaho is bare.
    Coffee is on

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  21. Wonderful outdoor autumn photos ~ great colors and light ^_^

    Happy Day to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  22. This a great and educational garden any time of year. It's nice to revisit it.

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  23. Beautiful! Especially the mammoths.

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  24. What a blue sky and clear autumn day...

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  25. How lovely. Love the elephant and the view of the museum.

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  26. The sky is beautiful. It’s been so long since they were blue here!

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  27. I enjoyed that museum. I used to take the kids, who are now in their 30s! The mammoths, wonderful. They are young buildings, compared to Europe, but lovely!

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  28. These are all so lovely …

    All the best Jan

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  29. Autumn colours always give beauty to gardens.

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  30. @Dora: in this case, most of our leaves are at their peak in mid-October.

    @Carol: thank you.

    @Kay: yes it is.

    @Iris: they are quite a set.

    @Italiafinlandia: I had good weather that day.

    @Jeanie: so do I.

    @Marie: blue days are quite elusive in fall.

    @Jennifer: I love visiting that museum.

    @Jan: thanks!

    @Klara: they do.

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