Churches In The National Capital

To those who have been wondering, yes, I've taken tulip photographs of what has been a very unusual Tulip Festival this year. They will be turning up in June and no doubt stretching into July or even beyond, though the formal event itself was already over on Victoria Day. But for a few days, I'm showing other material.

I have some churches for you today, taken at various points in the last couple of months. This is Annunciation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, out in Hintonburg, on the last day of March.

A few blocks away, dominating the neighbourhood, is the Catholic Paroisse Saint Francois d'Assise.

Taken on the following day in Sandy Hill, this is the historic St. Alban Anglican Church. It was attended regularly by our first prime minister, John A. Macdonald.

A couple of blocks away is St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church.

A short walk away is St Paul's-Eastern United Church.

A couple of weeks later I passed by this church in Lowertown, the French language Eglise Evangelique Baptiste d'Ottawa.

Visiting The Gardens In Spring

It seemed fitting to follow up on my visit to the Museum of Nature with my seasonal look at the Landscapes Of Canada Gardens outside. It was time for a spring look, and I paid a visit earlier in May. The Gardens consist of plants of four distinct ecosystems in Canada: the Mammoth Steppe, the Prairie Grasslands, Arctic Tundra, and Boreal Forest. On this occasion I started with this view of the Museum, with the statues of three mammoths beside the path. Behind them are plants that would have grown during the time they lived on the planet.

One type that did and still does is wild chives, looking fresh and green with spring warmth. It was a late spring, in fact.

Nearby along the path are bricks with the names of donors, often in memory of a loved one.

This view is from the far side of the gardens, with plants growing among the rocks that come from the Arctic Tundra in the foreground. The sculpture of an iceberg crosses the path.

Back on the path, this takes a look at Prairie Grassland. Over the summer, the grasses and flowers in that area will grow long and tall.

Sign posts along the way give information on each ecosystem.

Boreal Forest is the last of the four, with trees, shrubs, and bushes planted here, and even lichen on a tree that's otherwise dead.

This tree is showing signs that it's woken up to spring.

I leave off with this view of the Museum. I hope this place, and the other national and local museums in the national capital, opens its doors to visitors again soon.

My, What Big Teeth You Have

Here's a look back at where I've been, including the cast of the carnotasaurus from yesterday.

And so I return to where I started in the Fossil Gallery, with daspletosaurus, a predecessor to tyrannosaurus rex. Thus today ends this visit to the Museum of Nature from February, but tomorrow I have something of a coda, from outside the building.

The Titans Of An Ancient Era

Spending time among fossils seems to appeal to many, from children to adults. Such is the case with me.

A display stands beneath the cast replica of another predator, carnotasaurus.

I mentioned earlier in this series that it wasn't just bones that got fossilized.

I also mentioned the connection of dinosaurs and birds. Some of that is explored here, with panels and specimens. Tomorrow we bring this series (which lasted a lot longer than I expected when I started it) to a close.

An Unusual Communication

Fossil specimens and display panels in this part of the gallery focus on crested dinosaurs, going into detail about them, particularly their form of communication.

Succeeding The Dinosaurs

A large circular display you can walk around features three species of mammals that rose up in the millions of years following the age of dinosaurs. 

All three at once are visible here: Megacerops, hoplophoneus, and archaeotherium. Display panels nearby go into detail about each.

Here we have fossil arrangements of each.

And while I was up on this platform area, I photographed this stained glass window down on the main level of the gallery.

Going Beyond Dinosaurs

These two reproductions stand across from what I showed you yesterday. Note the feathers. Very bird like. Dinosaurs and birds had a great deal in common.

The end of the age of dinosaurs saw opportunities for other species that survived the asteroid impact. A display here features a dinosaur skull, a reproduction, with little mammals scurrying about on it.

Nearby are displays of post-impact animals. Whales eventually evolved from a semi-aquatic creature to a larger one with fins instead of legs, exclusively living in the sea.