Happy Friday! We hope your weekend is as carefree as a Gaillardia (also known as a Brown-eyed Susan) soaking up the sun ☀️
📸 Photo by Ed Correa
#FabPhotoFriday #AlbertaBiodiversity #Wildflowers #NaturePhotography #AlbertaNature

Happy first day of spring! 🌱🌷
From here on out, the days become longer than the nights, plants sprout into a new growing season, and tiny baby animals are introduced to the world.

📸Photo by Alan D. Wilson
#FabPhotoFriday #FirstDayOfSpring #SpringVibes #Ducks

If you were the size of an ant, this moss would look like a forest of tiny pine trees🌲
Juniper Haircap Moss (Polytrichum juniperinum) forms in dense clusters that resemble pine branches.
📸 Photo by Brittney the botanist
#FabPhotoFriday #Cryptogams #Biodiversity

Sitting pretty on this #FabPhotoFriday! #DYK the Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata) is the largest species of ground squirrel in North America?
📸 Photo by Karen Ung
#WildlifePhotography #NatureLovers #NaturePhotography

Those eyes! That face! Those wings! With its vibrant colour and adorably round eyes, it's easy to see where the Cherry-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum internum) got its name 🍒😍
📸 Photo by jelofson

#FabPhotoFriday #AquaticInvertibrates #Dragonfly #WetlandBiodiversity #Wetlands

Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) is often one of the first plants to flourish in open or disturbed areas, bringing colour and life back to the landscape. This close-up captures its delicate blooms and a brief visit from a butterfly.

📸Photo by Kirstan Tereschyn
#FabPhotoFriday #WildlifePhotos

Some cultures consider Common Ravens (Corvus corax) to be harbingers of bad luck, while others see them as a symbol of wisdom and magic; either way, we think they’re pretty fab 🐦‍⬛🖤
Happy #FabPhotoFriday the 13th!

📸 Photo by Dan Burgin
#CommonRaven #Fridaythe13th #BirdsofAlberta

Here's a Superb Owl to kick off your football weekend! 🏈
#DYK that the Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is one of the smallest Owl species in North America? They often only grow to around 20 cm, or the size of a large hamster.
📸Photo by Monica Dahl
#SuperbOwl #BirdsofAlberta #FabPhotoFriday

Small but mighty! Fishers (Pekania pennanti) are approximately the size of a large house cat, but these cousins of the weasel are more fierce than friendly.
📸 Photo by Lynn Bystrom
#FabPhotoFriday #WildlifePhotography #NatureLovers

A small star at ground level 🌟 Keep an eye out for these tiny Starflowers (Lysimachia borealis) blooming on the forest floor in the spring months!
📸 Photo by Varina Crisfield
#FabPhotoFriday #AlbertaBiodiversity #AlbertaFlowers

Some birds sing, Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) introduce themselves! Their iconic "chickadee-dee-dee" call can be heard year-round across the province.
📸 Photo by Victoria Dennis
#FabPhotoFriday #BirdsofAlberta #BlackcappedChickadee

Small Squirrel, big world. 🐿️ This Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis) has the best view on the mountain. 🏔️
Have you spotted these little guys on your alpine hikes?

📸 Photo by Marc La Fleche
#FabPhotoFriday #GoldenmantledGroundSquirrel #AlbertaWildlife

Here's some Powdered Sunshine (Vulpicida pinastri) brightening up the forest! ☀️ The yellow powder on the edges is reproductive structures made of fungal threads and algal cells that can rub off and transport to a new location to start a new lichen.
📸 Photo by Diane Haughland
#FabPhotoFriday #Lichen

No matter the weather, you can count on the White Spruce (Picea glauca) to stay evergreen 🌲
📸 Photo by Sarah Townson captured in Banff National Park
#FabPhotoFriday #WhiteSpruce #NaturePhotography #MountainViews

This Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata) is all fluffed up and ready for the weekend!
📸 Photo by Elvis Pineda
#FabPhotoFriday #AlbertaWildlife #HoaryMarmot #WildlifePhotography #CanadianWildlife

Baby, it's cold outside! But not too cold for the Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus). This colourful year-round resident of Alberta can be found snacking on fruits and berries in most areas of the province.
📸 Photo by Arnold Janz
#FabPhotoFriday #BirdsofAlberta #WinterWonderland

#DYK that we have orchids growing natively here in Alberta? Venus' Slipper (Calypso bulbosa), also known as Fairy Slippers, is a bright pinky-purple #orchid variety found in the sheltered areas of forest floors.
📸 Photo by Kirstan Tereschyn
#FabPhotoFriday #AlbertaFlowers

Here's a Black Bear cub for Black Friday! 🐻 This little one has the right idea for how to avoid crowds today.
📸 Photo by Adam Sprott
#FabPhotoFriday #BlackFriday #BlackBear #AlbertaWildlife

Wetlands at sunset are truly dreamy 🌾
#DYK that around 21% of Alberta is covered by wetlands? Explore our Wetland Atlas of Alberta for information on wetland ecosystems in Alberta.

Dive in here: https://ow.ly/Z8L050XtQNB

📸 Photo by Victoria Dennis
#FabPhotoFriday #Wetlands #NaturePhotography

For today’s #FabPhotoFriday we’re showing off this gorgeous shot of a Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus). Although their ears are short, they still have impeccable hearing to detect their prey.
📸 Photo by Tony Campbell
#BirdsofAlberta #Owl #AlbertaWildlife

Did you know that Alberta has river mussels?
📷 Anopodonta sp. by Rob Hinchliffe
#FabPhotoFriday

Shield moss near Fort McMurray
#FabPhotoFriday
📷 Kate Tucker

Did anyone visit the mountains over the holidays?
#FabPhotoFriday
📷 Amy Nixon

Sara Venskaitis shows us that it is possible to find bright and vibrant colours in Alberta during the winter months!
#FabPhotoFriday

The Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens, is a common sight year-round in #Alberta!
#FabPhotoFriday
📷Chris Kolaczan

Lepus americanus, or snowshoe hare, has its name because of its large hind feet.
#FabPhotoFriday

The snowy owl is North America's biggest owl (by weight).
📷Arnold Janz
#FabPhotoFriday

Mephitis mephitis in the snow.

#FabPhotoFriday

Who knew aquatic invertebrates could be so cute!?

📷 Daphnia sp. by Rob Hinchliffe
#FabPhotoFriday

After a summer in the arctic tundra, Snow Buntings fly down to Alberta (among other places) to spend time in our open fields, and along our roadsides and shorelines for the winter.
📷 Trevor Jones
#FabPhotoFriday