Waterton’s wildflowers given the star treatment
Ian Wilson and Jacinthe Lavoie are captivated by the wildflowers of Waterton Lakes National Park in southwest Alberta.
The pair, who produced a guide book about the flowers, will offer visitors to the Calgary Horticultural Society’s Garden Show a sense of the scene in the park through a multimedia presentation on Saturday at 9: 30 a. m.
“The idea is for people to come with us to experience the park — it’s almost like being there — with images of flowers, wildlife, scenery, birds and insects,” Wilson says.
Adds Lavoie: “This is a very special place. As we come into the park, we are in the prairie, and all of a sudden we are in the mountains. This gives the park a special habitat for flowers. This is why there is a larger variety of flowers in Waterton that we don’t see anywhere else in other parks in the province.”
Their love for the area, and the many wildflowers that populate it, is seen in the 208- page guidebook that includes 160 large photos.
The book includes interesting details about the flowers and suggests where to find wildflowers in the park, highlighting 10 trails that are suitable for people at varying levels of fitness.
“It’s really aimed at your weekend outdoorsperson who is looking at flowers and would really like to know what that flower is,” Wilson says of the book, which runs through the seasons, starting with spring.
“There is as much colour in the fall as there is throughout the summer.”