Thirsty birds taking advantage of a puddle in the woods 8.26.25
Birds use water much as people do: they drink it to rehydrate; they bathe in the same pool they drink from. They are seen introducing their offspring to puddles. Somehow, they seem to communicate about water sources and appear to plan a gathering there. I’ve been delighted, amazed, and delayed by coming upon a gathering of birds at their “oasis”. Read on to see some of the sights I’ve observed as I walk in natural areas.
This Townsend’s Solitaire’s bright white eye rings are what helps many birders recognize the species in a flash. Many other birds have a similar feature that not only help people, but other birds to identify others of their kin. Read on to see a number of variations of this feature.
There are two species of Mullein in the West Valley; both are non-native plants with potential for spreading extensively. Read on to see images of both and to learn about their characteristics.
Saltmarsh Moth with eggs and three views of Saltmarsh Moth caterpillars
Connecting a caterpillar you find with its parent butterfly or moth is an interesting puzzle. Read on to see some of the connections I have made in the West Valley.
My first sight of Euphorbia esula, Leafy Spurge, in the West Valley was thanks to this caterpillar as I walked through an abandoned field. This 3 1/2 inch caterpillar’s appearance entranced me! Curiosity pulled me headlong into research and the information that follows.
Lenticular clouds are stationary, lens-shaped clouds that typically (but not always) form over or near mountains. The word “lenticular” comes from the Latin word lens, which describes their smooth, curved shape. (“Lentil” also comes from this root, appropriately enough.) Unlike most clouds that drift across the sky, lenticular clouds often stay in the same place for hours. The wind is still moving through them, but the cloud itself keeps forming and evaporating in the same spot, making it appear motionless.
Editor’s note: This post was edited on June 22, 2026, to include additional information about crepuscular rays, along with some minor editing.
If you were gazing at the southeastern sky on the early afternoon of June 14, you may have noticed what appeared to be a rogue horizontal rainbow segment, or a sun halo that wasn’t circling the sun, or a Bob Ross-inspired happy little cloud with extra colors. (Alizarin crimson, yellow ochre, phthalo blue–you know the rest…)
The Pygmy, Red-breasted, and White-breasted Nuthatches are very familiar here in the West Valley. Tiny, acrobatic, vocal birds that usually stay here year ’round, they are fun to watch. Read on to see what I have discovered about their unique gifts.
The American Robin may be the most familiar of the Thrush (Turdidae) family of birds. We used to think of their arrival as a sign that winter was over, but more recently, they have become a common sighting year ’round. In addition to pulling earthworms out of thawed earth and capturing a great variety of other insects, Robins feed on Juniper cones as well as frozen fruit and berries when the ground is frozen. Read on for more stories and pictures about members of the Thrush family that I’ve seen in the West Valley.
Pine Siskins are nomadic little finches that wander the northern hemisphere, taking advantage of plentiful food supplies. This has been a “cone year” in our area, and the Pine siskins have been abundant. Gregarious little birds, they travel in flocks of up to 1000, their high-pitched chatter announcing their presence. Some years we don’t see them at all; other times, the Christmas Bird Count reports their numbers in the thousands.
On December 30 and 31, 2025, the conditions in the West Valley were perfect for creating rime frost: low, dense fog, cold temperatures, and steady winds.
If you were in the West Valley area during the middle of the afternoon of December 9, 2025 and happened to be looking through The Notch toward GNP , you may have seen a rare and typically brief atmospheric phenomenon–a Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud system forming.
Arthur Milton Hodgson (1859 – 1931) was born in Livingston County, Illinois on August 30, 1859 to Zimri and Martha Hodgson, who were successful farmers. Zimri Hodgson was a well-known breeder and raiser of pure-bred livestock. Arthur Hodgson was raised on the family farm and received his education in the local schools. For many years he remained associated with his father in business but finally engaged in farming and stock raising at Forrest, Illinois and later at Healey, Illinois. From boyhood on he had always been interested in the breeding of livestock, particularly the improvement of the breed and the maintenance of as high a standard as possible. Arthur arrived in Montana in 1904 and immediately came to the Flathead Valley, where he was successful in his chosen vocation.
Spiders can be called creatures of one summer that hatch or emerge from diapause as the weather warms and reach maturity in late summer. These predatory insects employ various means to capture their prey.
The large Banded garden Spider lays in wait at the edge of the web; when it senses an insect in their web, it attacks with a bite that stuns the prey and liquifies their inner parts. It encases the stunned insect cocoon-like before devouring the liquid nutrients.
Bordered Orb weaver Spider with dragonflyOrb Weaver in grass
All of the above Orb weavers catch their prey in a trap they spin.
Funnel-web Spider Clear-wing Grasshopper in funnel web
The Funnel-web spider spins a sheet-like web shaped like a funnel on the ground. The spider usually lies in wait at the end of the tube; when an insect becomes entangled, it pulls the prey down into the ground where it devours it.
White-banded Crab Spider
Crab spiders, sometimes called ambush bugs, lie on a flower in wait for an insect to visit the plant. When the visitor becomes engrossed in its work, the Crab spider dashes in and paralyzes the insect with venom in its bite.
Goldenrod Crab Spider with mothGoldenrod Crab Spider with Bordered plant bugMountain Lady’s Slipper with Goldenrod Crab Spider
Goldenrod Crab spiders are able to change color to match the flower it chooses. It takes a few hours after it arrives at the flower where it will spend time in wait. Most of the Goldenrod Crab spiders I have seen were colored like the one on the Spotted Knapweed, regardless the color of the flower.
Cat-faced SpiderCat-faced Spider in web
The Cat-faced spider at right was gone the next time we checked this web site under a window sill. In its place was an egg sac. These spiders die after laying their eggs, just before a hard frost. The eggs will hatch in spring and live to predate on other insects around the house.
Fierce Orbweaver 9.2025Fierce orbweaverFierce Orbweaver dorsal side
This Fierce Orbweaver (identified with help of iNaturalist), was climbing up the door to my house. Not recognizing it, nor wanting to invite it inside, I very cautiously lured it away with a stiff plant stem. If I got too close, it reared back and waved its front legs as if boxing. While it moved across the driveway, it left a string of silk from the hole visible in the right photo; it seemed to use it as an anchor to help flip onto its back. The Fierce Orbweaver is listed as a native species in Montana.
Wolf Spider with spiderlings on her back
Female Wolf Spiders carry their egg sac on their back; when they hatch, the babies ride there. They will fall off in leaf litter where they go into diapause until spring. This spider was crossing a sun-warmed driveway in early evening in September.
Nest of spiderlings on May 23. While I watched, the babies would crawl up a blade of grass and float off on a spinneret in the wind. I did not wait long; only a few had dispersed over the nearby wetland.
In northwest Montana, wild huckleberries rule the berry world. (Never mind that what we call huckleberries are not actually huckleberries at all, but rather a species of blueberry. I realize I could be shot for saying this.) But lately, another berry–this one cultivated–has been making its appearance in the West Valley area–honeyberries.
