Bee? or Bee-Like?

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

Bee-fly
Tri-colored Bumblebee

As I write this on a rainy day in March, my mind is drawn to thoughts of spring, perhaps because just yesterday I was walking partly in mud, partly on ice, torn between the need for rubber boots or ice cleats. In a similar vein, in summer as I observe flowers and the insects that are drawn to them, I wonder whether I should beware of the stinger or relax and admire the industrious work of the flying creatures. In this article, I’ll share some helpful tips I have learned from researching that question.

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Seen Fluttering By Part 1

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Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org

As much as we enjoy the beauty and variety of northwestern Montana winters, we do sometimes find ourselves thinking about the colorful visual landscapes of summer. And few elements accentuate that beauty as elegantly as our local butterfly population does.

This page is Part 1 of a series of three pages:
Seen Fluttering By 1 (Fritillaries, Tortoiseshells, Checkerspots, Commas and Swallowtails)
Seen Fluttering By 2 (Skippers, Sulphurs, Julias, Admirals, Crescents and Blues)
Seen Fluttering By 3 (Elfins, Hairstreaks, Miscellaneous)

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Seen Fluttering By Part 2

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Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org

This page is Part 2 of a series of three pages:
Seen Fluttering By 1 (Fritillaries, Tortoiseshells, Checkerspots, Commas and Swallowtails)
Seen Fluttering By 2 (Skippers, Sulphurs, Julias, Admirals, Crescents and Blues)
Seen Fluttering By 3 (Elfins, Hairstreaks, Miscellaneous)

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Seen Fluttering By Part 3

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Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org

This page is Part 3 of a series of three pages:
Seen Fluttering By 1 (Fritillaries, Tortoiseshells, Checkerspots, Commas and Swallowtails)
Seen Fluttering By 2 (Skippers, Sulphurs, Julias, Admirals, Crescents and Blues)
Seen Fluttering By 3 (Elfins, Hairstreaks, Miscellaneous)

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Hoarfrost or Rime Ice?

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by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org

Editor’s Note: A followup to this article, with more accurate information on how different varieties of frost form, is available here: Hoar Frost, Rime Ice, or Something Else?

A few days ago, driving around West Valley, I remarked on the beauty of the hoarfrost that had coated some Ponderosa pines along the roadside. That got me wondering about the nature of hoarfrost and how it forms. It turns out that some of what I have been calling hoarfrost is, in fact, not hoarfrost, but rather rime ice. The difference is not important for the casual observer, but it can be important meteorologically.

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Woodpeckers in our Valley

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

3.08.21 Pileated Woodpecker work above Cliff Lake

Nobody has to ask, “What does a woodpecker do?” Only the Pileated Woodpecker does such a fantastic job of chiseling out their food and creating nests for themselves. Several species live in our area year ’round; some are migratory, and we see them in warmer months. Read on for stories about woodpeckers that I’ve observed in our area.

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Rabbit Tales

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

Mountain Cottontail Silvilagus nuttallii 11.07.17

Over several years, I’ve been enjoying the company of small Mountain cottontails that have chosen to live near our home. Although I rarely see them when the ground is bare, I often see their tracks where I snowshoe or ski in winter. It’s their close proximity in winter that has given me the best sightings. I will share some pictures and tales of rabbit encounters in the following pages.

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Eye-Catching Foliose Lichens

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

Elegant Sunburst Lichen (Xanthoria elegans) 11.15.21

Brighter than the Blanket flower that grows nearby in summer, this rock-dwelling lichen is a long-time resident on this carbonate-rich rock. Exposed to the elements, temperatures that range more than 100 degrees, with no shade to protect it and no roots to find water, this lichen grows about .4mm per year. It has probably taken about 150 years to attain its current size. The following article describes some fascinating facts about this and some other foliose (leafy) lichens in our area.

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Meet a Few Pelt Lichens

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

Worldwide, there are about 100 species of Peltigera in the Foliose group of lichens; there are 23 species in the Rocky Mountains. But here in the West Valley, the number is much more manageable! In the following article, I will give some pointers I found helpful as my exploration has evolved.

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A Bouquet of Lichens

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

Many trees in our area are festooned with lichens of many types. This piece of a branch lay on the snow-covered forest floor as I walked in the Flathead National Forest in mid-November, 2021. What a bouquet! At least four different types of lichen share this short section of wood. Read on as I untangle a bit about them.
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Flora, Fauna, or…?

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by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org

In casual conversation about the living inhabitants of an ecosystem, especially among those of us who took high school biology in the 60s, we generally rely on “flora” and “fauna” to categorize and conceptualize the organisms living there. If something’s not a mineral, then it must be a plant or an animal.

But it could be something else.

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