The natural environment and history of Kalispell’s West Valley area
by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
Click on pictures to enlarge
Solitary Sandpiper at Bowser Lake in West Valley on August 8, 2026
During the first three weeks in August, I was drawn to visit Bowser many times to observe the early-migrating Shorebirds as they arrived and departed and to learn how this small saline lake attracted them. Read on to enjoy the little-known activity.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
Dragonflies have interested me since my early childhood (and still ongoing) fascination with dinosaurs. So many of the illustrations in my myriad of dino books included swampy scenes with huge dragonflies swarming around, looking like fighter planes or helicopters. It wasn’t until many years later that I learned that the insects in those illustrations weren’t really dragonflies as we know them, but very distant ancestors.
Continue Reading →By Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
This four-spotted skimmer (female, I think) was observed on May 18 2021 perched on some chives in our garden. This dragonfly is not at all uncommon here, but it IS uncommonly beautiful.
