The natural environment and history of Kalispell’s West Valley area
by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
John James Audubon described the diminutive (4.25″) Violet-green Swallow as “the most beautiful of all the genus hitherto discovered.” Indeed, there are few birds in our neighborhood that can compete when the sun illuminates the iridescent emerald green cape, amethyst and sapphire wings and back set off by a clean bright white belly, neck, and face. Read on for an account of one pair raising their young from a nest under the eaves.
Continue Reading →by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
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.
Continue Reading →by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
I’ve never given much thought to what goes on in a pond once it freezes, but this year I have made some discoveries that will have me looking at that environment with new interest.
Continue Reading →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 (Miscellaneous)
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, Miscellaneous)
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, Miscellaneous)
by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
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.
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
Tris Hoffman’s wonderful article A Very Special Bee (published here earlier this spring) prompted me to finally get serious about being able to identify a few of the plethora of native bee species we see here in the West Valley area of the Flathead. It’s an ongoing process, but with Tris’ help, iNaturalist, and other local and online sources, I’ve been able to catalog the following species this summer. It’s the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, given that Montana has more than 20 species of native bumblebees (not to mention the native sweat bees, miner bees, leaf cutter bees, mason bees, and others) but it’s a start.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
Here’s one for the “you learn something new every day” file: a quick look at the European wool carder bee.
Continue Reading →by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
Robins are so familiar they stop being a curiosity. That is, until they do something like building their nest where we can look into it whenever we sit on the deck as they did in 2018. The following article includes photos and observations about Robins gathering food for their family in 2021.
Continue Reading →by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
If you drive past the West Valley Ponds at most any time of day from early spring to fall, you can see Swallows performing aerial acrobatics as they scoop up flying insects. We have several species of Swallows that find the West Valley a welcoming summer home with plenty of habitat for nests of various types and flying insects for food to sustain them and their growing offspring. Some of the swallows forage over open fields and meadows with low vegetation. In early spring, I often see all the species at the West Valley Ponds; early in the morning they line up on power lines until the lines sag. It’s a great place to learn what they all look like. Before long, they sort things out and move out to their preferred habitat for nesting.
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.
By Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
First bumblebee of the season, a two-form bumblebee, checking out the crocuses on April 15. Thanks to Tris Hoffman for help with identification.
by Tris Hoffman, Flathead National Forest Weed Coordinator
silversagebrush@hotmail.com
The Western Bumblebee is a species that was once common and widespread throughout the western U.S. and Canada. For a variety of reasons, both known and unknown, populations of this bee are in serious decline. It has mostly vanished west of the Cascades. Thankfully, West Valley is a place (perhaps a refuge?) where the bees may still be found.
Continue Reading →