This was going to be a story about pileated woodpeckers. But then historical events intervened, and I couldn’t ignore them. We’ll get to the woodpeckers, […]
The song of the tall dogbane: fibers at the riverbank
It’s an afternoon in late April along the Clark Fork River near Missoula, Montana, USA. The song of the tall dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) isn’t obvious, […]
A soft-winged world: why moths matter
What do moths have to do with owls? Just ask Mat Seidensticker. After nearly a decade spent studying owls across Montana and Alaska, Seidensticker focused his research […]
Mystery of the twilight: birds at dusk and sustainable agriculture
A simple whistle, ascending at the end, easy to imitate. It’s the hour when the light departs, converting the trees into silhouettes, and the evening […]
Bridging the distance: two countries and a Cassin’s kingbird
I recognized it right away, that emphatic kiBURR call from the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) on the hill. I was in Rosebud County, Montana with […]
Among the redcedars: finding stillness in the rain-drenched forest
It’s a cool, misty morning in late May at the Ross Creek Cedars, a remnant patch of old-growth forest in the rain-blessed northwestern corner of […]
Waiting for rain: making it through climate change
It’s a dry September morning and the sun rises orange through a thick mass of wildfire smoke. The smell of it is the first thing […]
Sandhill cranes and Baird’s sandpipers: Lake Helena part 3
Note: This story is the third and final in a series about Lake Helena and getting to know a place in nature over time. In […]
Of bitterns and bank swallows: Lake Helena, part 2
This story is the second in a series about Lake Helena and getting to know a place in nature over time. If you haven’t heard […]
Nature at Lake Helena, part 1: shorebirds to the Arctic
May 15, 2024 A light rain fell during the night, and the west end of Lake Helena is wrapped in a gentle gray fog as […]