July 30, 2023 “We know where all the birds are. We don’t know where all the mammals are,” Cody Lane tells me. We’re walking through […]
A naturalist journey through Kokanee Glacier Park
High in the Rocky Mountains, there’s a vast landscape where the wind sighs over rock and heather. The trees struggle up the steep ridges and […]
Getting to know Washington’s spiders
April 27, 2023 If you hate spiders, I have bad news for you: the world is full of them. In the state of Washington alone, […]
Earth Song: birds, wolves, and the power of singing
For most of us, song is something that permeates our lives on a daily basis. We find it on the radio, in concerts, in ads, […]
Frigid survival: how American white pelicans overwinter in the cold
They’re like a flurry of snow in the Montana summer. American white pelicans: massive white birds with chunky orange bills and black wingtips. On the […]
A porcupine wandering through the frozen-dessert section
November 18, 2018 was a windy day in Helena, Montana. At the Sevenmile Creek restoration site, the Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) branches danced in the breeze, […]
Well-hidden wanderers: searching for Montana’s long-eared owls
February 2, 2023 New snow fell two days ago, and it still covers the dense Russian-olive limbs on this sunny morning. We’re standing just inside […]
Hope for a dammed stream: watching Rattlesnake Creek change
November 1, 2022 It’s probably the last mild day before winter hits. Among the golden cottonwoods, Rattlesnake Creek is the very image of an idyllic […]
Building trust with prairie dogs
July 6, 2022 The burrowing owl watched me from the fencepost, then glanced away, eyes half-closed. Its mate was perching on the ground nearby, next […]