July 31, 2022 I’m standing along Helena, Montana’s Centennial Trail on this hot summer evening, contemplating a mystery. The mystery is a plant: Mentzelia decapetala, […]
Bumblebees of Helena: getting to know our fuzzy neighbors
July 27, 2022 She’s fuzzy and yellow, the size of my thumb. The pollen basket on her hind leg holds an orange loaf as she […]
Creatures in the milkweed: searching for Montana’s monarchs
July 21, 2022 I first notice the scent from 40 yards away, subtle but powerful. The milkweed is fragrant, almost like carnations. I’m at the […]
Full of life: a morning in the sagebrush
July 12, 2022 As soon as I step out of the car, the smell of the sagebrush washes over me. It’s a heady smell, bitter […]
Volando por la noche en alas vellosas
Ni siquiera sospeché que era una polilla de seda cuando conocí a él por primera vez. Fue un día de octubre, una tarde ahumada, penetrada […]
Into the night on furry wings
I didn’t even know he was a silk moth when I first met him. It was October, a smoky afternoon pierced by the song of […]
How to attract more bees: plant milkvetch
June 23, 2022 Last week I found a surprising diversity of pollinators feeding on leafy spurge, a flower that everyone hates. But I also noticed […]
This horrible weed feeds pollinators
June 16, 2022 I think I may be the only person in Helena with a fondness for leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula). Yes, I’m talking about […]
Lunch on the fly: a bird’s-eye view of chokecherries
Now available as a podcast! </p> June 2, 2022 Birds see the world differently than we do. We see in red, green, and blue – […]