No Stonehenge in the Bitterroot Valley, however many cool boulders sticking out of the ground from ancient glacial activity. And yeah not aligned with the sun, but are covered in colorful lichen. Need colors beyond winter brown and white? Check out local rocks, bark, rotting wood or soil for lichen.

What's out your window? Winter has arrived. It's 3 pm with adult Sharp-shinned Hawk checking out our feeders. Life or death minute by minute for most wildlife. Be grateful.

Powdered Funnel Lichen (Cladonia cenotea) is a pixie cup #lichen commonly found on rotting logs in the Pacific Northwest (McCune and Geiser 2009). McCune et al (2014) hints, find a rotting log here and it is likely this pixie cup species is there. Distribution: www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Lighting makes such a difference when photographing wildlife for ID purposes. Fritillary #butterfy species hard to separate without good looks at upper/lower wings. Both left side images are fully illuminated by sunshine; note the right side shaded look. Without bottom left, specific ID can't be had

Meadowhawk #dragonflies change color with age. Female Saffron-winged Meadowhawk featured. Top image is a yellowish immature; bottom image is a red adult female. Average lifespan of flying immature to adult is only one to two months ergo, color change is pretty rapid.

Common Powderhorn #lichen is very similar to Smooth-footed Powderhorn. Compare the images below with Smooth-footed post from the other day. Similar form podetia, maybe more pointed. Concentrate instead on the primary squamules. Common has smaller, more dissected edge compared to Smooth-footed🫣

Below is an image of Smooth-footed Powderhorn on moss over decaying wood. This is a preferred substrate for this pixie cup #lichen. Now you have a search image for your wildlife walks. Take along a magnifying lens or smartphone to capture your discovery. About 120 species of pixie cup in N.A.

Bold color from Northern Checkerspot, a #butterfly flying during June/July here in western MT (Montana Field Guide). Commonly encountered using moist soil. Though variable, I recognize this checkerspot by the dominant orange cells on the upperwing that "don't appear as two-toned" (Glassberg 2017).

Northern Shoveler wearing alternate plumage of spring. As we approach, surpass the shortest day of the year...well it won't be long before the bold colors of this bird will be on your favorite wetland for your #birding pleasure.

A key structural feature for identifying pixie cup #lichen to species is the color of apothecia. Apothecia are colored (brown, tan or red vary by species) cup or disk shaped structures that produce spores. In this case, there are red apothecia (right ph.) which makes identification a little easier😊

Many #lichen species are specific to growing on a certain substrate, i.e. soil, rock, bark or wood. Additionally moss may be a layer between a lichen, base substrate. Example pictured is Mealy Pixie Cup growing on moss over Douglas Fir bark. Fun finding 'islands' of lichen tucked in bark crevices.

Early winter snow melted off enough for the ground to be exposed. So off I went to visit one of my favorite spots for #lichen. A roadcut turned out to be a real hotspot. Took about 130 photos; most were of a pixie cup named Western Wand Lichen. Below are two images of this species.

Photographed a purplish Russula #mushroom back in Sept. 2022. It could be one of a handful species. I didn't take enough photos or note smell, change of color with bruising. These variables could have led to a specific ID. No worries, still neat to look at 👍😊

Found Yellow Swamp Brittlegill under birch immediate an irrigation ditch during late September. Not a large grouping. Love the deep yellow color of this #mushroom. Maps from INaturalist indicate a dense distribution in eastern U.S., scattered in Pacific NW and Midwest.

Cute little light green pixie cup #lichen: Crowned Pixie-Cup. Appropriately named, note the obvious dentate (toothed cup edges) that resemble a crown. Usually < 1 inch tall. Habitat: duff, rotten wood. Fairly common in western Montana (McCune et al 2014).

There are conflicting names and identity for this #mushroom. Traditionally named Bicolored Russula, now assigned to the Emetic Brittlegill (Russula emetica) group due to recent research (Siegel and Schwarz 2024). Recognized by yellow center to pinkish-red cap.

Giant Pinedrops is a different kind of #wildflower. Has holiday coloration, not unusual, but this perennial has zero chlorophyll! That's right it does not convert sunlight to biological building blocks. Instead has symbiotic relationship with soil fungi from which it receives nutrients. See alt text

Second in a series featuring the colorful caps of Russula #mushrooms. I took this photo several years ago and didn't pay attention to the finer details necessary for ID. Guessing this could be Charcoal Burner (Russula cyanoxantha). Even without a specific ID it is still a cool looking mushroom.

Green colored #mushrooms are not very common on the landscape. If found and large, likely they're of the Russula genus which can appear in a rainbow of colors. Pictured below is one example, likely Green Brittlegill. Appropriately named; chalk-like when breaking apart. Species ID very difficult.

AI is already assisting in wildlife conservation (illuminate.google.com/library?play...). Listen to a Google Illuminate generated audio summary of two technical papers outlining efforts in this regard. Illuminate is a digital tool that distills complex issues for customized learning.

Winter has arrived. Cloud deck and fog to the ground. Snow covering the ground. White and gray landscape. Posted below is beaming color from June. Blanketflower, a favorite, is a very common #wildflower of the Pacific Northwest. Scattered across e. U.S. and Europe. Habitat: open meadows, prairies.

What was your favorite #wildflower of 2025? Linnaeus published 'Species Plantarum' in 1753. Now considered the starting point of modern botanical nomenclature. It described 7,300 species. Twinflower was his personal wildflower favorite. What's yours?

Your #feeder station for #birds should include water. We have used a heated bowl that is deep, not perfect depth...still works as evidenced by waxwings and robin in attendance. Give it shot...they get water, you get entertainment and joy :-)

You can smile, maybe laugh out loud...you made it through Hump-Day. Alternatively, you're taking time out from early winter visiting the Lower Rio Grande Valley (Mission TX et al). You will get reminded to smile any day of the week by the upperwing pattern on this #butterfly. Life is good :-)

Get out seed catalogs or yard photos; start determining what/where you'll plant flowers 2026. #Butterflies, like pictured Red Admiral, will use your plantings. Or don't weed. Stinging nettle is a larval host; yup, a native considered a weed. Allow a patch in moist spot, it might raise a family.

This organic brilliance is seen primarily during June. Coville's Paintbrush is an endemic of c/s Idaho and w-c Montana. The glowing red parts of this plant aren't flowers! Instead they're bracts surrounding tiny flowers. Habitat: Stony, granitic soil of slopes and summits (Montana Field Guide).

Posting of Saffron-winged Meadowhawk is a reminder there is no time like the present to fly, for us metaphorically. And okay, all #dragonfly activity in the temperate parts of the country is not happening (winter). Still the message remains, think then take action. Build good habits towards 2026 :-)

What better way to herald the beginning of December by posting Trumpet #Lichen. Considered "very common" in Montana on a wide spectrum of substrates (McCune et al 2014). In this case it is growing on moss over wood. Widespread distribution: North America and Eurasia.

More holiday colors from a 2025 #wildflower favorite: Striped Coralroot. Found growing in rich, organic soils of shaded coniferous forests of western Montana. Not common for me to find. No large groupings, usually a couple together.

A favorite 2025 #wildflower with Christmas colors 🎄Spotted Coralroot distributed over American West, upper Midwest and Northeast U.S. Myco-heterotrophic plants growing in moist to wet coniferous forest (Lesica 2012). Stunning in the wild :-)

A favorite 2025 #fungi species: Zeller's Bolete. Can be found 'fruiting' late October in the Pacific Northwest. Habitat generalist: anywhere in/near conifers. Holiday colors 😊🎅

Recap of favorite 2025 wildlife species: Ear-pick Fungus. Really different, but hard to find...usually growing out of Douglas Fir cones! If found look under cap for icicle-like spines that produce spores. Cool little #fungus.

Have a great holiday everybody!

Why so much fuss over American Prairie? dailymontanan.com/2025/11/25/w...

Encountered Split-peg Lichen (Cladonia cariosa) the other day. Somewhat distinctive from other pixie cups (generic name for genus). Common on moss over rock or soil in western Montana. Well named, note the longitudinal fissures of the podetia (i.e. stem).

NPR has posted their "Books We Love" 2025 list. Check it out 😊 apps.npr.org/best-books/?...

Found a striking #lichen on a large decaying tree trunk in moist coniferous forest canyon. In dry conditions thallus is a bright pale green patch with pale pink apothecia. With rainfall/moisture the thallus becomes deeper green and apothecia orangish. Fairly common w. Montana.

Moss over rock is the perfect substrate for some Cladonia lichen. These organisms usually top out at an inch in height, if that. Easily recognized even from a distance, hair-like. Up close they resemble a decorated goblet that contains your dinner wine 😊

Small number of mushrooms still being seen in western MT. All posted are Cortinarius sp. Easy to separate from other fungi genera by the orange-rusty spores on the leftover cortina of the stem. #MacroMonday

Standing dead conifer trunk for #BWFri as directed by #ColorADay. Interesting that the wood twists/spirals, is that just an artifact of weathering? Also a reminder of the finite nature of life.

Couple of Sentinel High School students, Evan (left) and Oakley (right), assisted with trash pickup at a favorite Lolo, MT scenic pull off. They were enthusiastic in their efforts and a great example of young men getting involved in the community. Thank you Evan and Oakley 👍😊

U.S. subprime auto loan delinquencies are its worst in 30+ years. Meanwhile... the U.S. now has a record $1.7 trillion in auto loans. Americans are drowning in debt. It's an unsustainable path.

My favorite Yes song, kicks ass. Enjoy :-) open.spotify.com/track/2hGJkQ...

It's #YellowThu from #ColorADay featuring Brown-eyed Sunshine Lichen. Note the ice/snow on the Ponderosa Pine twig. Yep, that means you (folks in Pacific NW) can get a blast of color throughout the winter by finding this lichen.

Find old decayed stumps (left photo) and there's a good chance it will be covered with moss and #lichen, especially pixie cup lichen. Note the numerous light green 'eyelashes', zoomed in on right photo. These are named Smooth-footed Powderhorn lichen. Found: Pacific NW and eastern U.S.

While out doing shroom photography I encountered this bird slowly, methodically foraging for food in conifer forest habitat. I moved very slowly positioning camera for some shots. Not entirely successful, however great material for a #birding quiz. Can you identify this bird? ID via alt text :-)

Thank you Veteran's for our preserving our freedoms and way of life. Generated AI image courtesy of Gemini 2.5 Pro.

Encountered a large root wad (~8' in diameter) from a downed Douglas Fir. Loved the size, shape, colors, compactness of the roots...tried to capture my feelings towards this reality. This is a good reason to get outside...no need to name or be a biologist...just feel what you see...and you will😊

Bass Creek Crags seen (looking south) from the Bass Creek Overlook of the Bitterroot N.F. for #MountainMonday. Elevation about 9,600' located near Stevensville, Montana.

Even with freezing temperatures at night there are still some fungi fruiting in early November! Pictured is an interesting fungi: Donkey Ears. Dozen species look very similar, but lack the pinkish color of the 'interior' and not as large and upright (2-4").