Spanish researchers have discovered another type of sugar (similar to one found in raspberries :-) at the center of our MilkyWay galaxy. Reported by AP News: apnews.com/article/eryt... Hope the universe is practicing good dental hygiene 👍😊

FOY White-faced Meadowhawk seen along irrigation ditch at USFS Maclay Flat (Missoula, MT). Probably most common dragonfly at this spot. Photos catch four usual looks/behaviors. Best field mark to look for: white face 😊. Finer details in alt text.

It's a good thing Sedge Sprite is a metallic green, finding this 1 inch long damselfy in dense sedge stands of shallow water habitat might be impossible. Abundant at times with sufficient patience and effort in searching much of the upper third of the continental U.S. and much of western Canada.

Dragonflies are beginning to populate the landscape. Dot-tailed Whiteface is a commonly found species locally (also much of the northern half of the continental U.S.). Approachable for camera work especially along irrigation ditches and still water shores. Distinct in pattern and color.

Beargrass is the organic sparkler of the Lily Family. Most stunning are the massed flowering events scattered across montane, open coniferous forest. It's happening right now! Nothing small and fragile about this plant...standing tall like some kind of sentient being.

Common Ringlet now commonly seen in grassland habitat of w-c. MT. This 1.5 inch tawny-colored Satyr is variable (isn't everything :-). Markings and coloration can be lighter or darker, still identifiable :-) Found in southern Canada also in American West, upper Midwest, Northeast.

Encountered a cooperative Eight-spotted Skimmer on my morning walk. Was prepared with smartphone in pocket. Moved slowly in approach. Captured both stills and video (youtube.com/shorts/0FDvN...). Lucky, but prepared. You can do it too, just be ready for one cool experience captured digitally 😊

While searching out wildflowers encountered a small group of Western Painted Jack mushrooms. Found on inclined road cut on edge of many Douglas Fir. Fairly easy to identify. Concentrate on colors, texture and forms on cap and stem (see alt text). Typically seen in numbers during fall.

Was very fortunate to spy a single Striped Coralroot along a favorite trail couple of days ago. The plant was definitely faded (bottom photos of collage) and did not stand out from surrounding vegetation. Good thing I did a double take otherwise would have dismissed this as a stick or dead leaves.

Sagebrush Bluebells probably the most common, numerous species of this genus in w-c Montana. However, there is conflicting opinion of what constitutes this species. M. viridis and M. perplexa are "lumped" into M. oblongifolia in many publications. Lesica (2022) separates into 3 spp senso stricto.

Blanketflower is just starting to bloom here. Grasslands provide habitat for a carpet of color if timing and climate cooperate. Native to the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains.

Fuzzy-tongue Penstemon is one of my favorite wildflowers. Straightforward ID within and outside the genus given blooming flower. Love the large (~1 inch length), blue/magenta/violet colored tubular flower. Note the corolla with a sterile stamen covered in yellow hairs ergo "fuzzy-tongue" moniker.

Anise Swallowtail is another frequent visitor to moist soil. Not as large as other swallowtail species. Has adapted to many habitats and hostplants of the American West. Pyle (2018) finds it easy to attract to a garden. Populations peak late June/early July (www.inaturalist.org/taxa/51097-P...).

Had some butterfly action today. Made a beeline to gravel backroads with moist soil shoulders or puddles. Not huge numbers, but good quality for photographs :-) Especially enjoyable was finding Pale Swallowtail, three inches of color and activity. Get looking after those showers pass :-)

Found a single Western Polemonium growing in a burn area (elevation roughly 5,000') recovering from a July 2017 wildfire on Lolo Peak/vicintiy (see collage). Nature slowly coming back; stand replacement fires require 100+ years to attain former ecological condition. Fortunate to observe/visit.

Botanical ID challenge featuring 4 species of Lupine here in west-central Montana. NotebookLM whipped up a how-to ID infographic comparing Big Leaf, Pursh's Silky, Silvery and Woolly-leaf Lupines. Which of the four possible Lupine species does the photo collage represent?

Mass flowering of Arrowleaf Balsamroot (yellow flower) and Silvery Lupine (blue flower) on the Bitterroot Mountain foothill slopes at Bass Creek Recreation Area (USFS). Life is beautiful...find it in your own neighborhood.

Starry Solomon-plume is a "cousin" to last post: False Solomon's-seal. At a distance, both look similar. Examine the flower structure of each to differentiate. Starry has 6-15 1/4" wide star-shaped flowers on short pedicels along a 2 inch long raceme (Wikipedia). Have same distribution, habitat.

False Solomon's-seal is another big and robust wildflower from the Lily family. Now in flower occupying open woodlands, thickets with partial shade and moist soils. Found throughout all fifty states and most Canadian Provinces! (iNaturalist). Peak flowering during May.

Western Trillium is described and classified as a member of the Lily Family; there are 38 species in the Trillium genus of N.A. (Brandenburg 2010). Majority of Trillium species reside in the eastern U.S. Western is restricted to the Pacific NW. Found in woods/thicket habitat.

Fairy Slipper is an early spring wildflower of the American West. What form, colors for the beginning of native flower season. Only 8 inches high usually nestled within dense forest floor plants. The lower 1 inch flower petal is slipper shaped attracting bumble bees offering a fake nectar source.

Have tons of images of Mourning Cloak butterfly, the State Butterfly for Montana. Brief quote from James Whitaker making the case for this designation in 2001: "a butterfly represents freedom and nature...a true Montanan...the last butterfly seen in fall, first to appear on early spring days."

Almost achieved an Elfin butterfly grand slam (finding all four species expected in Montana) in one spot two weeks ago. Put together a slidedeck (docs.google.com/presentation...) for context of how and why this is possible. Can you volunteer some time tracking numbers, species this spring? Thanks!

Colors of Sandhill Crane rival that of many wildflowers. And no need to bend over and squint at the small form of many plants; these birds measure 3.5' in length. Breeding pairs in upper Midwest, Pacific NW and Canada use moist meadows as feeding grounds and nesting substrate.

Wildlife watching, spring into summer, always has a chance of intersecting threatening weather. Be smart and connected assessing changing conditions. CDC has some facts informing of risk: www.cdc.gov/lightning/da.... Find something cool...safely :-)

Large-fruit Desert Parsley now in flower in grassland habitat of the nw part of American West, sw Canada. Check out a simplified video guide to wildflower ID produced by NotebookLM (drive.google.com/file/d/16X59...) using my photos below as reference.

Glacier Lily are in flower. Beautiful flower. Hard to miss in open forest, mountain meadows in the Pacific Northwest. Can form large carpets in ideal habitat of montane/subalpine elevations.

A female California Darner (FOY) lit on garden netting while I was working nearby...had camera primed, within reach, ready for just such a serendipitous encounter :-) Over most of the American West, this is the first darner species to be seen come May. Sexually dimorphic: female brown, male blue.

Join our OnEBoard podcast tomorrow 4-20 at 12 pm (Mountain Time) for a EarthDay 2026 overview at this url: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

YouTube video (youtube.com/shorts/ztcZI...) of a favorite spring wildflower: Bonneville Shootingstar. Colors and form are distinct and are an organic simile for meteors streaking across our atmosphere. Good reason for a walk in a wild area...what will you find?

Birdwatching aka birding is a fun, challenging, physical, spiritual, scientific way to address and connect to our "Our Power, Our Planet" #EarthDay 2026 theme. Check out this Google Slides presentation (generated by NotebookLM) (docs.google.com/presentation...) for a "what for" explanation.

Take action in support of #EarthDay 2026 messaging "Our Power Our Planet". Slidedeck visuals as catalyst: docs.google.com/presentation...

Have planted Grape Hyacinth in garden in support of native bumble bees. Have had lots of fun monitoring and photographing the activity: youtu.be/rH9_Vc4h4yA. Consider planting other ornamental or native wildflowers in support of pollinators for #EarthDay 🌍

Simple action in support of Earth Day🙂

This Pied-billed Grebe swam close enough for a nice photo. Usually heard (digital recording from xeno-canto xeno-canto.org/57686) before seen. Can submerge to various depths (submarine-like) by compressing feathers/air sacs.

First sign of 2026 blooming from Bonneville Shootingstar. This is a common wildflower in western Montana (fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetai...) blooming from early April into the summer (higher elevations). Typically associated with seasonally wet habitat of grassland/open forest.

A Red Fox has denned about 100 yards from our back door over the past couple of years. This morning an adult at burrow entrance. Easy telephoto shots. Hard to believe this animal can prosper within human development. BTW, this is not unusual (Montana Field Guide fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetai...).

April 22, 2026, EARTH DAY, is coming up. Want some cool activities for your kids in preparation. Check out the National Environmental Education Foundation K-12 webpage ( www.neefusa.org/what-we-do/k...). Have some family fun while learning, taking action 😊

Danilo Caccia, Italian Google Product Expert, collaborated with our OnEBoard podcast member Nina Trankova, testing the new feature in Google Meet: "real time" Speech Translation. Watch his YouTube video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUnE...) for colorful explanation. The future is here 😊👏 check it out.

I posted a YouTube short featuring (youtube.com/shorts/og8vt...) Red-tailed Hawk. Always good to know the most common birds thoroughly to progress your birding skills. Plus, photographing these birds is fun and doable for the Ansel Adams in you. Good Birding!

I'm attending No Kings's event, “NO KINGS Missoula” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...

Plitt's Rock Shield is pictured...4 years apart. Left image taken in March 2022, right image March 2026. Unintentional comparison, just a large specimen (> 20cm McCune & Geiser 2009) in both cases. Literature words - lichens grow slow. Here's a visual example of growth rate for this species 😜

Encountered first 2026 bloom of Nineleaf Biscuitroot on first day of spring...did you get out too? Left image of small early spring emerging plant. Right image is a late spring fully mature specimen, all gangly with scary looking, boney, finger-like leaves. Distribution: American West, sw Canada.

1st day of spring, whew!! Great weather and field trip action. Low Pussytoes, 1 of 3 new 2026 blooming #wildflowers discovered today. Extra sweet, found ~200 yards from back door on undeveloped foothill swatch. Only site I know of :-) though distributed throughout American West and sw Canada.

Our group, OnEBoard, used the new Google Meet near "real time" speech to speech translation feature. We engaged Danilo Caccia, Italian Google Product Expert, to assist in testing this product. Follow the link below for a demonstration and discussion.

Red-breasted Nuthatch is a mainstay of conifer forests here in w. MT. One unique behavior: it smears sticky conifer resin around the entrance of its nest hole; flies directly into cavity! Watch (3:07 mark) with Lesley the Bird Nerd (www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc4Y...)

Yep, there are a handful of cactus species in Montana. Pictured is Brittle Pricklypear, commonly found in grassland/steppe. Soil mostly sandy or gravelly. "Colonies many meters across can occur in very sandy soil" (Lesica 2012). Flowers rarely (July), usual spread by segments stuck to animals 😊

Wikipedia is celebrating its 25th birthday with a special mascot...consider supporting this comprehensive source of information 👍😊 wikimediafoundation.org/wikipedia25/...

Checked off 4th 2026 #wildflower species today. Yellow Fritillary is a Lily family member. Early spring blooms expected from corm. Corms edible; they "have a similar nutrient profile to a potato but have 50 percent more protein, six times as much calcium, and nearly 30 times more iron" (Wikipedia).

Spring is happening or nearly so when bluebirds are seen. As far as happiness...well Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebir...) identifies "blue birds" in Chinese mythology, North American, European folklore. Multiple modern cultural references (song) starting 1934. ✅"Blue Sky" Allman Bros. (1972)