Bob Danley

@imagewildlife

Photographer, naturalist - advocate for wildlife

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Bob Danley@imagewildlife· 9h

Striped Meadowhawk (Sympetrum pallipes) in the "obelisk" pose. Imagine doing a hand stand with your feet pointed towards the sun as an action to minimize heat absorption from the sun...I'd be cooked 🍗😊 Meadowhawks regularly perform this behavior during the summer.

This is a male Striped Meadowhawk in the obelisk posture. I have a blog post (https://imagewildlife.com/dragonfly-obelisk-posture-natures-sun-salutation/) detailing this behavior.
Diagnostic field marks for this male dragonfly, note curved terminal appendages at abdomen end: a) two white diagonal stripes on the sides of the blocky brownish-red thorax b) a red, tubular abdomen having five black triangles on the sides c) tan face and d) meadowhawks, as a group, are the only small dragonflies (average a little less than 1.5 inches in length) across North America that are red colored.
Other features: black legs with minute spikes on opposite sides; compound eyes red on top and bluish-gray on bottom; red stigma of clear wings red-centered washed out on ends.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· 1d

Female Great Spangled Fritillary now being seen on w-c Montana landscape. This is the largest species (3 inch wingspan) in the Fritillary genus. Also, perfect example of sexual dimorphism: male upperwing entirely orange with a cinnamon disk ventrally.

Female Great Spangled Fritillary are rarely seen before August, in aestivation before then (James & Nunnallee 2011). Lacking dominant orange coloration of males and other "silverspot" species. Female patterned similarly ventrally as a male with the disk colored a dark chocolate brown, not cinnamon. The trailing half of the female upperwing is ivory/yellowish color; the base of these wings are a dark chocolate color. A male is "characterized by its orange colour above with five black dashes near forewing base and several irregular black dashes at the base of the hindwing. In addition, two rows of black crescents run along the edges of the wings" (Wikipedia https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1456562-Argynnis-cybele#articles-tab).

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· 2d

American False Hellebore is a different kind of lily! Sheer size is stunning; it reaches heights between 3 and 6 feet! Check out the drooping panicle of crowded greenish-yellow flowers. A.k.a. corn lily, however not edible instead poisonous.

Adapted from Wikipedia account (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veratrum_viride):

This wildflower is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from 2 to 6 feet tall. The entire plant is a spectrum of greens. The broad lanceolate basal (lower third of stem) leaves spiral around the stem measuring 4 to 14 inches long and 2 to 8 inches wide. They're heavily ribbed and hairy on the underside. The upper leaves have a similar form, but are much smaller in size; from a distance appears like there are none. The upper portion of the plant is distinctly defined by flower bunches. Flowers are abundant in the form of a large branched inflorescence 1 to 2 feet tall. There are several of these drooping panicles per plant. Individual flowers are only a .5 inch long having six green to yellow-green tepals. The plant propagates through rhizome growth and seeds.
Habitat in Montana recorded as moist forest openings, meadows, avalanche slopes in montane to subalpine elevations.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· 3d

This is a female Black Meadowhawk. Meadowhawk habitat, yep, meadows and shallow wetlands. Peak time now to see them in Rocky Mountain States, though they are circumboreal in distribution.

The inch and a quarter long female Black Meadowhawk are not all black like adult males. Instead they are yellow-brown on the top half of the abdomen (bottom half black) and the top side of the thorax. The side of the thorax is distinctly marked with yellow shapes. Largest shape behind head like an upside down boot, then separated by black embedded with four small elliptical shapes, finally bordered with larger crude blob. As pictured dragonfly postioned atop snowberry exhibiting "obelisk" behavior...body posture to dissipate heat.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· 22d

Now is a good time to look for Gray Hairstreak. If you have a garden with Ornamental Oregano, Mexican Sunflower or Zinnia you won't have to drive anywhere to find. Chances are they are taking nectar from one of these plants. Only 1.5 inch in size...look for movement to detect 😊

"It is a member of the Lycaenidae family, known as the gossamer-winged butterflies and the second-largest family of butterflies. It is one of the most common hairstreaks in North America, ranging over nearly the entire continent" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_hairstreak).

Identification: "Best determined by uppersurface gray with orange spot near tail, undersurface hindwing postmedian line often edged inward with orange and outward with white, orange hindwing marginal spot flat across inward edge and almost reaching postmedian line" (https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=IILEPF2010).

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· 28d

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.

These dragonflies average 1.3 inches in length (DuBois 2010). Adult male pictured. White face obvious. Note the small black triangles along the sides of the red tubular abdomen. The thorax (squarish body segment behind head) is brownish and lacks distinct pattern/other colors. Legs all black. Eyes colored mostly red grading into brownish green at lowest part. Find in forested wetlands that tend to be temporary in nature.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· Jun 25

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.

References
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedge_sprite).
Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Rocky Mountains by R. DuBois (2010).

Adult male Sedge Sprites pictured. Though an inch in length, the body form is much like a needle in shape, very thin. The unpatterned thorax is bright green above and light blue lower on the sides. Abdomen is uniformly a iridescent green. However, the abdominal tip (segments 9 and 10) are blue with dark green spots. The large eyes are light blue with a thin blue bar across the top of the head.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· Jun 20

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.

References:
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot-tailed_whiteface)
Damselflies and Dragonflies of the Rocky Mountains by R. DuBois (2010).
Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West by D. Paulson (2009).

Dot-tailed whiteface is a small dragonfly with a length around 1.3 inches. Distinguished by a mostly black body, small black basal wing spots, black legs, and white face (important field mark). Males of this species have one yellow spot on the dorsal side of the black abdomen. Females have multiple yellow spots along the central dorsal side of the black abdomen with the last one being large and square shaped.

Behavior: One of the first dragonfly species to emerge in spring. They don't actively chase prey (a whole host of insects). Instead they perch atop emergent wetland vegetation waiting for smaller insects to pass by and capture. Active from June into August.

Habitat: Variety of lakes and ponds with emergent vegetation. Wetlands usually are in an open landscape.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· Jun 16

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.

References:
Wikipedia (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/59524-Xerophyllum-tenax#map-tab).
Wildflowers of Montana by D.A. Schiemann (2005)
Manual of Montana Vascular Plants by P. Lesica (2022).

Xerophyllum tenax is a perennial wildflower that can grow 3-5 feet in height. The flowering stem emerges from many clumped, bunched leaves at the plant base. The leaves are 12–39 inches long and a sixteenth to a quarter inch wide. Dull olive green with toothed edges describe the leaf form.

The plant blooms at irregular intervals, depending on environmental factors such as moisture and temperature. Plants may bloom every year or only once every decade, though back-to-back blooming of individual plants is rare. Inflorescence is a tightly packed raceme with many small slightly fragrant white flowers. Flowers have six sepals and six stamens.

Populations of beargrass are concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, California and parts of the Rockies (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/59524-Xerophyllum-tenax#map-tab).

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· Jun 11

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.

References:
Wikipedia (https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=IILEPN6060)
Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest by Pyle, R.M. and LaBar, C.C. (2018).
Butterflies of North America by Glassberg, J. (2017).

Diagnostic field mark: look for single small black eyespot on forewing surrounded by pale ring (may be absent in some individuals).

Wings held folded above abdomen at rest so description focuses on the underwings. Ventral forewing disk is orangish-yellow with single dark eyespot near tip. Ventral hind wing is dominated by a integrated mix of earthy colors of brown, green. Somewhat divided by a white "lightning-strike" zig-zag (Pyle 2018) originating from leading edge. A series of small dark eyespots parallel the trailing edge, not visible on all individuals.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· Jun 7

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.

References:
Wikipedia (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/118159-Suillus-lakei)
Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest by Trudell, S. and Ammirati, J. (2009).
Mushrooms of Cascadia by Siegel, N. and Schwarz, C. (2024).

Western Painted Jack has a distinctive reddish-brown fibers or small scales on the cap. Rain can wash off the fibers/cap over time leaving a smooth, sticky surface instead. The diameter of the cap is between 1.5 and 6 inches. Initially the cap is convex, but flattens out with age.

The stem usually sports evidence of a woolly veil or evidence of one. Pieces of the white veil may be seen on the cap edges. The stems measure between 2 and nearly 5 inches in height with a thickness .5 to 1.25 inch width. A yellow ring colors the top of the stem connecting with the cap. Below this is a whitish ring/remnant veil material. Then below the ring the stem is colored similar to the cap upper surface.

The underside of the cap is a layer of spongy yellow to yellow-brown angular pores, very distinct.

One the most common species fruiting in fall in the Pacific Northwest.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· Jun 6

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.

References:
Wikipedia post (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corallorhiza_striata)
Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Lesica, P. (2022).

Striped Coralroot has a purplish vertical stem 4 to 18 inches tall. The leaves are reduced to colourless scales that sheath the stem. By the way, the leaves do not photosynthesize, they have no chlorophyll. The plant also lacks roots and instead parasitizes soil fungi for nutrients.

The stem is topped by a raceme of 7 to 25 flowers. Each flower is has whitish sepals and similar-looking petals (both about half inch in size) that are striped darker pink or maroon. The shape of both are cupped in a forward position. The bottom lip petal is more oblong in shape, hangs downward and is more completely purple in color.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· Jun 3

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.

Adapted from Lesica (2012):

Plants have a branched caudex. Stems are erect to various states of uprightness measuring two to twelve inches. Herbage hairless to strigose (appressed stiff hairs). Upper leaves usually have cilia along margins. Basal leaf blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, about half to three inches long.
Inflorescence has no bracts and is terminal. Flowers are funnelform and hang downward densely packed. Flowers mature from a blue color to pink. Individual flowers calyx averages five and a half mm long, divided nearly to the base. The corolla measures close to three-quarters inch in length. Style barely longer than the anthers.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· Jun 2

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.

Description adapted from Wikipedia account: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia_aristata

Blanketflower is a perennial wildflower reaching maximum heights between 8 and 31 in. The plant has one to a couple of stems. Leaves usually extend halfway up each stem, there are instances where they are basal only. Leave shapes classified as obolanceolate to lanceolate, 2 to about 6 inches long. They can be sparsely to densely hairy. Leaf margins range from lobed to toothed, or entire.

Each colorful flower head contains two types of floret: ray and disc. Disc florets (number between 60 ane 120) are red and flower center. Ray florets (number between 6 and 33 and may reach 1.38 inches in length) are yellow with red bases encircling the disc center.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 30

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.

Text below adapted from: Majeski, M., J. Scianna and M. Pokorny. 2021. Plant Guide for fuzzytongue penstemon (Penstemon eriantherus). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bridger Plant Materials Center. Bridger, MT.

Fuzzy-tongue penstemon is a perennial wildflower that has one or more stems that grow 4 to 16 inches tall from a taproot. Basal leaves are thinly spatula-shaped and can grow to 3 inches long. Stem leaves have a petiole, are leathery, narrowly oblong, entire or sharply toothed and grow up to 5 inches in length.

The inflorescence consists of two to six glandular-villous verticillasters i.e. paired, short-stalked flowers (cyme) opposite at leaf nodes. The 1 inch in length flower is funnel-shaped.. Flowers have a three-lobed lower lip and a smaller, two-lobed upper lip. Four of the five stamens are fertile and lie against the upper portion of the petals. The sterile stamen protrudes from the petal tube and is covered with dense, yellow hairs. Flowers bloom from late May into early September after first year growth.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 30

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...).

Anise Swallowtail has a wingspan between 2 to 3 inches. Wings are mostly yellow with black bands along the fore and hindwing edges. Forewing yellow marginal spots in black band aren't rounded, but flattened outwardly. Distinguished from yellow tiger swallowtail butterflies by being smaller in size and lacking the vertical black striping patterns on the upperwings. There are yellowish-orange to red eyespots near the tails of each wing, each containing a centered black pupil. The body is predominantly black, with yellow stripes running laterally along the abdomen.
References:
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_zelicaon).
Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America (Glassberg 2017).

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 29

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 :-)

Pale Swallowtail has a wingspan between 3.5 to 4.5 inches (Wikipedia). This butterfly can be seen in large numbers at "puddling parties" (moist soil or edges of shallow standing water) where up to a dozen or more males may be gathered.
Upper surface of wings creamy white with black stripes. Front wing is narrow and pointed; there is a slender and twisted tail (about half of body length) at trailing edge of hindwing. Rear edge of trailing underwing colorful with a thin line of blue rectangles; small amounts of orange spotting at base of tail and immediate blue. Body colored black with two parallel lengthwise creamy white stripes.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 28

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.

Western Polemonium (Polemonium occidentale) is a rhizomatous perennial plant that spreads via rhizome. The following characteristics adapted from Lesica (2022) by NotebookLM are key to identification:

- The plant grows from eight to thirty-two inches in height.
- The lower part of the plant is mostly hairless (glabrate), while the upper portion is sparsely covered with glandular hairs
- Leaves: The leaves are two to eight inches in length having long petioles.
- Each leaf blade has 11 to 27 lance-shaped (lanceolate) leaflets that are one-half to two inches long with smooth edges.
- Flowers: The plant produces a flower cluster at the end of a stem (terminal, leafy-bracted cyme).
- Flowers are bell-shaped (blue to white in color) with lobes measuring 3/16 to 3/8 inches long. Bottom of throat is yellow. The stamens long as the corolla; the styles extend past the corolla.

Typically Western Polemonium grow in wet meadows, thickets, open forests, and often along streams, at elevations ranging from valleys to subalpine areas.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 27

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?

This infographic with detailed illustrations created via NotebookLM from four online sources found at Montana Field Guide website with technical descriptions of each species:
https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=PDFAB2B370 (Big Leaf Lupine);
https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=PDFAB2B3K0 (Pursh's Silky Lupine);
https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=PDFAB2B0H0 (Silvery Lupine);
https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=PDFAB2B2C0 (Woolly-leaf Lupine).
Main field marks to identifying, separating Lupine species largely rests with: back side of banner "hairiness"; degree of banner reflex; and leaflet hairiness.
BTW, there are 149 native species of Lupine across North America (Brandenburg 2010). Only seven found in Montana (Lesica 2022).

Five macro photos make up this collage of a Lupine species found in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana. Close-ups of the "banner" (uppermost, upturned flower petal of individual flower), raceme of blue/purplish "pea-like" flowers, palmate leafs, oblanceolate leaflets, degree of leaflet hairiness.
Which of the four Lupine species featured in the infographic is this?

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 23

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.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) flowering in the open understory of mature Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa). This is a large wildflower; can reach a height of thirty-six inches. Arrow-shaped leaves measure two to six inches in width and ten to twelve inches in length. Numerous yellow flowers (having both ray and disk) per plant average four to five inches in diameter (Schiemann 2005).

Carpet of Silvery Lupine (Lupinus argenteus) flowering in understory of open Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest. This wildflower grows from seven to thiry-four inches in height. Generally identified by palmate leaflets and fifteen to ninety-two bluish pea-like flowers arranged on the stem (raceme) (Schiemann 2005).

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 23

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.

Starry Solomon-plume is a perennial plant that grows to a max height of 20 inches. The upright stem has eight to eleven leaves; leaves are about six inches long and alternate on stem. Stems sprout from sympodial rhizomes (six to twenty-four inches long), often forming dense patches of plants.
Can be found growing side-by-side with False Solomon's-seal; have same distribution (lower 48 and Canada) and habitat (moist, shaded forest habitat).

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 22

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.

This description adapted from iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/51062-Maianthemum-racemosum).

False Solomon's-seal is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to a 20–35 inch height. It has 7–12 alternate, oblong-lanceolate leaves that are 3–6 in long and 1–2.3 inches wide. The leaf bases are rounded to clasping or tapered, sometimes with a short petiole. Leaves have tips that are pointed to long-tipped.

Seven to 250 small flowers are produced on a 4–6 inch panicle that has many branches. Each flower has six white tepals about 1⁄4 inch long off a short pedicel. Blooming is mid-spring with fruiting by early summer.

This plant spreads by rhizomes that are 1 foot long with scattered roots.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 21

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.

Western Trillium is a rhizomatous wildflower with unbranched stems growing from 4 to 16 inch height. There are no true leaves or stems above ground. The “stem” is an extension of the horizontal rhizome with tiny, scalelike leaves (cataphylls); technically referred to as a flowering scape (USFS https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/trillium_ovatum_ovatum.shtml). What look like leaves (3) are actually bracts (measure up to 5 inches in length being ovate in shape - [Lesica 2022]) subtending the flower. White (turning pink with age) flowers are star-shaped (3 petals). Individual petals may reach an 1.5 inches in length. Habitat of these flowers in western MT: moist to wet forest (Lesica 2022).

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 19

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.

Fairy Slipper is a perennial wildflower that has pink/magenta colored flowers. Flower form definitely different; atop a lower cuplike petal are three sharply lance-shaped pointed sepals and two similar shaped petals. Stems are pinkish-brown wrapped in two bracts. A single leaf is basal and is described as ovate averaging close to two inches in length (Lesica 2022).
This wildflower is circumpolar in distribution (INaturalist). Only species of this genus. "The orchid seed does not provide any nutrient tissue, germination only takes place when infected by a mycorrhizal root fungus" (INaturalist - https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47215-Calypso-bulbosa).

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 19

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."

This uppersurface wing of this butterfly is a deep chocolate to maroon color. The trailing wing edges are highlighted by an obvious yellow margin. Immediate to the yellow are a row of blue submarginal spots. Wing undersurface is not boldly patterned. It does have fine lines of black and blue encompassed by cinder black. This butterfly measures a three inch wingspan.
URL for Official Montana Senate transcript (HB 365) featuring James Whitaker et al making the case for Mourning Cloak as the official State Butterfly: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://archive.legmt.gov/bills/2001/MinutesPDF/Senate/010306FIS_Sm1.pdf

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 15

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!

Google Slides cover for Elfin butterfly presentation. A brief how-to on ID, ecology and habitat assembled by NotebookLM.
Actions items: A) Perhaps you can plant native wildflowers as nectar/pollen sources B) Or you can track sightings and report your findings and C) enjoy the beauty and form of this wildlife on your next hike in the American West.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 14

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.

The crane pictured is thoroughly colored a rust color outside top of the head and upper neck. All cranes purposely apply mud that is dense with iron deposits at the beginning/during of the breeding season (https://blog.nature.org/2024/03/20/did-you-know-sandhill-cranes-dye-their-feathers/). Noone knows exactly why they do this!

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 12

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 :-)

Photograph taken at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge in the heart of the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana. Looking north/northwest with the Bitterroot Mountains as background to the Refuge wetlands. Threatening dark clouds swirl overhead on a late April day several years ago.

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 10

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.

Grassland habitat image: A wide landscape view of a grassy, open habitat with rolling hills and a winding dirt path under a bright blue sky with wispy clouds. In the foreground, a low-lying Large-fruit Desert-parsley plant grows among dry grasses, rocky soil, and scattered small purple wildflowers

Inflorescence macro image: A close-up shot focusing on the flower cluster of the Large-fruit Desert-parsley. It displays a dense, umbrella-shaped cluster (compound umbel) composed of many tiny, pale yellow to whitish flowers with protruding yellow stamens, set against a blurred background of dirt and small rocks

Leaves image: A detailed view of the Large-fruit Desert-parsley's central foliage growing in rocky soil. The plant features highly dissected, finely branched, grayish-green, fern-like leaves, with purplish, slightly fuzzy stems radiating outward along the ground to support pale flower clusters

Bob Danley@imagewildlife· May 8

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.