A Beardstounge Floats like a cloud in a sky of grass.
Headwaters State Park, MT.
Tag: ecosystem
Wake up call
Well before me, well before the sun the Robins wake and start the day with a song. Lying in bed I hear them sing then nod back off again until the sun peaks out.
A Robins song is not a bad wake up call at all.
Chestnut-Backed Chickadee
Hearing the Chickadees calling in the trees above our heads we expected to look up and see either a black-capped or mountain chickadee as we had seen them earlier this day. However to our surprise we we greeted by this little Chestnut-Backed Chickadee looking down at us and hunting insects just above our heads.
The all about birds website starts their description of this bird by calling them handsome and I would have to whole heartedly agree with that.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Chestnut-backed_Chickadee/id
Dip a toe in
Go ahead…dip a toe in it’s summer.
Fresh from the fields
While strolling the fields to see who’s there we found a handful of newcomers that will be gone in the blink of an eye.
Some in small patches and some stand alone. Some out in the open while some hide along the forest edge.
A nice patch of Parry’s Townsend Daisies seem to shine even without the sunlight on a cloudy afternoon.
This beautiful flower (identified with the help of troutlily57) is a Death Camus. All parts of this wildflower contain toxic chemicals (alkaloids) said to be more potent than strychnine…yikes.
I think this small beauty is in the Phlox family. Yet the specific species needs further investigation.
Finally a beautiful Chocolate Lilly. These are always somewhat sparse and this year the flower seem unusually small.
All beautiful finds and fresh from the fields close to home.
Purple
Today is Purple day. Don’t ask me why…it just is. So on that note a smattering of purple wildflowers seen on various hikes not too far from home.
Above a field of Lupine sparkles on a rainy morning walk.
A purple Monkey flower added to the bouquet.
A Purple Pulsitila hanging just right.
And to top it all off Larkspur is another fine addition to the collection of local wildflowers blooming this time of year.
Many different shades but all of them say purple to a tee.
Layered Lands
From marsh shrubs to sagebrush to pine forest to snow-covered peaks. A wide open landscape sure helps bring peace and quiet to a busy brain. Looking out from the marshlands at Red Rocks National Wildlife Refuge in Montana.
On Butterfly Hill.
Butterfly hill is a place not so far away where an old mine seepage trickles water from the side of the hill, and perhaps minerals, which seems to attract butterflies from near and far.
We have seen many varieties of butterflies there and we present a smattering, or perhaps better said, a sampling, of a few of these beautiful insects.
A nice spot to just sit and watch things happen for both butterfly and humans.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Decisions, decisions.
A female Red Winged Blackbird pondering where to begin as insects swarm above.
Swarming insects, flocking birds, a murmuration of starlings or perhaps a school of fish. Innate intelligence that keeps the species chugging along. Something so simple yet so full of meaning. What a wonderful thing the process of nature is.
Fresh
Silently perched and very well hidden within a backdrop of fresh fresh leaves this Olive Sided Flycatcher spent a morning enjoying the crisp spring air teeming with newly hatched insects. Fresh, a synonym for spring?
nature has no boss 
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