The pace of place

On June 24, 2018June 12, 2018 By Mike and Christy23 Comments

Finding a place where time moves at a pace.

Just the right pace.

A pace that feels like home.

Layered Lands

On June 23, 2018June 12, 2018 By Mike and Christy16 Comments

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.

When Mountains Call

On June 22, 2018June 22, 2018 By Mike and Christy4 Comments

It was hard to focus on looking for birds this day as the Mountains called down and whispered hey…look at me.

Glowing

On June 20, 2018June 12, 2018 By Mike and Christy7 Comments

I am terrible at dragonfly identification so if anyone out there can help with giving this guy the proper respect he deserves with a common and scientific name it would be appreciated.

Anyway this guy was sitting in the afternoon light glowing a wonderful copper glow on a small spruce tree which if I can say so complimented his color well.

Chocolate Lily

On June 11, 2018June 5, 2018 By Mike and Christy20 Comments

This year we have been lucky to find several of these wonderful Chocolate Lilies blooming on the trails nearby. I am a bit up in the air as to the specific species as two reliable websites list the chocolate lily as two species one being Fritillaria affinis var. affinis and the other lists the plant as Fritillaria atropurpurea.

The plant is fairly inconspicuous and without the flower not very showy at all. It is a beautiful plant and we were glad to come across it as according to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database it is one that frequently takes years off from flowering.

Yellow Headed Blackbird

On June 10, 2018June 4, 2018 By Mike and Christy21 Comments

A male Yellow Headed Blackbird enjoying the evening light.

Western Toad: Anaxyrus boreas

On June 7, 2018June 7, 2018 By Mike and Christy12 Comments

It always is a treat to see a toad or two while out on a hike. With published data in Britton, the USA and other places around the world all indicating toads, frogs and other amphibian populations are in serious decline.

This day we ran across the Western Toad: Anaxyrus boreas and we thrilled.

He sure is a bumpy little guy and was happy to let us photograph him around the edge of his pond.

A few days latter while out on hike we ran across another Western Toad just off the side of the trail resting in the tall grass.

Although this statement may not apply to everyone, for me it feels eerily strange and quite foreboding that within our life times we now consider it special to experience amphibians that were once a common experience in our childhoods.

Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum

On June 5, 2018June 5, 2018 By Mike and Christy14 Comments

As quickly as the snow receded in early May the Glacier Lilies appeared to carpet the forest floor a beautiful yellow even before the grasses greened. Now only a month latter they have bloomed and done their thing. It’s hard to say how many photos we took of these wonderful flowers in just a few short weeks but they kept coming back to photograph them just a wee bit more more each and every day.

Here are a few chosen somewhat at random presented as a tribute to a wonderful wildflower.