Montana has 57 National Recreation Trails, 43 of which are designated for walking or hiking. These include the Mount Helena Ridge Trail and the Morrell Falls Trail. While I walk a portion of the Mount Helena Ridge Trail every year, it has been 35 years since I last visited Morrell Falls.
The trail hasn’t changed much, but I certainly have. In my youth, I was a destination walker, eager only to reach the next “somewhere.” Now, I realize everywhere is somewhere; you simply need to be open to the moment. Over the last three and a half decades, I have become a journey walker. I’ve learned that paying attention to the scenery, geology, plant and animal life along the way, allows the entire experience to become a richer tapestry.
While bird activity in July is not Montana’s strong suit, we are still decently in the blooming phase of the flowering plant cycle. Case in point, the flora was incredible. The Beargrass was mostly spent, but we found our first Prince’s Pine (Pipsissewa) in bloom, though it, too, was nearing the end of its cycle.
Without question the most wonderful discovery came ofter very cautious stalking and even more careful observation in the boggy areas below the falls. That’s where we found the Round-leaf Sundew.
These are small, beautiful, and inconspicuous carnivorous plants. They trap insects by secreting a sticky sap, then undergo rapid cellular expansion to curl their leaves around their “prey,” digesting it to survive in nutrient-poor environments. While they are often associated with sphagnum moss, they can be found worldwide in wet, acidic, nutrient-poor soils—most commonly in bogs or fens.
The significance of these plants was not lost on Charles Darwin. In an 1860 letter to a friend, he wrote: “At this present moment, I care more about Drosera than the origin of all the species in the world.” He later published a monograph on insectivorous plants in 1875, proving that carnivory exists in the plant world.
The walk was roughly 5.8 miles round trip. Interestingly, the myriad tree roots that I recalled covering the trail like a carpet 35 years ago felt much more manageable this time. Memories, it seems, grow and change just as we do. I look forward to making this an annual outing.
Flowering Plants Observed
Beyond the sundews, we spotted a wide variety of flora along the trail:
| Meadowsweet | Slender Cinquefoil | Arrowleaf Senecio | Bride’s Bonnet |
| Meadow Hawkweed | Streambank Globemallow | Sickletop Lousewort | Wilcox’s Penstemon |
| Harebells | Bog Wintergreen | Arnica | Threeleaf Foamflower |
| White Hawkweed | Marsh Cinquefoil | Bedstraw | Pearly Everlasting |
| Common Yarrow | Silky Lupine | Common Selfheal | Fireweed |
Letter from Charles Darwin to Asa Gray
‘I care more for Drosera than the origin of species … it is a wonderful plant, or rather a most sagacious animal. I will stick up for Drosera to the day of my death.’
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