Nature, every day.

Author: BradinMontana

  • Full Moon and Mount Helena

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    BradinMontana
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    A blurry image of the Full Moon from this morning. I keep hoping to catch the Ten-petal Blazing Stars open- but not yet. Night blooming flowers can be a bit tricky. Never theless, I liked the way the light was playing here. So I stopped to take a few pictures. The Lab always shoots me…

  • Rodney Ridge area

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    BradinMontana
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    As usual, we took an evening walk in the hills with the Lab. This evening we decided to go up into the Rodney Ridge area. There’s a bit of water in a spot just off the parking area that Obi likes to use in August. In addition to Obi, the water feature has a tendency…

  • Obisidian the Obstinate

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    BradinMontana
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    Obi has always had strong opinions, but lately he is becoming abit more demonstrative. When we come to a fork ina trail, and I take the ‘wrong’ one, he simply goes a few feet onto his prefered trail and stares. Unmoving. This is happening more often and I always try to negotiate with him. Sometimes…

  • This Tree….

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    BradinMontana
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    his tree, on the Black Forest trail ridge in Wakina Sky, was first blown partially over by wind, but continued to grow. Later in its life a fire came through and burned the lower portion, but it continued to grow. When things get tough, be this tree and keep on growing. Lessons from nature.

  • Hyalite Canyon

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    BradinMontana
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    Sometimes you just need a roadtrip. So, when my wildflowering buddy and I both had a couple of days off in a row, we did some expolring a bit further afield. It was a really nice day up in Hyalite Canyon, south of Bozeman. Five miles (8km) of hiking about, 18 new species of flowers…

  • Continental Divide Time

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    BradinMontana
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    This pink/purple beauty is the reason we went up to the pass this morning. We have a few flowers on our ‘hope to see’ list and this one is the easiest. The timing was right and the plant was exactly where we figured it would be. It’s always nice when a plan comes together. The…

  • Moose on the Loose

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    Moose really are amazing to see in the wild. Especially when the ‘wild’ is about three miles (4.8k) out of town. Mammals tend to be fewer and farther between than birds and wildflowers everywhere in the Helena valley. That being said, I have seen a few species around- ground squirrels, deer, antelope, foxes, and the…

  • Grouse and Butterflies

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    BradinMontana
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    Nice Dusky Grouse we found along the trail up above MacDonald Pass. I’m always pleased by how the Lab demonstrates that he is a birding dog- not a bird dog. The grouse flushed when we were pretty close and when I stopped, the Lab watched me pull the camera out, determined everything was under control…

  • Butterfly Blues

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    BradinMontana
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    I think this one is a Western Tailed Blue. But I certainly may be mistaken. The spots on the outer wings are elongated, not round. So, it seems like a good match. Heading uphill this time of year lets me find flowers, birds, butterflies, and an escape from the heat of the day in the…

  • MacDonald Pass Area

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    BradinMontana
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    Once the wildflower and bird sightings begin to wane down in the valley – and on the typical trails – I head up to MacDonald Pass where a lovely section of the Continental Divide Trail transects our area. In our area, the CDT is comprised of forested hills and rocky outcroppings, and more than a…