spring

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Salix “Willow” Salicaceae

March 26, 2016
Blodgett Canyon, Lolo National Forest, MT
Robert Niese

Willows bear their reproductive parts in separate male and female catkins each on separate plants. This particular plant is male and is only just beginning to bloom. Unfortunately, without female structures or leaves, this individual is impossible to identify beyond its genus. Identifying willows is generally straightforward, you just need all the correct structures in front of you and a good key to follow. Many consider willow identification to be a skill reserved for “Master Botanists” but it’s a fun exercise for anyone interested in botany and possessing a rudimentary background in dichotomous keying! Consider it a challenge!

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Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) Icteridae

April 2, 2016
Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge, MT
Robert Niese

The Western Meadowlark performs a lovely metallic flute-like song throughout the spring and summer. Its Eastern counterpart, on the other hand, has a much flatter, whistled song. Easter and Western Meadowlarks are so similar in appearance that until quite recently they were considered the same species. Since the Eastern species was discovered and named first, the Western, when it finally gained full species distinction, became known as the “neglected” meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). This species is one of the 37 (including subspecies) named by John James Audubon throughout his career as one of  America’s first ornithologists.

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Archiearis infans “The Infant” Geometridae

Salmon-Challis National Forest, ID
March 20, 2015
Robert Niese

When I first saw this flashy, day-flying moth, I immediately assumed it was a skipper butterfly! Took me a while to realize it was actually The Infant, an inchworm moth (Geometridae). This species is called “The Infant” because it is one of the very first moths to emerge from hibernation in the spring. This individual was fluttering around some moist gravel, sipping up water and minerals in the sunshine. Apparently, Song Sparrows have been observed hunting Infants in muddy areas like this, because it is one of the only times the moth is still enough to be captured. The Infant is found throughout the west in areas with birch and alder, and is the only member of this genus in North America.

Happy National Moth Week!

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Equisetum arvense “Common Horsetail” Equisetaceae

Lolo National Forest, Bitterroot Mountains, MT
May 10, 2015
Robert Niese

Horsetails were once abundant, diverse organisms, but today all surviving members of this ancient clade are restricted to a single genus with a worldwide distribution. This particular stalk is a fertile, strobilus-bearing stem. Their infertile counterparts look almost nothing alike!

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Castilleja hispida “Harsh Paintbrush” Orobanchaceae

Lolo National Forest, Bitterroot Mountains, MT
May 10, 2015
Robert Niese

There are three or four species of paintbrushes with red bracts in the Pacific Northwest. The two most common are the Harsh Paintbrush (C. hispida) and the Common Crimson Paintbrush (C. miniata). C. hispida has a dense coat of long, hispid hairs (which look lovely when back-lit!) and will always have lobed leaves on the upper third of their stems. Conversely C. miniata is often less hairy and will have unlobed leaves on the entire stem (sometimes with small lobes on the upper-most portion). The two can also be differentiated by their calyces which are pointed in C. miniata and blunt in C. hispida.
Fun Fact: All paintbrush species are parasites, growing on the roots of other plants to survive.

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Balsamorhiza sagittata “Arrowleaf Balsamroot” Asteraceae

Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor (BLM), MT
April 23, 2015
Robert Niese

Arrowleaf Balsamroot was first collected by Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis and Clark Expedition) when he was exploring the northern Rockies in 1806. These particular specimens appear to have been munched by some deer (notice that the left side is missing some flowers).

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Balsamorhiza sagittata “Arrowleaf Balsamroot” Asteraceae

Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor (BLM), MT
April 23, 2015
Robert Niese

Balsamroot is one of the most characteristic plants of eastern PNW habitats. While the coastal Northwest’s lush rainforests are truly a sight to behold, nothing is quite as striking as springtime hillsides covered with Balsamroot and Lupine while dramatic, snow-capped peaks loom in the background. Fun fact: Arrowleaf Balsamroot was first collected by Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis and Clark Expedition) when he was exploring the northern Rockies in 1806.

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Pulsatilla patens (Anemone patens) “Prairie Crocus” Ranunculaceae

Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor (BLM), MT
April 23, 2015
Robert Niese

These beautiful spring flowers are most abundant in the early spring and often bloom around Passover earning them the common name “Pasque Flower” (pasque is an old Latin word for Easter). The prairie crocus is in decline throughout its range, but is protected as a threatened species in Washington where it is restricted to only a few locations in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

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Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) Phasianidae

Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor (BLM), MT
April 24, 2015
Robert Niese

It’s that time of year when the forests are rippling with the sounds of Ruffed Grouse displays. Around March and April, these displays are practically non-stop and in a really nice, quiet section of forest you can hear males advertising their territories miles away. Suprisingly, although this was one of the first North American birds to capture the interest of European ornithologists in the 17th century, we still do not know how the Ruffed Grouse produces its prodigious boom performances. Officially, the Birds of North America claims these sounds are “miniature sonic booms” which, if it were true, would quite literally be breaking the laws of physics!