Tessera
Folgen

Bob Danley

@imagewildlife.bsky.social

Photographer, naturalist - advocate for wildlife

1524 Posts3964 Follower1838 Folgt
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · yesterday

Band-winged Meadowhawk quickly identified via the orangish coloration to the basal half of the wings. And no specialized equipment is needed to see this feature in the field. Now is a good time to search your favorite shallow marsh or slough. Some will also be seen into mid-September. Have at it.

Male Band-winged Meadowhawk are mostly a spectrum of red. Compound eyes are a dark red. Brownish-red colors the face. Legs are black. The thorax is burnt red with underlying pattern of three diagonal "finger-like" shapes. Abdomen is bright red with a line of black on the lower sides of all segments. Two black line are atop the abdomen on segments 8 & 9 parallel to this body part. The basal half of the clear wings are distinctly orange-red, noticeable at distance even when perched in grasses :-)
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 3d ago

Found single, recent hatch, Painted Lady "puddling" with many other butterflies the other day. This species is a resident of southern latitudes. They migrate north en masse in spring if favorable conditions allow a population build-up. Some migrate back, cold temps are limiting factor > mortality.

Painted Lady butterfly may reach a three inch wingspan. Identification via underwing: look for five small spots immediate trailing edge of hindwing; each of the spots is ringed with black, then yellow with bluish-black center. Rest of hindwing is brownish inset with white veins spider web-like. The forewing is salmon colored on trailing half and patterned brown/black accented by four dots and some squiggly black lines on front half. The forewing tip is squared off in a rounded manner; makes for distinct shape/silhouette compared to other butterflies.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 6d ago

Saffron-winged Meadowhawk perched in obelisk posture. Note sunlight illuminating the saffron (mix of red and higher % of yellow) colored leading wing edges. This is a late summer early fall dragonfly flying from August through late September (Rocky Mountain states).

Male Saffron-winged Meadowhawk distinguished by a) leading wing edges/veins saffron colored b) black bordered stigma interior colored saffron c) combination of brown and black legs d) reddish-brown face e) dark red eyes f) dull red abdomen thinly lined on the sides by black g) thin black line on median of S8 and S9. Overall length near/at 1.4 inches. Learn more: "Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West" by Dennis Paulson (2009); Princeton University Press.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · last wk.

For some reason I found more than one Hedgerow Hairstreak couple of days ago using a roadside seep. This is with drought as a backstop; butterfly numbers are down. Way lucky to be at right place at right time. Easy to overlook, small (1.25" wingspan) and dark. With right light, very colorful.

Most Hedgerow Hairstreak have visible tails at the lower corner of the rear wing. A blue spot is at the base of the tail on the brownish underwing that is iridescent blue-green (depends on lighting) on the wing bases. Also of note is a crooked dark postmedian line sometimes edged with white that runs parallel to the trailing wing edges. The upperwing surface is usually only seen in flight; wings are folded vertically over abdomen when perched.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · last wk.

Striped Meadowhawk (Sympetrum pallipes) in the "obelisk" pose. Imagine doing a hand stand with your feet pointed towards the sun as an action to minimize heat absorption from the sun...I'd be cooked 🍗😊 Meadowhawks regularly perform this behavior during the summer.

This is a male Striped Meadowhawk in the obelisk posture. I have a blog post (https://imagewildlife.com/dragonfly-obelisk-posture-natures-sun-salutation/) detailing this behavior. Diagnostic field marks for this male dragonfly, note curved terminal appendages at abdomen end: a) two white diagonal stripes on the sides of the blocky brownish-red thorax b) a red, tubular abdomen having five black triangles on the sides c) tan face and d) meadowhawks, as a group, are the only small dragonflies (average a little less than 1.5 inches in length) across North America that are red colored. Other features: black legs with minute spikes on opposite sides; compound eyes red on top and bluish-gray on bottom; red stigma of clear wings red-centered washed out on ends.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · last wk.

Female Great Spangled Fritillary now being seen on w-c Montana landscape. This is the largest species (3 inch wingspan) in the Fritillary genus. Also, perfect example of sexual dimorphism: male upperwing entirely orange with a cinnamon disk ventrally.

Female Great Spangled Fritillary are rarely seen before August, in aestivation before then (James & Nunnallee 2011). Lacking dominant orange coloration of males and other "silverspot" species. Female patterned similarly ventrally as a male with the disk colored a dark chocolate brown, not cinnamon. The trailing half of the female upperwing is ivory/yellowish color; the base of these wings are a dark chocolate color. A male is "characterized by its orange colour above with five black dashes near forewing base and several irregular black dashes at the base of the hindwing. In addition, two rows of black crescents run along the edges of the wings" (Wikipedia https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1456562-Argynnis-cybele#articles-tab).
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · last wk.

American False Hellebore is a different kind of lily! Sheer size is stunning; it reaches heights between 3 and 6 feet! Check out the drooping panicle of crowded greenish-yellow flowers. A.k.a. corn lily, however not edible instead poisonous.

Adapted from Wikipedia account (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veratrum_viride): This wildflower is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from 2 to 6 feet tall. The entire plant is a spectrum of greens. The broad lanceolate basal (lower third of stem) leaves spiral around the stem measuring 4 to 14 inches long and 2 to 8 inches wide. They're heavily ribbed and hairy on the underside. The upper leaves have a similar form, but are much smaller in size; from a distance appears like there are none. The upper portion of the plant is distinctly defined by flower bunches. Flowers are abundant in the form of a large branched inflorescence 1 to 2 feet tall. There are several of these drooping panicles per plant. Individual flowers are only a .5 inch long having six green to yellow-green tepals. The plant propagates through rhizome growth and seeds. Habitat in Montana recorded as moist forest openings, meadows, avalanche slopes in montane to subalpine elevations.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 2w ago

This is a female Black Meadowhawk. Meadowhawk habitat, yep, meadows and shallow wetlands. Peak time now to see them in Rocky Mountain States, though they are circumboreal in distribution.

The inch and a quarter long female Black Meadowhawk are not all black like adult males. Instead they are yellow-brown on the top half of the abdomen (bottom half black) and the top side of the thorax. The side of the thorax is distinctly marked with yellow shapes. Largest shape behind head like an upside down boot, then separated by black embedded with four small elliptical shapes, finally bordered with larger crude blob. As pictured dragonfly postioned atop snowberry exhibiting "obelisk" behavior...body posture to dissipate heat.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 4w ago

In 2019, The Pew Charitable Trusts formed the State Resilience Planning Group (SRPG) to build and share solutions for long-term resilience in the face of increasingly severe and frequent flooding, extreme heat, wildfires, and other disasters. Three States share strategy: www.pew.org/en/research-...

How 3 States Value and Invest for a More Resilient Future

Throughout the United States, worsening floods, droughts, and wildfires are more than environmental and safety concerns; they are, increasingly, a source of recurring costs to states for relief and re...

pew.org

Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · last mo.

Now is a good time to look for Gray Hairstreak. If you have a garden with Ornamental Oregano, Mexican Sunflower or Zinnia you won't have to drive anywhere to find. Chances are they are taking nectar from one of these plants. Only 1.5 inch in size...look for movement to detect 😊

"It is a member of the Lycaenidae family, known as the gossamer-winged butterflies and the second-largest family of butterflies. It is one of the most common hairstreaks in North America, ranging over nearly the entire continent" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_hairstreak). Identification: "Best determined by uppersurface gray with orange spot near tail, undersurface hindwing postmedian line often edged inward with orange and outward with white, orange hindwing marginal spot flat across inward edge and almost reaching postmedian line" (https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=IILEPF2010).
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · last mo.

Spanish researchers have discovered another type of sugar (similar to one found in raspberries :-) at the center of our MilkyWay galaxy. Reported by AP News: apnews.com/article/eryt... Hope the universe is practicing good dental hygiene 👍😊

Astronomers find sugar lurking in the space between stars

Astronomers have detected a type of sugar in space that’s also found in raspberries. The sugar, called erythrulose, lurks in interstellar space, or the space between stars.

apnews.com

Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · last mo.

FOY White-faced Meadowhawk seen along irrigation ditch at USFS Maclay Flat (Missoula, MT). Probably most common dragonfly at this spot. Photos catch four usual looks/behaviors. Best field mark to look for: white face 😊. Finer details in alt text.

These dragonflies average 1.3 inches in length (DuBois 2010). Adult male pictured. White face obvious. Note the small black triangles along the sides of the red tubular abdomen. The thorax (squarish body segment behind head) is brownish and lacks distinct pattern/other colors. Legs all black. Eyes colored mostly red grading into brownish green at lowest part. Find in forested wetlands that tend to be temporary in nature.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 2mo ago

It's a good thing Sedge Sprite is a metallic green, finding this 1 inch long damselfy in dense sedge stands of shallow water habitat might be impossible. Abundant at times with sufficient patience and effort in searching much of the upper third of the continental U.S. and much of western Canada.

References Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedge_sprite). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Rocky Mountains by R. DuBois (2010). Adult male Sedge Sprites pictured. Though an inch in length, the body form is much like a needle in shape, very thin. The unpatterned thorax is bright green above and light blue lower on the sides. Abdomen is uniformly a iridescent green. However, the abdominal tip (segments 9 and 10) are blue with dark green spots. The large eyes are light blue with a thin blue bar across the top of the head.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Dragonflies are beginning to populate the landscape. Dot-tailed Whiteface is a commonly found species locally (also much of the northern half of the continental U.S.). Approachable for camera work especially along irrigation ditches and still water shores. Distinct in pattern and color.

References: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot-tailed_whiteface) Damselflies and Dragonflies of the Rocky Mountains by R. DuBois (2010). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West by D. Paulson (2009). Dot-tailed whiteface is a small dragonfly with a length around 1.3 inches. Distinguished by a mostly black body, small black basal wing spots, black legs, and white face (important field mark). Males of this species have one yellow spot on the dorsal side of the black abdomen. Females have multiple yellow spots along the central dorsal side of the black abdomen with the last one being large and square shaped. Behavior: One of the first dragonfly species to emerge in spring. They don't actively chase prey (a whole host of insects). Instead they perch atop emergent wetland vegetation waiting for smaller insects to pass by and capture. Active from June into August. Habitat: Variety of lakes and ponds with emergent vegetation. Wetlands usually are in an open landscape.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Beargrass is the organic sparkler of the Lily Family. Most stunning are the massed flowering events scattered across montane, open coniferous forest. It's happening right now! Nothing small and fragile about this plant...standing tall like some kind of sentient being.

References: Wikipedia (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/59524-Xerophyllum-tenax#map-tab). Wildflowers of Montana by D.A. Schiemann (2005) Manual of Montana Vascular Plants by P. Lesica (2022). Xerophyllum tenax is a perennial wildflower that can grow 3-5 feet in height. The flowering stem emerges from many clumped, bunched leaves at the plant base. The leaves are 12–39 inches long and a sixteenth to a quarter inch wide. Dull olive green with toothed edges describe the leaf form. The plant blooms at irregular intervals, depending on environmental factors such as moisture and temperature. Plants may bloom every year or only once every decade, though back-to-back blooming of individual plants is rare. Inflorescence is a tightly packed raceme with many small slightly fragrant white flowers. Flowers have six sepals and six stamens. Populations of beargrass are concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, California and parts of the Rockies (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/59524-Xerophyllum-tenax#map-tab).
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Common Ringlet now commonly seen in grassland habitat of w-c. MT. This 1.5 inch tawny-colored Satyr is variable (isn't everything :-). Markings and coloration can be lighter or darker, still identifiable :-) Found in southern Canada also in American West, upper Midwest, Northeast.

References: Wikipedia (https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=IILEPN6060) Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest by Pyle, R.M. and LaBar, C.C. (2018). Butterflies of North America by Glassberg, J. (2017). Diagnostic field mark: look for single small black eyespot on forewing surrounded by pale ring (may be absent in some individuals). Wings held folded above abdomen at rest so description focuses on the underwings. Ventral forewing disk is orangish-yellow with single dark eyespot near tip. Ventral hind wing is dominated by a integrated mix of earthy colors of brown, green. Somewhat divided by a white "lightning-strike" zig-zag (Pyle 2018) originating from leading edge. A series of small dark eyespots parallel the trailing edge, not visible on all individuals.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 2mo ago

While searching out wildflowers encountered a small group of Western Painted Jack mushrooms. Found on inclined road cut on edge of many Douglas Fir. Fairly easy to identify. Concentrate on colors, texture and forms on cap and stem (see alt text). Typically seen in numbers during fall.

References: Wikipedia (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/118159-Suillus-lakei) Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest by Trudell, S. and Ammirati, J. (2009). Mushrooms of Cascadia by Siegel, N. and Schwarz, C. (2024). Western Painted Jack has a distinctive reddish-brown fibers or small scales on the cap. Rain can wash off the fibers/cap over time leaving a smooth, sticky surface instead. The diameter of the cap is between 1.5 and 6 inches. Initially the cap is convex, but flattens out with age. The stem usually sports evidence of a woolly veil or evidence of one. Pieces of the white veil may be seen on the cap edges. The stems measure between 2 and nearly 5 inches in height with a thickness .5 to 1.25 inch width. A yellow ring colors the top of the stem connecting with the cap. Below this is a whitish ring/remnant veil material. Then below the ring the stem is colored similar to the cap upper surface. The underside of the cap is a layer of spongy yellow to yellow-brown angular pores, very distinct. One the most common species fruiting in fall in the Pacific Northwest.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Was very fortunate to spy a single Striped Coralroot along a favorite trail couple of days ago. The plant was definitely faded (bottom photos of collage) and did not stand out from surrounding vegetation. Good thing I did a double take otherwise would have dismissed this as a stick or dead leaves.

References: Wikipedia post (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corallorhiza_striata) Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Lesica, P. (2022). Striped Coralroot has a purplish vertical stem 4 to 18 inches tall. The leaves are reduced to colourless scales that sheath the stem. By the way, the leaves do not photosynthesize, they have no chlorophyll. The plant also lacks roots and instead parasitizes soil fungi for nutrients. The stem is topped by a raceme of 7 to 25 flowers. Each flower is has whitish sepals and similar-looking petals (both about half inch in size) that are striped darker pink or maroon. The shape of both are cupped in a forward position. The bottom lip petal is more oblong in shape, hangs downward and is more completely purple in color.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Sagebrush Bluebells probably the most common, numerous species of this genus in w-c Montana. However, there is conflicting opinion of what constitutes this species. M. viridis and M. perplexa are "lumped" into M. oblongifolia in many publications. Lesica (2022) separates into 3 spp senso stricto.

Adapted from Lesica (2012): Plants have a branched caudex. Stems are erect to various states of uprightness measuring two to twelve inches. Herbage hairless to strigose (appressed stiff hairs). Upper leaves usually have cilia along margins. Basal leaf blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, about half to three inches long. Inflorescence has no bracts and is terminal. Flowers are funnelform and hang downward densely packed. Flowers mature from a blue color to pink. Individual flowers calyx averages five and a half mm long, divided nearly to the base. The corolla measures close to three-quarters inch in length. Style barely longer than the anthers.
Bob Danley@imagewildlife.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Fuzzy-tongue Penstemon is one of my favorite wildflowers. Straightforward ID within and outside the genus given blooming flower. Love the large (~1 inch length), blue/magenta/violet colored tubular flower. Note the corolla with a sterile stamen covered in yellow hairs ergo "fuzzy-tongue" moniker.

Text below adapted from: Majeski, M., J. Scianna and M. Pokorny. 2021. Plant Guide for fuzzytongue penstemon (Penstemon eriantherus). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bridger Plant Materials Center. Bridger, MT. Fuzzy-tongue penstemon is a perennial wildflower that has one or more stems that grow 4 to 16 inches tall from a taproot. Basal leaves are thinly spatula-shaped and can grow to 3 inches long. Stem leaves have a petiole, are leathery, narrowly oblong, entire or sharply toothed and grow up to 5 inches in length. The inflorescence consists of two to six glandular-villous verticillasters i.e. paired, short-stalked flowers (cyme) opposite at leaf nodes. The 1 inch in length flower is funnel-shaped.. Flowers have a three-lobed lower lip and a smaller, two-lobed upper lip. Four of the five stamens are fertile and lie against the upper portion of the petals. The sterile stamen protrudes from the petal tube and is covered with dense, yellow hairs. Flowers bloom from late May into early September after first year growth.