'Jelly' Lichens...Remind you of your favorite PB&J?

Found two species of lichen similar looking and remind one of jelly, i.e. they are smooth skinned,  shiny at times, and moist and swollen when wet. Appropriately, one is named Blistered Jelly Lichen (Collema furfuraceum) and the other is Tattered Jellyskin (Leptogium lichenoides). These lichens are fairly small and inconspicuous; they share a like for growing on moss over rock. By the way, my favorite field trip snack sandwich is Franz 9-grain bread with chunky Jif and Smuckers blackberry jam:-) Living large, you can too...

Blistered Jelly Lichen

Tattered Jellyskin

January Birding Pilgrimage for Canyon Wren

Journeyed to the Bitterroot NF - Kootenai Creek Trail (just north of Stevensville) to view/hear the resident Canyon Wren (Catherpes mexicanus); it's a January tradition (see my Jan. 2, 2012 blog for same spot, different outcome).

Arrived at the spot (~200 yards in from the trailhead) at 1 pm with overcast, calm, no rock climbers present and 41 F...perfect conditions! Within a minute (quickest response ever...and not using playback of any kind), I heard the bird calling (my description: hollow, buzzy, metallic...not high or low pitched in tone...called note repeated 118 times over 30 minutes) from near the top lip of the rock face. A mere hour later saw the bird working a ledge just below the top of the rock face (yeahhhhhhh). This wren is ABA coded 1, but it is local here and takes some effort to check off in the Bitterroot. So the challenge, plus it's a beautiful little bird even at a distance...equal awesome birding success for great start to the year :-) Here's a pithy video of today's field trip:

Lichen Looking

Continued my deeper segue into lichens. Have made several field trips seeking species out. Here's a short video of my adventure, mostly capturing aesthetics of lichen searching, to Kootenai Creek (Bitterroot National Forest) yesterday:

Below are two photos of somewhat common, distinct-form lichens...variously referred to as tube, bone or pillow lichens. Yes, the naming scheme fits; many plant and animal have common names that include a description of form or color. The genus is Hypogymnia and for the most part species in this genus are found growing on bark, occasionally on moss over rock. These lichens are not really small and lend themselves to photos by plain point & shoots. Taking along a magnifying lens is also a good idea for the in-the-moment experience. The color and structure of these plants is beautiful and abstract, though my questions also center how and why. On your next walk, try looking for lichens-they can even be found in urban areas :-) 

Hypogymnia physodes or Monk's-hood lichen

Hypogymnia tubulosa or Powder-headed tube lichen

March Butterfly Emergence...4 Species Day



Milbert's Tortoiseshell

Stopped in at Kootenai Creek for a possible look see at the Canyon Wren. No wren, but did find four species of butterfly somewhat easily along a short distance of the trail. No wonder as it reached the lower 60's for temps with sunny skies...great day to be outside. Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), Hoary Comma (Polygonia gracilis), Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vaualbum) and Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti) were flying and perching close enough for photographs:


Compton Tortoiseshell

Hoary Comma

Mourning Cloak

Canyon Wren...Annual January Challenge

Field trip #2 for the new year; target is the Canyon Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) at Kootenai Creek trailhead (Bitterroot National Forest). Met up with Wayne Tree, dean of the Bitterroot Valley birding community, at the trailhead. Finding the wren is a great challenge every year; meltwater thundering down the canyon is loud, making it difficult to hear the beautiful song/metallic callnote:

Wayne and I arrived at 1:03 pm, mostly sunny, 33F and calm... usually perfect conditions for finding the wren. Just a short couple hundred yard walk up the trail, usually icy...not this year, and you're at the spot. The spot is at the base of the rockface that looks like:

Once at the spot you assume the position...the "warbler neck" position, you birders know - look up at the rockface like so (Wayne Tree modeling the pose):

And so, for as long as it takes, you look and listen. Today, we struck out in finding the Canyon Wren. However, we still profited by the fresh air, challenge and the aesthetics:

Get outside and discover something wild!