Trip to Pagoda and Turtlehead Mountains in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, USA
This Journal entry is really a way to group all my observations for plants and flowers (mostly) that I have tried to identify, but have relatively little confidence in, because I don't know much about flowers in Montana.
Much of the information I have learned is from the Montana Field Guide, which is a very nice resource.
http://fieldguide.mt.gov/default.aspx
If anyone knows plants in this region, or knows of someone who does, I sure would love to know whether any of my IDs are correct, and what some of my unknown flowers/plants are.
Fynd
Bilder / Ljud
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Several of these were growing in a wet area below a small spring on the edge of the main trail, somewhere in this general region.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Anticlea elegansObservatör
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These were growing in a small spring/seep area next to the main trail in this area and near/in a group of White Bog Orchids. I have so far been unable to identify them.
Bilder / Ljud
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Perhaps Synanthedon tipuliformis?
This was dead and had been caught by a white crab spider on a Bog Orchid (both posted separately).
Bilder / Ljud
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Piperia unalascensis, I believe. Several were found in a cool wet area along the Helen Creek Trail.
Bilder / Ljud
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Släkte MisumenaObservatör
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This white Flower Crab spider was on what I believe is Piperia unalascensis orchid, and had apparently fed on a Synanthedon moth that was still stuck on the plant.
Bilder / Ljud
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Seen growing in several places along the Helen Creek Trail.
Bilder / Ljud
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A few plants were seen along Helen Creek. By July 16, the plants and blooms were much taller and more impressive!
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Amerikanskt Hönsbär (Cornus canadensis)Observatör
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Growing in a cool mossy area under tall trees.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Buskväpplingar (Släkte Hedysarum)Observatör
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Lots of this was blooming along the trail at this elevation. I believe this ID is correct.
Bilder / Ljud
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Perhaps Synanthedon tipuliformis, but it doesn't look quite the same as photos I find online.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Parasitflugor (Familj Tachinidae)Observatör
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An interesting fly that landed on my backpack. I haven't had time to try to narrow down the ID any farther than this, but I think the Family is correct.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Dunörter (Släkte Epilobium)Observatör
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This flower has me stumped. The four petals and general plant structure leads me to think it is Brassicaceae, but I can't seem to get any farther than this.
Bilder / Ljud
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This seems to be the closest match based on the MT Field guide, internet photos, and ranges for the species.
Bilder / Ljud
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A patch of these were blooming in a small depression that still had some snow on the north-facing side.
Bilder / Ljud
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I think this is the correct species of Mariposa Lily. Corrections are welcome!
Bilder / Ljud
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Argh!!! There are so many Penstemon in Montana, and I don't know them well at all. This one was growing in a steep limestone gravel scree slope that faces west.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Släkte PhysariaObservatör
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There are a number of these growing in a steep limestone gravel scree slope that faces west. Using the MT field guide, it seems to be one of a couple species, but then those species are not found in this area. So I'm not really sure what to call this one. I posted photos of the pods in 2014, and this year I was there when they were blooming, though the blooms were gone by July 16.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Storriddarsporrar (Släkte Delphinium)Observatör
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There seem to be several potential species of Delphinium in this region, and I am not confident enough to ID this to the species level.
Like a number of other interesting flowers on this slope, this one was growing in a steep limestone gravel scree slope that faces west.
Bilder / Ljud
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This was the only clump I saw on this trip. It was growing on an east facing clay slope weathered from a shale.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Phacelia sericeaObservatör
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This may be a subspecies of this. Growing out of a limestone slab.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Carex nigricansObservatör
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Growing along an alpine stream, right at the water's edge.
Bilder / Ljud
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Growing on north-facing steep moist slopes near base of cliffs, and in small drainageways.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Salix tweedyiObservatör
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Growing along an alpine stream at ~7500'
Bilder / Ljud
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Svartsvanshjort (Odocoileus hemionus)Observatör
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Several does and 2 bucks hung around camp for two weeks. They were completely unafraid, but not looking for food, either.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Fingerörter (Släkte Potentilla)Observatör
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Perhaps Norwegian Cinquefoil, Potentilla norvegica.
Bilder / Ljud
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Couldn't conclusively narrow this one down using the online MT Field Guide, but I believe it is different than the other species I have posted for this area.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Indiantravssläktet (Släkte Boechera)Observatör
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Seems to match the description on the online MT Field Guide for this species.
Bilder / Ljud
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Axalunrot (Heuchera cylindrica)Observatör
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Possibly a subspecies of Heuchera cylindrica, but I can't narrow it down to that level.
Very common in the area.
Bilder / Ljud
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Yet another species of Cinquefoil that I have not yet narrowed down to species level. This one has leaves and flowers that seem to be substantially different from the other more common yellow species in the area: leaves are glabrous and somewhat fleshy, comparatively.
Bilder / Ljud
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A few of these were seen very widely scattered around the region
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Arabis nuttalliiObservatör
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I think this is Nuttall's Rockcress: Arabis nuttallii
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Mönjeröd Indianpensel (Castilleja miniata)Observatör
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I'll call this Greater Red Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata) for now, but the leaves don't seem quite right for that species. Nothing else on the MT Field Guide seems to match well, either.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Släkte LomatiumObservatör
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I'm pretty certain this is a Biscuitroot, and this species seems to be the best match so far: Lomatium dissectum
Bilder / Ljud
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I thought I had a better photo of this, but it seems not.
Bilder / Ljud
Vad
Gräslök (Allium schoenoprasum)Observatör
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A single large patch
Bilder / Ljud
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My best guess, based on the flower structure, is that this might be in the genus Silene, but I welcome any other ideas or IDs!
Bilder / Ljud
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This is just a guess, based on the flower structure, plant habit, and leaf structure. I only saw a couple plants of this, while Deathcamas (Anticlea elegans) was quite common.
Bilder / Ljud
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Kattfötter (Släkte Antennaria)Observatör
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This interesting plant was fairly common as small patches of groundcover in rocky areas with little soil, or in rock fractures. I have been unable to find anything similar in field guides, but I'm sure that's because I just don't know where to start on it. The photo of the dead flower stalk at least shows the size of the flower, even though it was not blooming.
Bilder / Ljud
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I'm not terribly confident about this ID, but it seems like it is the only white Cinquefoil that is in the region and looks similar.
Bilder / Ljud
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@benhutchins and I spent a while looking for this one in the book "A Swift Guide To Butterflies of North America", but it is not there. We also failed to find it using an online search. Wingspan is ~4.5 cm. Found taking shelter on sunny south facing ground, in between some small rocks.
Bilder / Ljud
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Several of these, and several Fritillaries, decided that my backpack was a good place for a feeding frenzy while I took a few minutes to cool my feet in the stream!
Bilder / Ljud
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This is an educated guess. I've decided that some Fritillaries might be more trouble to ID than I'm willing to deal with. :-)
Bilder / Ljud
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Vitblära (Silene latifolia)Observatör
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While I hope that this ID is incorrect, and that this is actually a native Silene species, I don't hold much hope for that, given all the traffic in this area.
Bilder / Ljud
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Oreohelix alpinaObservatör
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Edited 8-7-2016: added photos of live snail.
Edited 1-15-2018: ID narrowed further from O. strigosa to O. alpina. Shell sutures are too impressed for O. strigosa, and the diameter and height to diameter ratio, as well as the umbilicus/diameter ratio all suggest O. alpina over strigosa, to me. According to Pilsbry, O. alpina also matches this shell in that 'The last whorl is strongly angular at periphery but the angle disappears near the end, where the whorl descends slightly.' In addition, O. alpina has been documented from the Bob Marshall on nearby Scapegoat Mountain to the SSE, as well as in the Mission Mountains to the west.
Using "A Guide to the Land Snails and Slugs of Montana", and Pilsbry, 1939, I have narrowed this down to (I believe): Oreohelix alpina.
The snail was found live on a north-facing steep rocky slope a few hundred feet below a ~200' limestone cliff. Elevation of the site is ~ 7500', vegetation is low with a few small evergreen trees.
Color of the live animal is very dark, nearly entirely black.
These photos are of the live snail after collection, but the snail had dried slightly and retreated into its shell.
Despite approximately 10 man-hours of sporadic searching in the region over a 7-day period, this was the only snail or shell found, and I was keeping a pretty good eye out for snails. I discovered it on a damp rock, two days after a heavy rainstorm, with rainy and cooler than average weather during the entire week leading up to finding it. Temps were in the 50s to 60s F during the day and high 30s at night.
Source:
https://archive.org/details/Aa103edf-3eb4-41a9-95a1-12046928fe85
Hendricks, Paul. 2012. A Guide to the Land Snails and Slugs of Montana. A report to the U.S.
Forest Service - Region 1. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. vii + 187 pp. plus
appendices.
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