Tuesday, November 8, 2022

A Montana October

Snow whirled around the house today, a never-ending merry waltz of snowflakes, evoking thoughts of the Nutcracker and the approaching holiday season.  But before I start listening to Christmas music and decking the halls, I felt called to pay final homage to a glorious Autumn in Montana.  Day after day of blue skies and temperatures in the high 60s - we didn't want it to end!

One day I was vacuuming the lower level when something outside the French doors drew my attention.  A Ruffed Grouse, perched on top of the cage protecting the Honeycrisp apple tree.  A closer look revealed five Grouse, stalking unseen insects and other delectables.  Surprisingly, I was able to open the door and snap some shots.  According to Audubon, Ruffed Grouse are "our most widespread and familiar grouse, found in woodlands from Alaska to Georgia.  Feeds mostly on plant material."


Speaking of the Honeycrisp, it produced apples this summer, the first time in the five years it has been in the garden.  My July 5, 2018 post tells the story of our two apple trees; the Goodland is necessary to pollinate the Honeycrisp, and yet the Goodland did not deliver any fruit this year.  (Head Chef made a pie from Goodland apples in 2018, as documented in this September 29, 2018 post.  It also produced in 2019.)
 


Hiking in Autumn may not yield many flowers; it is an opportunity to look more intimately at the forest floor, the trees, the moss and the lichen.  I was honored to hike with a former neighbor and Dear Neighbor Friend, fellow conspirators when it comes to observing the more delicate parts of our ecosystem. 




The lake below our property glistens with a Zamboni surface that deceptively calls for Charlie Brown and his buddies to skate figure eights to the Vince Guaraldi tune. (The ice might hold Woodstock but not much more.)  Hard to believe that four weeks ago we were planting seeds at the two entrances to our neighborhood.  


The moon was spectacular in October; I wish my talent for capturing it could measure up!


The shifting arc of the sun, a dipping thermometer and a little precipitation began to paint the landscape with the gold of aspens and larches.  Spores waiting in the soil erupted overnight into mushrooms.


By mid-October, Jack Frost added his diamonds to the palette.  And the Sun would come along and rub it out like a giant eraser in the sky.













Later the same day as this photo, we boarded the first of several planes that would take us to the UK.  As the sun set beyond the wing, we bade farewell to home and to Autumn.



Linking to Mosaic Monday






35 comments:

  1. Hello,
    I would be thrilled to see the Grouse in my yard, very cool sighting. Your moon/sky photo is beautiful. The plants, moss and lichen are all lovely images. Beautiful photos and mosaics. Safe travels, have a great trip. Take care, enjoy your day!

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  2. ...things are looking great in your neck of the woods.

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  3. Beautiful shots! Those grouse look similar to the spruce grouse here, which is a fun bird to watch.

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  4. I enjoyed seeing the grouse and all the pretty sights. I hope you had a good flight and a fun time!

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  5. I loved seeing the grouse rise up in a panic to draw attention away from their young when we walked in the forest up north where we grew up. Everything is looking very lovely in your corner. Hope you're enjoying your trip!

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  6. Hi Angie! Such beautiful autumn scenes in your part of Montana! We've had 2 snowfalls so far ( thankful for the moisture!) but they were light and they did not last long under our blue skies and hot sun. Many trees at our elevation are still beautiful fall colors although ski season is in full swing here at the higher elevations. There is a grouse that lives in our foothills that attacks hikers and bicycle riders every spring when she lays her eggs. We actually see "Grouse Warning" signs on the trails...lol She has lived there 3 years!

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  7. Seeing a grouse in the yard would definitely be wonderful!!

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  8. You captured beautiful textures and colours in your photos, Angie! I think I would love Montana October. Have a fabulous time in the UK.

    -Soma

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  9. Beautiful autumn scenes in Montana!

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  10. I liked you moon rise. Your coming here, hope you enjoy yourself

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  11. I`m late ... nevertheless, I enjoyed your post with Mosaic here. It`s wonderful ... especially the sun set.

    Thank you, being part of MosaicMonday

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  12. I love this post. It's almost poetic in your lush descriptions and photos. I thank you for taking me on your autumn wanderings.

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  13. Here was me expecting photos and tales of Olde England or maybe snow in Montana. I guess you first have to download and sort your card loads of pictures. Still, a Ruffed grouse is good to have on a garden list.

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  14. Beautiful images of the photos Angie.

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  15. Thank you for sharing these lovely photographs.
    I think the moon/sky photograph is lovely.

    Hope you had a great trip in the UK

    All the best Jan
    https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/

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  16. A wonderful homage to autumn... yes, especially beautiful this year, with us too and still, the frost will set in this week - tomorrow, the day after tomorrow? - I'm getting my dahlias out of the ground - today -.
    Thank you for your wonderful photos. I wish you a wonderful time, when the snow lies you might also have the Northern Lights with you in the long winter nights.
    Hug of Viola

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  17. awesome captures today but i was so hung up on the "merry waltz of snowflakes" i can't wait!! i adore fall but LOVE what comes next!!

    honeycrisp apples are the best...i could eat them all day long!!

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  18. Dear Angie – Beautiful homage to departed October both narratives and images. When things are getting muted in colors, sometimes photography would be better for focusing details than wider views. The moon shot is excellent. I can see stars, too. You did it with such low light.

    Yoko

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  19. ...beautiful and I hope that November treats you well.

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  20. Beautiful photos, Angie. Hope you are having a wonderful November.

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  21. Lovely post. It’s neat to see the grouse.

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  22. Dearest Angie,
    oh, it has already snowed where you are! We are still a long way from that in eastern Austria. (In the west of the country there was already snow.)
    It's exciting that you managed to photograph the ruffed grouse - great visit! As for apple trees, we always have about four not-so-great apple harvest years and then suddenly an absolute bomb harvest year! Your apples are so beautifully red colored - delicious!
    It's great that you discovered so many beauties along the way while hiking with your friend. You have found wonderful autumn treasures and also poetic words for them. The sky during the flight to Great Britain is fantastically beautiful. A plane will soon take us to another country, too. However, I won't tell where I went until after the trip ;-) First of all, I want to thank you very much for your lovely lines to my previous blog post.
    All the best
    and have a wonderful time!
    Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/11/internationale-glastage-in-der.html

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  23. In my experience, Angie, Ruffed Grouse is not an easy bird to find, so to learn that they are flocking to your door causes me a good deal of envy! We will be resuming our weekend in Algonquin Provincial Park in March, having suspended it during COVID, and that will be my best chance for Ruffed Grouse. Last time we also saw a wonderful male Spruce Grouse. The star of the show remains Canada Jay, however. Such a beauty!

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  24. The Grouse has a real strut going on. So cute!
    Wondeful autumn photos.
    Happy Thanksgiving, Angie!

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  25. ...as December approaches I hope that the good times keep rolling along.

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  26. Hi Angie! Montana looks so beautiful. We have some grouse hanging out near the compost pile. I'm not sure the variety, will have to take a closer look! I love that you have Honeycrisp apples! They are my favourites!!!

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  27. Love reading your blog Angie! Pictures are Amazing too :-) Your Camelot partner in crime commenting here.

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  28. Hi Angie! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We spent Thanksgiving in Steamboat Springs and had a fabulous time. We are getting a good snowfall in our area today, but it won't last long as it will warm up by the end the week. I have not begun Christmas decorating as yet--will begin asap as the season seems to fly by too fast the older I get...lol I hope your daughter found the perfect wedding dress and that you found your Mother of the Bride dress too! It is a very exciting time

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  29. Perhaps because you live on the edges of wilderness the grouse see safety in your garden. I imagine that mani people of North America can only fantasize of seeing a Ruffed Grouse. Still waiting for the UK pics.

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  30. The Grouse really is a beautiful and wild looking bird. I hope you are having a good week. And Angie, I really appreciate the kinds words of sympathy that you left of one post. It means the world to me to have good friends like you that care. Hugs, Diane

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  31. I love the Grouse living in your garden. I love all pictures Angie.

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  32. Such a beautiful Autumn -- I love the grouse -- and that you had a whole group of them (they may be the most common grouse, but surely one of the most uncommon backyard birds ever since most of us don't live in a wilderness Paradise!).

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  33. Glad you were able to enjoy more outside time before the weather gets nasty. Love your log cabin. Enjoy your trip to the UK.

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  34. I shall be looking out for a feathered grouse when I come to Montana now in September, which I am beyond excited about!

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