Distinctly Montana Magazine

I t's spring in the Northern Rockies… that time of year when the rest of the country is well into what they call "spring," while in Montana winter and warmer weather hold daily contests as to which will have the upper hand. A warm, sunny, shirtsleeve day is likely to be followed by a drift of new snow before dawning again, warm and bright. The traditional signs of spring have long since arrived. The haunting call of Sandhill Cranes and twangs of mating flights of Common Snipe punctuate the air. Male Redwing Blackbirds have staked out their terrain against their competi- tion, but sit awaiting the leisurely arrival of the females. The Robins have been in the Gallatin Valley for weeks, yet are often forced to hunt for earthworms under four inches of new snow. The harbingers of spring have arrived, but where is spring? Gripped by cabin fever, I want to get out. The snowline has lifted, at least for the day, to 7,000 feet, allowing access to some of the Gallatin Nation Forest's extensive network of trails. My choice of trail has taken into account aspect and terrain, and I elect more open exposures. THE FIELD GUIDE GOES HI-TECH Springbeauty Leopard Lily Increasingly the field guides we once tot- ed in our backpacks can now be found on our smart phones and tablets. Along with our maps and GPS, field guides on birds to mammals to mushrooms are available as apps (applications). While many of us will continue to carry a well-thumbed guide, apps offer several advantages, most importantly the ability to query. The Flora of the Yellowstone Region provides a good illustration. The app con- tains 295 species of plants readily found in the area. You can flip through it like a book, learning about the plants, seeing detailed pictures and descriptions. But you can also sea rch its database by characteristics, including flower color, leaf shape, habitat, and season. Instead of attempting to find that "yellow what- samacallit with heart-shaped leaves" from among 295 plants, the query shows you the seven species that share those two characteristics. In addition, such apps are continually updated with new information and species. To learn more about Flora of the Yellowstone Region, visit www.highcountry apps.com. www.distinctlymontana.com The darker, cooler exposures will be given time to shed more of their winter cloak. Footprints in the soft earth tell us we are not the first to venture out to enjoy the Gallatin National Forest. While the dogs investigate rodent holes and vole earth- works, I look for the true signs of spring — those signaled by warming soils and receding snowlines — the wildflowers. From previous hikes I know to look for the proper habitat niche of my favorites, and true to nature's seasonal rhythm, they begin to show themselves. As I hike up a trail on state land, I see that Spring Beauty, Pasqueflower, Missouri Iris, and Shooting Stars have returned to their open field haunts. The Sugarbowls and Prairie Smoke are on their way. Guarded by sharp thorns, the Hawthorn thickets are just starting to stir while the Choke Cherry and Saskatoon will soon be covered in white blooms. Leaving the open foothills behind and entering the montane or forested environ, I encounter a differ- ent variety of color and texture. Here, as everywhere, the wildflowers are indicative of soil and moisture conditions. Glacier Lily, Leopard Lily, and Wild Trillium ap- RYAN KRUEGER 23

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