Montana Natural History Center

🐛Who says kids should have all the fun? Grab a sweep net, dust off your sense of adventure, and join us for an evening of bug hunting at the Native Plant Garden at Fort Missoula!

We’ll spend two hours exploring the garden, catching insects, and using field guides to identify our finds before releasing them back where they belong. Whether you’re a seasoned naturalist or someone who’s simply curious about the tiny creatures living all around us, this is your chance to slow down, look closely, and rediscover the joy of exploring nature.

Bring your favorite beverage (BYOB) to enjoy while you wander! The program begins at 5:00 p.m. and all insect-hunting equipment will be provided.

Date: Friday, September 4th
Time: 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Location: Native Plant Garden at Fort Missoula
Cost: $15 MNHC members/$20 non-members

Details and registration linked below!

On today’s Field Note, Shane Morrison shares “Speed on the Prairie”

Shane writes:
"When doing field work, I drive the dirt roads that stretch for miles across the grasslands. I drive slowly as the roads are rutted and rough and cross open cattle range. I often spot pronghorn running in the distance. A creature of wide-open spaces, the pronghorn ranges across the glaciated plains of Montana: a varied country of sagebrush steppes, coulees, broken hills, and rolling mixed-grass prairie that stretches as far as the eye can see.

"Usually, pronghorn will dash away when they see a truck coming. However, at times I’ve had them actually race toward me, accelerating, seemingly intent on crossing the road ahead of me. With incredible speed, they invariably pass well ahead of the truck and speed on by. There’s no contest, as they are much faster than my truck over rough ground.

"As I thought about this, I wondered just how fast pronghorn are. I found that pronghorn have been clocked at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour over a half-mile. Also incredible, they can sustain a speed of 35 miles per hour for over five miles. They are the fastest land animal in the Western Hemisphere."

CONTINUED…

Listen and learn more in Shane's full Field Note (see LINK below).

Every week since 1991, Field Notes has inquired about Montana’s natural history. Field Notes are written by naturalists, students, and listeners about the puzzle-tree bark, eagle talons, woolly aphids, and giant puffballs of Western, Central and Southwestern Montana and aired on Montana Public Radio .

Our next online Field Notes Writing Workshop begins November 3rd. See our website for more details.

We FILLED the house at our OPEN HOUSE! Thank you so much to everyone who joined us last Thursday for our open house and membership drive!! We were thrilled to host hundreds of folks from our community — you filled the museum and gardens with great energy and contagious curiosity for nature connections! It was wonderful to meet so many new faces and see long-time members!

A very special thank you to our volunteers (shoutout Denise, Phil, Sue, Carol, Chrissy, & Adair) and to our amazing educators who helped make the night extra special by sharing their passions for the nature world, including: Ryan Mahar, Bruce Baty, Larry DePute, Christine Morris, Elisa Spencer, Griz’s Monte, Nora Christy, Erin Vielbig, and David Miles Lusk!
 
Thank you to Whitefish Credit Union and Blackfoot Communications for sponsoring this special community event.

We can’t wait to see you again soon at MNHC!

WOW! On Sunday, 200 folks joined MNHC, IndigiPalooza MT, and Robin Wall Kimmerer at the Native Plant Garden at Fort Missoula for a BLOOM, to learn from --and care for -- the land and each other through community gardening. We are STILL sitting in this joy and will be for some time. This is just a SNAPSHOT of the morning, but we hope captures a bit of the inspiration and celebration that we experienced together. Thank you to Robin, Chris La Tray, Tim Ryan, Plant Baby Plant and for everyone who came out to help Raise a Garden & Raise a Ruckus!!

A sneak-peek into our new 35th anniversary display that celebrates our strong roots, sturdy branches, and new growth! Come discover more of MNHC's history and future at TONIGHT'S OPEN HOUSE from 6-8PM at our 120 Hickory Street location and enjoy some of quality programs and nature connections that MNHC is known for!!

Don't forget your gems and rocks to stump geologist, Bruce Baty! And if you're coming for some printmaking with David Lusk, remember to bring your own shirt/fabric!

PLUS:
- Birding Sounds Trivia (with prizes)
- Bear Aware with UM's Monte
- Rockhounding, rock painting, and building garden stepping stones
- The art and science of bird skeleton articulation with Larry DePute
- New 35th anniversary exhibit + community art project
- Free ice cream, snacks, and chances to WIN a Master Naturalist Certification Course or a Field Notes Writing Workshop!

As always at MNHC, there's something for everyone & every age!

See you TONIGHT!!