Hot Weather is Butterfly Heaven – Outdoor Journal

It's sunny and hot in the Bitterroot Valley and our Bitterroot Outdoor Journal guy, Bob Danley, says that butterflies are all over the place. He says the Rocky Mountain Parnassian was seen on the road up to the Blue Mountain Observatory, west of Missoula. But that's only one of the many varieties you can see every day lately. Butterflies have been "buzzing the crowd" at recent Tuesday at 12 noon concerts at the Ravalli County Museum.

Bob's wildflower of the week (July 12) is the Hairy Goldenaster, which is an Aster variety with bristly hairs on the stems. It's found in dry, gravelly soils and you can find them at valley floor elevations. And, for our bird report, it's easy to see the Ospreys when they're fishing along the Bitterroot River or over ponds at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. They really put on a show at Flathead Lake, too. Mike Daniels has an Osprey Fishing photo series on the KLYQ website. Bob's reports can be heard weekly on KLYQ 1240 AM and at klyq.com, Thursdays about 7:45 a.m.