Butterfly Magic – Tucson Botanical Gardens

December 16th, 2011
Butterfly Magic - Tucson Botanical Gardens

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We recommend visiting the Tucson Botanical Gardens if you are in the Tucson, Arizona area. It is a 5 1/2 acre oasis located in the heart of Tucson, and it was voted America’s Best Secret Garden by Reader’s Digest.

Tucson Botanical Gardens consists of seventeen specialty gardens including The Cactus and Succulent Garden, Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, the Butterfly Garden, the Native American Crops Garden, the Backyard Bird Garden, and more.

The Tropical Greenhouse becomes a live tropical butterfly exhibit each winter from October through April.  The greenhouse also displays a variety of Read the rest of this entry »

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Freeman Homestead Trail – Saguaro National Park

December 15th, 2011
Saguaro Cactus

Saguaro Cactus

Had a nice leisurely 90 minute walk this morning along the Freeman Homestead trail in the Rincon Mountain foothills at Saguaro National Park (East Tucson). The snow capped Catalina Mountains served as a beautiful backdrop to the surrounding desert.

We were fortunate to view a few of the many bird species that can be found at the park, including Rock Wren, Cactus Wren, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Curved-Bill Thrasher, Gila Woodpecker, Brewer’s Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, Phainopepla, and a Greater Roadrunner (in flight!). Here is an amazing photo, by Dolor Ipsum, of one in flight.

If your interested in viewing a few images of Saguaro National Park, follow this link to Cornforth Images.

 

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Birding at Montezuma Well near Camp Verde, Arizona

October 8th, 2011
Cliff Dwellings at Montezuma Well

Cliff Dwellings at Montezuma Well

Montezuma Well has become one of our favorite areas for birding in Arizona. You can expect to find a variety of raptors, accipiters, songbirds, and waterfowl at this site.

Montezuma Well is an extension of the Montezuma Castle National Monument located near Camp Verde, Arizona. The well was created when a cavern, formed by underground springs, collapsed, creating a limestone sink over 300 feet across. A constant supply of water, nearly 1 1/2 million gallons, flows into the well each day. Water from the well flows into a swallet (underground channel), then re-emerges about 150 feet away where it is diverted into an irrigation ditch, built by the Sinagua culture over 1,000 years ago. Portions of Read the rest of this entry »

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Montana Natural History Center – Glacial Lake Missoula

September 23rd, 2011
Montana Natural History Center

Montana Natural History Center

Imagine a dam two thousand feet high, fronting a lake as big as Lake Erie and Ontario combined, failing. That is exactly what evidence, spread over four northwestern states suggests. It is estimated that the water moved at speeds up to 65 miles per hour, and the rate of flow was 10 times the combined flow of all the rivers in the world. That is what happened when the Cordilleran Ice Sheet damming the Clark Fork River, fractured, allowing the waters from Glacial Lake Missoula to rage across parts of Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. This just didn’t happen once, but there is evidence to support the floods reoccurred several dozed to over one hundred times.

The land where Missoula, Read the rest of this entry »

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St. Ignatius Church – Montana

September 22nd, 2011
Interior of St. Ignatius Church - Montana

Interior: St. Ignatius Church - Montana

Plan on visiting the St. Ignatius Mission if you are traveling Highway U.S. 93 between Missoula and Flathead Lake in Montana.

The mission was estasblished in 1854 and the existing church was built during the early 1890′s.

I recommend visiting the mission not just for its historical nature, but to also view the 58 original paintings that adorn the walls and ceilings of the church depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The paintings are the work of Brother Joseph Carignano, the mission’s cook and handyman. Remarkable due to the fact that he had no formal art training.

Of special interest are two paintings, on the rear wall of the church, of the Lord and Lord’s mother in Salish (Native American) form and attire, including headdress. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge – Montana

September 21st, 2011
Trumpeter Swans - Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge

Trumpeter Swans - Ninepipe Wildlife Refuge

We visited the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge after touring the Red Sleep Mountain Drive on the National Bison Range.

This is important wetland habitat that supports abundant bird species and is an important breeding and staging area for migrating waterfowl.

We stopped at several pullouts within the refuge and glassed the area. Thousands upon thousands of coots made spotting other species on the water difficult. Species we identified included magpies, meadowlarks, kestrals, harriers, song sparrows, ruby-crowned kinglets, Read the rest of this entry »

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Red Sleep Mountain Drive – National Bison Range – Montana

September 21st, 2011
Antelope - National Bison Range

Antelope - National Bison Range

We spent a few hours yesterday touring Red Sleep Mountain Drive at The National Bison Range. Despite heavy fog in the upper elevations of the refuge, we were still able to observe plenty of wildlife including mule deer, bison, and antelope. We watched deer lock antlers and battle for a short period, until the larger buck quicky established his superiority.

We also watched antelope bucks retrieving females that strayed too far from the harem. It reminded us of border collies herding sheep. In one instance, a female broke from the harem running straight for our truck with Read the rest of this entry »

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The Silk Road – Missoula, Montana

September 20th, 2011
Bacon-Maple Beignet | The Silk Road Restaurant | Missoula, Montana

Bacon-Maple Beignet | The Silk Road Missoula, Montana

Next time you visit the Missoula area, plan to stop at The Silk Road for dinner. This local favorite serves up a diverse global cuisine in the tapas style of dining.

Tapas are small servings of food, similar to an appetizer, and an individual’s meal typically consists of two to four tapas. It is common for a group to share their tapas.

Our party of four ordered four tapas each, and shared, allowing each person to experience a wide range of flavors from places around the world including Read the rest of this entry »

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Kelly Island – Montana Birding

September 19th, 2011
Bitterroot River - Kelly Island

Bitterroot River - Kelly Island

With a break in rain showers this morning, we decided to spend some time walking around Kelly Island in West Missoula at the confluence of the Bitterroot and Clark Fork Rivers. We learned about Kelly Island while doing some pre-visit research of the Missoula area.

Kelly Island is one of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park’s Fishing Access Sites (FAS).  In addition to providing access to some of Montana’s great fishing, Kelly Island’s undeveloped area of 648 acres with wetlands, large meadows, and a mixed forest of Cottonwood and Ponderosa Pine provides Read the rest of this entry »

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New Site Launch!

September 18th, 2011

Welcome to the new Russman.com website.

Check back soon for articles about traveling the U.S. with focus on the outdoors and nature.

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