Montana Natural History Center | Montana Natural History Center

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Let us help you stay entertained and educated during this time of physical distancing for social solidarity. We’ve put together a great collection of educational resources to keep you curious, learning, and connecting with nature.

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“If we are to preserve our natural world, the next generation of leaders must be inspired and involved.”

~Jackie Wedell, Master Naturalist & MNHC Volunteer

Watch our five-part webinar series: The Age of the Coronapocene

Our panel of experts answers some of the big questions: What are viruses? Where did COVID-19 come from? Why is social distancing so important? What does the science tell us?

Webinar recordings available here!

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Camp registration opens on March 12th. Learn more and sign up here!

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Visiting Naturalist in the Schools

70 classrooms, 1700 students. Learn more about our keystone program.

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2020 Virtual Luncheon

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Check Out Our Free Online Educational Resources!

The Age of the Coronapocene

Watch all five webinar recordings here.

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Field Notes from the Montana Natural History Center

A collection of 134 Field Notes in a beautiful book. Order here!

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Montana Naturalist Magazine

Field Notes on Montana Public Radio

Listen and learn about Montana’s flora, fauna, geology, ecology, and more.

Naturalist Blog

Get tips and tricks for outdoor explorations, learn about Montana’s flora and fauna, and read about fun happenings at MNHC!

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mtnaturalhistorycenter

Though the vast majority of Yellowstone National P

Though the vast majority of Yellowstone National Park is in Wyoming, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), with YNP at its core, is still an important part of Montana. The GYE is considered one of the largest nearly intact temperate-zone ecosystems on Earth, meaning it still supports most of the organisms that have inhabited that landscape since before white colonizers arrived.

However, according to the National Park Service, many of those organisms are rare, threatened, endangered, or of special concern, including more than 100 plants, hundreds of invertebrates, six fish species, several amphibian species, at least 20 bird species, and 18 mammal species.

These photos of just a few of the GYE's notable species were taken by MNHC Teaching Naturalist Ser Anderson. Which of the GYE's species are your favorites?

#montanamonday #yellowstonenationalpark
#redfox #longbilledcurlew #graywolf #bison

Instagram post 17952732010346382

Instagram post 17952732010346382

We had lots of fun on our Butterflies with Brian W

We had lots of fun on our Butterflies with Brian Williams and Birding with Pat Jamieson Naturalist Field Days!
#connectwithnature #naturalhistory #missoula

Naturalist Challenge! Observe the diversity and be

Naturalist Challenge! Observe the diversity and beauty of nature. #naturalistmoment

This summer, MNHC's wonderful Christine Wren retir

This summer, MNHC's wonderful Christine Wren retired, after 12 years of being part of MNHC's Visiting Naturalist in the Schools program (first as a volunteer, then staff). Christine's deep love for children, passion for natural history, decades of experience in education, and quiet confidence and compassion make her an incredibly effective educator, an inspiring naturalist, and a good friend. (We miss her already.) In her decade-plus at MNHC Christine helped hone and improve the VNS curriculum; made learning about nature vivid, tangible, and fun for hundreds of Montana kids; and encouraged and inspired everyone who had the privilege of working with her. Christine, we wish you much joy in your new adventures!

#askanaturalist A member was curious about this pl

#askanaturalist A member was curious about this plant they are seeing all over Mount Sentinel and the south side of Missoula.

This is winter vetch, also known as hairy vetch, Vicia villosa (as far as I can tell). It is non-native, introduced throughout North America from Europe for forage (according to the Manual of Montana Vascular Plants by local plant expert Peter Lesica). It is in the pea family (so it is related to lupines and the peas we eat) and the flowers have the classic pea family shape, bilaterally symmetrical with a banner petal on top, two wings on the sides and the lower two petals connected along the bottom to form a keel, or canoe-like envelope holding the style and stamens.

There is a native vetch species in the area, American vetch (Vicia americana). The two species can be distinguished by the number of flowers on one stalk (12-70 and close together for winter vetch and 1-8 and further apart for American vetch) and by how hairy the leaves are (with hairy vetch obviously being visibly hair or covered in hairs and American vetch lacking hairs or only being minimally hairy).

A fun detail about these plants, and other vetch species: vetch species are one of the two Pea family genera found wild in Montana that have tendrils. You can see this is the close up photo you took. The tendrils are actually modified leaflets that the vetch plant uses to wrap around upright structures and "climb" them, extending the height of the plant and its access to sunlight without putting in the energy to develop a strong stalk of its own. Tendrils are a really cool adaptation, especially in how they "know" when to wrap around something. They are touch sensitive, and respond to coming into contact with another object by coiling around that object. And some tendrils also use chemical sensitivity to know what to wrap around and what not to. See this scientific article about how tendrils use chemical sensitivity to avoid wrapping around leaves or stems stems of plants in their own species: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2016.2650. Cool stuff!

Send us your #askanaturalist questions!

#mnhc #discovernature #naturalistchallenge

This summer, MNHC is working with the University o

This summer, MNHC is working with the University of Montana Paleontology Center to debut a new Montana's Ancient Past exhibit. The exhibit will feature fossils on loan from UM as well as the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center. The exhibit was made possible in part by generous funding from the @US_IMLS #IMLSGrant⠀
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MNHC members have the opportunity to be a part of virtually evaluating this exhibit before it goes up. If you would like to help with the exhibit, become a member today using the link in our bio.⠀
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The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. They advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Their vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit http://www.imls.gov and follow IMLS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USIMLS and Twitter: https://twitter.com/us_imls

If you're looking for a fun and educational at-hom

If you're looking for a fun and educational at-home option for your kids this summer, check out MNHC's new Summer Explorer Kits program! Summer Explorer Kits feature activities, materials, and inspiration for a full week's worth of outdoor exploration and learning. They also include optional (but fun!) virtual components to connect kids directly with MNHC teaching naturalist mentors. We've got options for both elementary schoolers and early learners.

Visit https://www.montananaturalist.org/summer-explorer-kits/ to learn more and sign up!

#kidsinnaturearehappy #mnhc #discovernature

It’s time for #TriviaTuesday, and today’s ques

It’s time for #TriviaTuesday, and today’s question is about one of our favorite avian anglers: the Osprey!

In this photo, which Osprey is the male and which is the female? How can you tell?

Let us know what you think, and check back here later for the answer!

Slime Mold! MNHC Museum Coordinator & Volunteer C

Slime Mold! MNHC Museum Coordinator & Volunteer Coordinator Drew Lefebvre made this cool discovery in the Great Burn Wilderness over the weekend. Have you ever found #slimemold? Images by Drew Lefebvre.

#mnhc #naturalistchallenge #explorenature #natureiscool

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