We chose an early start to avoid the oppressive heat and smoke we’d endured for the last month. August had arrived early in Missoula! My friend Mary and I organized our backpacks while Iris, true to her blue heeler instincts, impatiently eyed our progress from the creek. Initially, we agreed on a quick run but abandoned those ambitions for a relaxing stroll on a creekside trail. The cottonwoods and alders on the left and ponderosas and perennial grasses on the right framed the trail as if it were the subject of a painting, drawing our eyes up the valley. Mary was celebrating the variety and vigor of the riparian understory when I saw Iris sidestep a stick ahead of us. Iris leaves no stick unturned, so my curiosity was piqued. As we approached, I could see it was a rubber boa! …

This Field Note was written by Michelle Cox. Would you be interested in writing one? Contact Allison De Jong, Field Notes editor, at adejong [at] montananaturalist [dot] org or 406.327.0405. Please visit the Field Notes website at the Montana Natural History Center for more information.