When autumn arrives, it is time to head north to savor the unique and beautiful Western larch, called tamaracks in western Montana. Our first stop in Swan Valley is a marvelous view of Swan Peak, the second highest peak in the 99-mile Swan Range. Swan Peak stands at 9,289 feet, with the highest peak only 67 feet taller. Swan Valley ranges from 2,000 to about 2,500 feet giving us a spectacular 6,000+ foot rise to mountain tops. This time of year the mountains gleam with the tamaracks’ autumn gold. Let’s explore the grandeur of these glowing yellow trees of the North.
Western larch (Larix occidentalis) have a number of common names including mountain larch and hackmatack, but in Montana they are called tamaracks. A member of the pine family, the tamarack is unique because it is a deciduous conifer. All summer they blend in with mountain evergreens. In autumn their needles turn vibrant yellow then drop to the ground leaving the trees bare all winter. This means, of course, the needles grow back in spring. The new needles are a beautiful chartreuse standing out once more across the mountainsides. It takes about a month for needles to darken and again blend into the mountain scenery. We must come back next spring!
Different species of larch grow worldwide, but what they all have in common is their need for a cool/cold and humid/damp environment. There are a number of larch species living in the United States, but only across our northern tier. Western larch are found only in southern Canada, the Cascade Mountains of eastern Washington and Oregon, and the Rocky Mountains of northern Idaho and western Montana.
The Western larch is the largest of all larches worldwide. Although tamaracks can reach 197 feet, the largest currently known is in Seeley Lake, Montana, and stands 163 feet tall with a 22+ foot trunk circumference. Tamaracks are not only tall but stand absolutely straight with a tall cone-like crown. The branches tend to grow horizontally, and when standing among them they have an airy, wispy feel.
Mixed in with true evergreens–Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, and lodgepole pine–we have spectacular contrasting color on every mountain along our journey.
In places where the aspens have lost their leaves (at right), the golden forest continues via tamaracks.
We are lucky the third week in October to find some gorgeous aspen near Whitefish Lake.
Tamaracks live long lives. There are many estimated to be 350 to 900 years old. Think of all the things they have lived through. They could have begun life as the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts. Some may have quietly become teenagers when the Incas flourished in South America. How many of our generations have passed as these tamaracks mark the seasons awing each successive generation.
Reflecting their quiet beauty in Beaver Lake near Whitefish, Montana.
Let’s get an early start tomorrow to see sunrise at the Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Swan Valley is a very narrow valley between the Swan Mountains to the east, the Mission Mountains to the west.
Here we are, about an hour before sunrise. It is 15° and hazy. Oh my, we have a companion. Are his legs frozen to the grass stem? I have a hard time with insect identification. There are just too many of these guys, but it could be a type of wolf spider. Let me know if you know. One piece of information I do have nailed, he (she?) is less than an inch in overall size.
We can’t yet see the sun over the eastern view of Swan Range yet, but it is working its way down the Missions. Oh the tamaracks!
Ah, sunrise. Still quite hazy, but it has been hazy all day, every day. A temperature inversion keeps the haze in the valleys and mountains all day long. Wow, the tamaracks glow in the early sunlight.
Scanning the refuge from my platform in the grasses, I almost overlooked the sweetest of scenes. On the edge of the refuge, surrounded by deciduous trees, Doug firs, lodgepole, and tamaracks is the cabin home of someone of whom I’m a bit jealous. What a peaceful location. I sure could use a sit by their fire. Serenity wrapped in gold and orange in the mountains of northwestern Montana.
Until next time my friend, enjoy the special beauty in your neck of the woods.
