Cougar and Ponderosa Pine

A cougar's surly glare on a nice winter's day along the Continental Divide in the mountains near Helena. The cougar picks its way in the melting snow, among Ponderosa pines growing a little higher in elevation because of the sunny southern aspect of the mountain slope. Across the valley the slopes at a similar elevation are covered with Douglas-fir because they face the cooler northern aspect and the snow stays longer there too.