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Monthly Archives: August 2010
History of the Butterfly, Part 10: Black Hawk on Prairie Fire
After the hostilities known as the “Black Hawk War” were ended, Chief Black Hawk was captured. He was initially shackled, but later he was treated with more respect. He was taken on a tour of Eastern cities, probably with the … Continue reading
History of the Butterfly, part 9: Prairie Fire
Josiah B. Grinnell was on his deathbed when he finished his autobiography, Men and Events of Forty Years, Autobiographical Reminiscences of an Active Career, 1850 to 1890 . He asked his longtime friend and Auburn Theological Seminary classmate, Henry W. Parker (the poet who … Continue reading
History of the Butterfly, Part 8: Prairie Fire
There is an issue with the management of our postage stamp sized prairies by fire, or “prescribed burning.” Specifically, many of the butterfly researchers argue that management by prescribed burning has eliminated a number of the prairie obligate butterflies, including Oarisma poweshiek, from … Continue reading
Red admirals
Late in the evenings red admirals, Vanessa atalanta, are very active. They find a perch high on a sunny tree or on the side of a building and challenge anything that flies by them. If that happens to be another red admiral … Continue reading
More treehoppers
I started this blog with a post about ants and treehoppers. The treehopper in that post was Enchenopa onjuglans. Here are more of the Allegheny mound building ants, Formica exsectoides, and a different tree hopper, most likely Publilia concava. These … Continue reading
Posted in ants, formica exsectoides, Uncategorized
Tagged Allegheny mound ant, publilia concava, treehoppers
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A Question Mark Butterfly
In spite of Dutch Elm Disease, we still have a number of American elm trees growing around. They grow to about a foot in diameter, maybe twenty five or thirty feet high, then they die. I took this photo of a question mark, Polygonia interrogationis, … Continue reading
Posted in butterflies, question mark
Tagged butterflies, caterpillar, Polygonia interrogationis, question mark
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Losing Enthusiasm for my Obsession
I have written about my obsession for this summer–taking photographs on and around the nest of Formica exsectiodes. I have been doing this several times a week all summer. I will post some of my discoveries later. However, lately I … Continue reading
Posted in ants, formica exsectoides, insects, Uncategorized
Tagged ants, Formica exsectoides, insects. mosquito, obsession
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Another View of the Snake on a Buckeye
On August 14th I posted a couple of photos and mentioned how you can see a snake on the upper surface of a buckeye’s wings. Monday I took a photograph that shows it better. Still can’t see it? Sometimes it … Continue reading
Posted in butterflies, common buckeye, common buckeye, Junonia coenia
Tagged butterfly, common buckeye, Junonia coenia, snake
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A Poem from the 19th Century
Badger John Clare When midnight comes a host of dogs and men Go out and track the badger to his den, And put a sack within the hole, and lie Till the old grunting badger passes by. He comes an … Continue reading
History of the Butterfly Part 7: Removal of Kiskekosh
A number of the histories of counties and cities in the state of Iowa have stories about Kishkekosh, but most are variations of the same three stories. One describes Kishkekosh’s attentive but failed attempts at the table manners of sophisticated … Continue reading
