Monthly Archives: March 2011

History of the Butterfly, Part 92: Shut Your Mouth and Save Your Life

Posted on March 31, 2011 by

George Catlin spent years traveling among the North American native tribes.  He painted their portraits and aspects of their cultures. He painted portraits of some of the characters involved in the history of the butterfly, including Keokuk and Mahaska. He … Continue reading →

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Boycott the Twenty Dollar Bill?

Posted on March 30, 2011 by

Sometimes you get a brilliant idea and google it, only to find out someone else has tried it already. O.K., so here is the idea.  Andrew Jackson was one of the most effective of the presidents of the United States.  … Continue reading →

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History of the Butterfly, Part 91: Understanding Keokuk

Posted on March 29, 2011 by

Keokuk and Black Hawk were rivals.  Much of the literature we have about them mentions that fact.  Keokuk was also egotistical, vain, and a natural orator.  He was known to have defrauded the Meskwaki chiefs Poweshiek and Wapello a few … Continue reading →

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History of the Butterfly, part 90: Black Hawk Remembers

Posted on March 28, 2011 by

From the Autobiography of Black Hawk, remembering events that took place in 1830: “I should here remark that our pastimes and sports had been laid aside for the last two years.  We were a divided people, forming two parties.  Ke-o-kuck, … Continue reading →

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Back from the Workshop

Posted on March 27, 2011 by

I am back from the Poweshiek Skipperling workshop in Winnipeg.  I drove, part of the way with Robert Dana from Minneapolis sharing those duties.  It was quite an adventure. There will be some formal information coming out from this workshop, … Continue reading →

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Live from Winnipeg

Posted on March 24, 2011 by

The first day of the conference on protecting the Poweshiek skipper has been completed.  The news is not good regarding the apparent decline of the butterfly, but there are more than twenty smart people talking about what can be done.  … Continue reading →

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Save the Poweshiek Skipper

Posted on March 22, 2011 by

Several years ago I worked with Grinnell College on a project that intended to promote awareness of the Poweshiek skipper, Oarisma poweshiek and also promote its conservation by re-introducing it from counties in the northern part of Iowa to Poweshiek and adjacent … Continue reading →

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The Ants are Back

Posted on March 21, 2011 by

I looked at the nest of Formica exsectoides in our back yard yesterday.  The ants are moving, slowly bringing debris out the entrance to the top of the nest. I hope to have a different photographic obsession this year.  I … Continue reading →

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History of the Butterfly, Part 89: Remembering Davenport

Posted on March 20, 2011 by

Dr. William Jones was an anthropologist of  Meskwaki ancestory who was murdered by a member of one of the aboriginal tribes he was studying in the Philippines.  (But that is another story).  After he died, some papers which contained myths and legends from … Continue reading →

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Me and the Butterfly

Posted on March 18, 2011 by

I am preparing to attend a workshop on the conservation of the Poweshiek skipper in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada next week.  I am trying to put together a short program on “The History of the Butterfly.”  If you have been following … Continue reading →

Posted in butterflies, oarisma poweshiek, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment