Monthly Archives: January 2012

Can a Moss Bring You to Tears?

Posted on January 29, 2012 by

At yesterday’s Iowa Prairie Network winter meeting one of the speakers recounted how, during a BioBlitz, one of the team leaders started showing and naming a number of mosses, liverworts, and lichens.  She said it became such an emotional experience … Continue reading →

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In Honor of Prairies

Posted on January 28, 2012 by

I attended the Iowa Prairie Network Winter Meeting today.  Tallgrass prairies are an ecotype that covered a significant part of Iowa prior to the settlement by people of European descent.  Less than a fraction of a percent is left. A … Continue reading →

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Purple Coneflower in Winter

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

Purple coneflowers are great butterfly flowers.  They stand tall and provide a good landing spot for even the largest of butterflies.  The light purple petals provide a contrast with the red spikes.  The red admiral shown a few days previously … Continue reading →

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A Thin Layer of Snow

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

We had temperatures that were a few degrees above freezing today.  It was sunny and calm and may have seemed warmer than it actually was.  I looked for some small creatures to photograph.  Instead I found this thin layer of … Continue reading →

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Missing Summer

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

I was missing summer a little bit–especially the opportunities to take photographs of insects.  So I went through some of the photos I took this summer.  Here is a red admiral.  The photo was taken July 27, 2011. Six weeks … Continue reading →

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Moving Forward

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

I have been temporarily sidelined from some of my blogging activities because of a busy schedule, coupled with a very slow internet connection.  We have one of those services that limits the download speed once a certain threshold has been … Continue reading →

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Marshmallows in Oskaloosa

Posted on January 21, 2012 by

I got the new issue of National Geographic magazine the other day.  Page 22 of the February 2012 issue has a map drawn by some guy from New York.  He visited a number of dating web sites, analyzed the words … Continue reading →

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Commentary

Posted on January 20, 2012 by

We have a recent news report of American fighters in Afghanistan posing while urinating on some dead Afghanis, presumably belonging to the Taliban.  The video was posted to Utube.  The activity of a few individuals was shocking.  It was disrespectful, … Continue reading →

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The History of the Butterfly, Part 137: A Final Indignity

Posted on January 17, 2012 by

Black Hawk suffered a final indignity in death. His grave was robbed. There is an account of a part of the theft in Annals of Iowa, Volume XIII, No. 6, October, 1922. This is part of an account by Mrs. … Continue reading →

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The History of the Butterfly, Part 136: The Death of Black Hawk

Posted on January 15, 2012 by

From Stevens, 1903: “Black Hawk’s cabin stood about one hundred feet from the north bank of the Des Moines River, a few rods from that of Mr. James H. Jordan, the agent.  Near it, on the sloping bank, stood two … Continue reading →

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