Tag Archives: autumn

More Late Butterflies

We have had cool, rainy weather as of late, but today was sunny and even warmed up a little.  A small number of butterflies were out–we had orange sulfurs, one red admiral, and one skipper of some kind. I found … Continue reading

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A Tiny Leafhopper

We have had some cool weather, and several nights with frost.  Insects are not flying in large numbers.  I did see three butterflies around noon today–two clouded sulfurs and a painted lady. I wandered around looking for insects to photograph.  … Continue reading

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Black Walnut Trees

We have a lot of black walnut trees on our property.  Black walnut trees turn a spectacular yellow in the fall. The color change is very rapid.  Unfortunately, the leaves fall off just as rapidly.  Trees that were brilliantly yellow … Continue reading

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Suddenly…

Suddenly, it is autumn.  It wasn’t yesterday. Autumn has the nicest days of the year.  But it also comes at a time when lots of other things are happening.  Do we have time to get outside and enjoy the days? … Continue reading

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Dragonflies in the Grass

Small dragonflies have been flying in the grass of our yard.  Not quite so many that I would call them a swarm,  but a dozen or two.  Their flight is not so rapid and overwhelming as some of the others … Continue reading

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Autumn Moth

The arrival of autumn has slowed my ability to take closeup photographs.  I have less light when I get home, and less time because I have to haul my son from football practice.  I am working on getting firewood cut and split–that … Continue reading

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Peck’s Skipper

I took another vacation day yesterday.  I had some chores to do–I cut down an old elm tree to use for firewood and did a few other things around the house. It was a magnificant October day in Iowa, and … Continue reading

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Another Syrphid Fly

One of the three common syrphid flies found in our prairie right now is this one, apparently in the genus Helophilus.  This one is quite a bit larger than the others, at about half an inch (13 mm).

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Milkweed Happenings

The seed pods of common milkweed have dried up and split open.  Lightweight brown seeds attached to silky threads have found their way out. This one has found its way onto a New England aster.

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Is This our Old Friend or Someone New?

I have posted a number of photographs of ruby meadowhawks, Sympetrum rubicundulum, in the recent past.  I think this may be a white-faced meadowhawk, Sympetrum obtrusum.  They look quite similar except for the color of the face.

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