Monthly Archives: August 2010

History of the Butterfly, Part 10: Black Hawk on Prairie Fire

Posted on August 31, 2010 by the roused bear

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 →

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History of the Butterfly, part 9: Prairie Fire

Posted on August 30, 2010 by the roused bear

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 →

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History of the Butterfly, Part 8: Prairie Fire

Posted on August 29, 2010 by the roused bear

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 →

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Red admirals

Posted on August 28, 2010 by the roused bear

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 →

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More treehoppers

Posted on August 27, 2010 by the roused bear

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 →

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A Question Mark Butterfly

Posted on August 26, 2010 by the roused bear

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 →

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Losing Enthusiasm for my Obsession

Posted on August 25, 2010 by the roused bear

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 →

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Another View of the Snake on a Buckeye

Posted on August 24, 2010 by the roused bear

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 , , , | 2 Comments

A Poem from the 19th Century

Posted on August 23, 2010 by the roused bear

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 →

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History of the Butterfly Part 7: Removal of Kiskekosh

Posted on August 22, 2010 by the roused bear

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 →

Posted in American Indians, Iowa History, Kishkekosh, Meskwaki, Mesquaki, Poweshiek, The History of the Butterfly, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment