Monthly Archives: August 2012

One That Got Away

Yesterday a road grader scraped the gravel road by our place.  That left an area of slightly moist dirt where some butterflies attempted to mud.  I don’t think they were successful–the dirt being just a little too dry. I was able to … Continue reading

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It’s Not Just About Pretty Flowers

Butterflies are attracted to flowers.  Butterflies are often associated with flowers. But they are not just attracted to flowers.  I took this photo a number of years ago of four viceroys drinking the juices of a rotten apple. These northern … Continue reading

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The End of a Short Life

A Delaware skipper has shortened its already short life in an encounter with a flower crab spider.  

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Eliminating the Black Background

Of course, there are other ways to eliminate the black background caused by flash.  One is to have a flat background with nothing in the background–for example, a photograph of an insect on a flower or a piece of bark, … Continue reading

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Photography and the Square Root of Two

The square root of two is an irrational number because it cannot be represented by the ratio of any two numbers.  It is the number which when multiplied by itself is two.  The square root of two is approximated by … Continue reading

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Old School Macro Photography

I tried to explain a principle of macro photography to someone a while back and I don’t think explained it adequately.  I am going to try to explain it now, but it will take a few posts, and I may … Continue reading

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Summer is Slipping Away

My boys have started school.  One is a freshman, the other is a sophomore.  That is 9th and 10th grade for those of you who may not be familar with our system. With the days getting shorter and my life … Continue reading

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A Better Night Tonight

Sorry about the rant–it’s just that sometimes some of those . . . Not going there tonight. I was able to get out tonight with the camera to Lincoln access on Saylorville Reservoir.  I was hoping to see a few … Continue reading

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Why Politicians Need to Understand Biology

I have tried to stay away from politics with this blog, but today a politician made it impossible for me to do so. Todd Akin, Republican candidate for Senate from Missouri, said a woman can’t get pregnant from a “legitimate rape.” … Continue reading

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Pods

Whorled milkweed is still blooming but has also set some of its seed pods.  They will have flat, brown airborne seeds.     Common milkweed is no longer flowering, but has also set its seed pods.  The roughness of the … Continue reading

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