Monthly Archives: August 2015

A Brushfoot Fetish

Posted on August 31, 2015 by the roused bear

The Nymphalidae family of butterflies are called brushfoot butterflies because the front pair of legs are greatly reduced and the hairs on those legs remind some people of little brushes.  The legs are difficult to spot in the field, but … Continue reading →

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Autumn is Coming

Posted on August 23, 2015 by the roused bear

Fall will soon be here, and everything seems to be in a hurry. It’s a cool, windy day.  I have to confess, I don’t know my birds.  These seemed to be one of the swallows. I know some of the … Continue reading →

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Skipper IDs Can Be Tricky

Posted on August 17, 2015 by the roused bear

Yesterday I posted a photo that I identified as a “little glassywing.”  I think I was wrong, though. The shot is far from perfect.  It could be that, but I think that it is more likely that it was a … Continue reading →

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More Butterflies

Posted on August 17, 2015 by the roused bear

Saturday I went to West Woods Park which is north of Glenwood Iowa.  This small county park is a wooded loess hill area, with a prairie on the top of the hill.  The butterflies were spectacular. There were several giant … Continue reading →

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The Black Digger wasp

Posted on August 8, 2015 by the roused bear

This black digger wasp, Sphex pensylvanicus, was visiting the extrafloral nectaries of partridge pea. It visited several in rapid succession, spending about a second or two at each one. Partridge pea is an annual plant found in tallgrass prairies.  It … Continue reading →

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Today’s Butterfly Action

Posted on August 3, 2015 by the roused bear

This afternoon was pretty good for butterflies.  They were out in force. This was one of a handful of silver-spotted skippers. I only saw one Delaware skipper, but there were lots of least skippers. I don’t think I saw any … Continue reading →

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Today’s Bugs

Posted on August 1, 2015 by the roused bear

I was able to take a little time today to travel to a local prairie and met some friends there.  Officially it was a prairie walk, but several of us were more into the insects, and we had a good … Continue reading →

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