Category Archives: Henry W. Parker

I failed to find the Poweshiek Skipper (but my trip was still a success)

Posted on July 6, 2015 by the roused bear

I have a particular obsession with a butterfly that I have never seen (at least in the adult stage).  Oarisma poweshiek was discovered in Grinnell, Iowa and described by Henry Parker in 1870.  Or maybe his wife discovered it–but that … Continue reading →

Posted in butterflies, Helen Fitch Parker, Henry W. Parker | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Arthur’s Aquarium

Posted on October 4, 2014 by the roused bear

I have written a number of entries that I call “The History of the Butterfly” on this blog, and on my other website.  Oarisma poweshiek, the Poweshiek skipper, is an endangered butterfly that was discovered in Grinnell, Iowa, and described … Continue reading →

Posted in Helen Fitch Parker, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Spirit of Beauty

Posted on January 26, 2014 by the roused bear

Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was first published on November 24, 1859.  This was a year and a few months before the start of the American Civil War. Henry Webster Parker was a … Continue reading →

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More Beauty in Nature

Posted on January 25, 2014 by the roused bear

We have seen that flies can be beautiful.  But there is beauty all around us in nature. Some would argue that flowers are beautiful because they need to be bright and colorful in order to attract pollinators.   That same … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological diversity, Henry W. Parker, plants | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Elephant in the Room (and what happened to it?)

Posted on January 3, 2014 by the roused bear

When you stalk someone long enough you may start to think you know everything about him.  Then he comes up with something new. I have been stalking Henry Webster Parker.  He’s dead now, so he doesn’t mind. H.W. Parker is … Continue reading →

Posted in Henry W. Parker, Iowa History | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Doubts

Posted on November 29, 2013 by the roused bear

I have built some of my musings on this blog about a butterfly called the Poweshiek skipper, Oarisma poweshiek.  The species description was published under Henry Parker’s name, although I think Henry’s wife Helen played a more significant role in … Continue reading →

Posted in Henry W. Parker, oarisma poweshiek, The History of the Butterfly, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

One Reason the List Was Published

Posted on June 7, 2013 by the roused bear

In 1850, Helen Fitch (later Helen Fitch Parker) tried to publish a description of a new species of snail by having her future Brother-in-Law present it as a paper before the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  Louis Agassiz … Continue reading →

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The History of the Butterfly, Part 141: Happy Alaska Day

Posted on October 18, 2012 by the roused bear

Today is “Alaska Day”, a legal holiday in the State of Alaska.  By a coincidence, some of the people involved in Alaska Day can be linked easily to the characters I have talked about in this blog. You may remember … Continue reading →

Posted in American Indians, Henry W. Parker, Powasheek, Poweshiek | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

History of the Butterfly, Part 103: Where are the Oarisma Poweshiek Type Specimens?

Posted on June 18, 2011 by the roused bear

Or:  What happens to a butterfly in a tornado? Presumably most of the specimens of Oarisma poweshiek (then called Hesperia powesheik) that Henry and Helen Parker collected were deposited in a major museum, specifically the largest museum west of the Mississippi … Continue reading →

Posted in Helen Fitch Parker, Henry W. Parker, Iowa History, oarisma poweshiek, The History of the Butterfly | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

History of the Butterfly, Part 73: Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 14, 2011 by the roused bear

Henry Webster Parker’s Book Poems sat in the library at the University of California for a century and a half. You may remember that Henry was the poet, preacher, and college professor whose name is on the description of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Henry W. Parker, The History of the Butterfly, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment