Tag Archives: death

Beautiful Amputee

Posted on July 14, 2015 by

This red admiral is missing a large portion of its hind wing, likely from some traumatic event involving a near-death experience. It is also missing a portion of an antennae. It turns its good side towards the sun and continues … Continue reading →

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Death and Lichens

Posted on April 9, 2015 by

We found the remains of a deer a few years back.  We kept its skull and have it on a table outside. I noticed that there were lichens growing on it, and took this photo of some dried lichens in … Continue reading →

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What Does a Butterfly Know About Death?

Posted on August 11, 2014 by

I walked past a dead orange sulfur butterfly along the road.  It is not such an unusual sight, and who knows what kills them.  I would guess it was a victim of traffic. But as I traveled on, I saw … Continue reading →

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A Fungus Among Us—Taxonomy failure

Posted on October 13, 2012 by

The season of insect photography is coming to an end.  I am lucky to get out once or twice a week now, and soon it will be too cold for anything to be moving. Today we had a thunderstorm, however, … Continue reading →

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Encounters with Nature are Not Always Pleasant.

Posted on September 4, 2012 by

Generally I love the encounters I have with nature.  Last night, however, we had one that was not very pleasant. A small buck whitetail deer walked up the hill into our yard.  We watched it for a while, and it … Continue reading →

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The End of a Short Life

Posted on August 28, 2012 by

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

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Death, Denial, Drinking, and Social Butterflies

Posted on July 30, 2012 by

Butterflies engage in a behavior called “mudding” or “mud puddling”.  They visit areas with wet sand or mud and drink. There seems to be a social element to this activity because the butterflies tend to form small groups that are clustered … Continue reading →

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Living on Borrowed Time

Posted on June 13, 2012 by

This butterfly is old and battered.  It seems to be Polygonia interrogationis, the question mark butterfly, but at this stage I can’t say for sure.  It does seem to be nearing the end of days.

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In Honor of Prairies

Posted on January 28, 2012 by

I attended the Iowa Prairie Network Winter Meeting today.  Tallgrass prairies are an ecotype that covered a significant part of Iowa prior to the settlement by people of European descent.  Less than a fraction of a percent is left. A … Continue reading →

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The History of the Butterfly, Part 136: The Death of Black Hawk

Posted on January 15, 2012 by

From Stevens, 1903: “Black Hawk’s cabin stood about one hundred feet from the north bank of the Des Moines River, a few rods from that of Mr. James H. Jordan, the agent.  Near it, on the sloping bank, stood two … Continue reading →

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