I love marking the tiny epochs within a season. This is especially vivid in the spring when we’re desperately vigilant for signs that winter is in fact going away. In the Midwest, it will begin with the snowdrops and crocuses peaking up from winter-brown lawns or a light snow, the first signs of life and […]
As luck would have it, I’ve discovered two monarch butterflies since my last post. Monarch butterflies are now an endangered species, and every time I spot one, I ponder the increasingly perilous journey they make in the fall and spring. The ones I’ve encountered are usually traveling solo. This week, the Journal Star reported that […]
A small post for today. It is once again butterfly season. Below are the visitors to my garden and neighborhood that I have been able to capture on camera. I wait patiently for the sight of a Monarch and a painted lady that will sit still long enough for a video. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail One […]
In August and September 2017, painted lady butterflies invaded the Plains. They clung to flowers and bushes, drinking their nectar like new and strange autumn-time blossoms of orange, red, and black. The monarchs usually steal the glory, but the painted ladies (vanessa cardui) of 2017 took the spotlight. Plentiful and nourishing rains in California had […]
Silver-Spotted Skipper, 09.20.2018 Yesterday, as I was out on my walk, I spotted this little darling having a rest outside the Cornhusker Hotel. He kindly allowed me to take his picture. The gusty afternoon must have tired him out. He is a Silver-Spotted Skipper (epargyreus clarus), a tiny butterfly that can be found most places […]
