Nature Finds from the Midwest

Ethan had to travel to Minnesota for work again.  It was really difficult with him gone, because there was no one to hold Clothilde while I was milking Matilda.  Matilda is large and doesn't like things that are loud or different, and she is always ready to kick, so having her right there with me is not an option.  Having her in the back pack while milking causes severe back, neck, shoulder and wrist pain after about five minutes.  I had the big kids watch her twenty feet away by the hay ring while I was milking, and this did not make her happy because she really wanted to come over and "help" me by stroking Matilda's back leg.  She just screamed unhappily for half an hour every day while I did the milking.  It was hard, really hard.  But he found some nice nature photos to share with you!

This is a Summer Azure butterfly - not very common in Florida.  It looks like it was mud-puddling.  Butterflies will sip muddy water (or even urine or fresh cow poo!) possibly to get minerals.  Males are usually the ones mud-puddling, and it is thought perhaps they need something from the muddy water to make sperm.

To anyone up North, this plant will look very common!  Ethan did not recognize it at all.  We have a relative that grows here - Impatiens.  It is jewel weed, and I really wish it did grow here because the tincture is a wonderful remedy for poison ivy rash.

He found a field of beautiful milkweeds with lots of life on them.  

This is a Viceroy butterfly.  It looks a lot like the Monarch butterflies, but notice the black bands crossing the wings.  I was pleased that I even recognized this butterfly (my dad confirmed the identification).

This is not our photo!  It is from Ethan's co-worker Adam Kent who was in Texas working on a project.  He knew we like unusual nature photos, and he sent this picture of a scarab he found (he gave us permission to put it up).

I never get comments on our nature finds posts, but if anyone also has any great nature finds they would like to share, feel free to post a link in the comments!