The Prairie Ecologist

Essays, photos, and discussion about prairie ecology, restoration, and management

Photo of the Week – January 14, 2011

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Chris Helzer

A couple years ago, a severe ice storm hit Nebraska, knocking down trees and power lines and coating everything in sight with a thick layer of ice. For several days, everything was so slick I could barely get around my yard to clean up fallen tree branches, let alone get out to nearby prairies for photography. Fortunately, my backyard prairie garden was still accessible to me, and I was able to get a couple of decent shots, including this one of rigid goldenrod seed heads.

Rigid goldenrod seed heads encased in ice.

Photo of the Week – January 6, 2011

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Chris Helzer

I saw these two moths in a restored prairie in eastern Nebraska last spring. They formed a mirror image that was too perfect not to photograph.

While butterflies are typically more showy and get much more attention from biologists, moths make up a much larger part of the taxonomic family (Lepidoptera) the two share. While these two are are exceptions, most moths are typically less colorful and better camouflaged than butterflies. Because coloration is not always a dependable cue, the most reliable characteristic for telling a moth from a butterfly is that moths have fuzzy antennae and butterflies don’t.