Tag Archives: photography

Photo of the Week – September 6, 2012

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Skippers are the sparrows of the butterfly world; lots of species, most of which are small, brown, and difficult to identify by amateur enthusiasts.  They often are misidentified as moths, but a closer look reveals the straight antennae (not fuzzy like on moths) that identify them as butterflies.

A skipper butterfly on gray headed coneflower. Restored prairie in Sarpy County, Nebraska.

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This particular skipper was sunning itself in a small prairie planting in Sarpy County (eastern Nebraska) last weekend.  I have no idea what species it is – maybe some of you will know, but without seeing more of the wings, I can’t tell what it is.  It flew off after  I took this photo and I didn’t get a good look at it.

(To be honest, I still probably wouldn’t have been able to identify it!)

Photo of the Week – August 24, 2012

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Ornate box turtles are a common sight in the Nebraska sandhills, where they have a wide-ranging diet that includes invertebrates, fruits, leaves, and carrion.  Box turtles are named for the “hinge” in the bottom portion of their shell (the plastron), which allows them to pull their head and legs inside and close the shell tightly for protection.  They can live up to 30 years in the wild if they can avoid being hit by cars or collected as pets.

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The red eyes of this ornate box turtle show that it is a male (females have brown eyes). This one was in the Nebraska sandhills in the north central part of the state.

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For more information on ornate box turtles, you can click here to read a Forest Service report on the species.