Just a reminder to get out there while the summer lasts and witness novel events in nature.
Last week I came across a black butterfly with dark blue wingtips that had landed on a dead, road-killed garter snake. The butterfly was sucking its juices.
I looked it up online, and lo: “The red spotted purple does not usually feed on the nectar of flowers, but eats rotting fruit and plant material, dead animals, and the sap of trees.” (http://www.oldnaturalist.com/midwestern-butterflies/).
It also has two generations of adults in one summer. Its caterpillar is camouflaged to look like bird droppings.
Then the other day I happened upon a downy woodpecker that had gotten ensnared in some bur plants while it was foraging near the ground. As I neared it, the bird finally freed itself and flew off.
There is so much great stuff going on out there, even in the relative calm and stability of midsummer. Observe as much as you can!
pseudoisaac 