Plant of the Week

Eastern prairie fringed orchis
Platanthera leucophaea (Nutt.) Lindley
other common names: prairie white-fringed orchid, eastern prairie fringed orchid


Western prairie fringed orchis
Platanthera praeclara Sheviak & Bowles
other common names: Great Plains prairie fringed orchid, western prairie fringed orchid, western greenish-fringed orchis
Platanthera: from Greek, meaning “broad anthers.” (This plant is sometimes placed in a separate fringed orchid genus called Blephariglottis, Latin for “eyelid tongued,” in obvious reference to the fringed lip of the flower.)
Leucophaea: from Latin leuco, meaning “white,” and phaea, meaning “dusky.”
Praeclara: from Latin, meaning “noble” or “distinguished”
Orchid family: Orchidaceae
Photo: Platanthera praeclara


Photograph by Thomas Rosburg, Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest, Second Edition

Butterfly of the Week

Horace's Duskywing

Erynnis horatius (Scudder and Burgess 1870)

Status: Uncommon breeding resident.

Flight: Apparently triple brooded in Iowa, with the first brood flying from late April to early May, the second from early June to late July, and the third from mid August to early September.

Distinguishing features: Erynnis horatius is close to E. juvenalis in appearance but is more uniformly brown and lacks the two sub apical pale spots on the lower hind wing. Most of its flight occurs during the summer months, long after E. juvenalis has passed. Both of these species are larger than E. baptisiae and E. lucilius. Wingspan: 3.5-3.8 cm.

Distribution and habitat: Map 92. Scattered and rare throughout the state. No clear habitat preferences have been noted; it has been encountered from a wide variety of natural and altered habitats. In western Iowa it may be more common along oak-lined stream corridors.

Natural history: Although E. horatius has a wide distribution in the United State, Don C. MacNeil (in Howe 1975: 525) notes that it is "almost absent from the Great Plains." Its large have been reported to eat various oak species.

Questions: Why is E. horatius so much more uncommon in the state that E. juvenalis? What are its preferred habitats, if any? Is it more mobile that E. juvenalis?

The Butterflies of Iowa, by Dennis W. Schlicht, John C. Downey, and Jeffrey C. Nekola

University of Iowa Press Announces New Laminated Guide

Attention rock collectors, hunters, and lovers of all things mineral! The University of Iowa Press is pleased to announce the release of our newest Bur Oak Guide--Iowa Gems and Minerals in Your Pocket by Paul Garvin and Anthony Plaut!


From the spiky teeth of a geode containing sparkling quartz crystals, the rich browns and golds of smoky quartz and goethite needles on calcite, and the coral-like branches of plumose barite to the abstract reds and whites of polished agate cabochons, world-class mineral crystals are harvested from the rocks of the Hawkeye State. Collecting these high-quality crystals requires access to active mines, pits, and quarries, and individual collectors are rarely allowed entrance to these facilities. With information about each specimen’s type, source, size, and current location, Paul Garvin and Anthony Plaut’s Iowa Gems and Minerals in Your Pocket provides access to the glittering, gleaming world of Iowa crystals.


Order your copy today!

To the folks in Austin, Texas who commented on June 1

Thanks so much for your question:

"We live in Austin Texas and have planted our yard with Buffalo grass. What are the long, tough shoots in the grass? Are they weeds or seeds? We have been trying to kill them, but they are everywhere. Are they normal?"

Unfortunately this is out of our range; a good resource to check with is the Iowa State University Herbarium folks. Good luck!

Plant of the Week

Sand reed
Calamovilfa longifolia (Hook.) Scribn.
other common names: prairie sandreed
Calamovilfa: from Greek calamos, a reed, and vilfa, an early name applied to a genus of grasses
Longifolia: meaning “long leaves”
Grass family: Poaceae (Gramineae)

Photograph by Thomas Rosburg, Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest, Second Edition

Butterfly of the Week

Juvenal's Duskywing

Erynnis juvenalis (Fabricius 1793)

Status: Uncommon breeding resident

Flight: A single flight from mid April to mid June.

Distinguishing features: Juvenal's Duskywing is the only species of its genus in the state that has prominent hyaline spots on the fore wings, with two sub apical pale spots on the ventral hind wing. Wingspan: 3.5-4 cm.

Distribution and habitat: Map 87. Essentially found across the entire state, although it appears to be more common in the eastern third. It occurs in a variety of oak-dominated forests and may be more common in undisturbed forest habitats.

Natural history: The larvae of Juneval's Duskywing feed on oaks and make leaf-nests. The adults are fast flyers and may often be seen resting on vegetation or puddling along roadsides and trails.

Questions: Do the leaf-nests of different Erynnis larvae all look the same? Do all Erynnis larvae eat the same parts of oak leaves? Which oak species are favored by this species in Iowa? How do larvae avoid predation? 

The Butterflies of Iowa, by Dennis W. Schlicht, John C. Downey, and Jeffrey C. Nekola

Finding Projectile Points

Collecting artifacts is an enjoyable hobby; follow these common-sense guideline provided by the Office of the State Archeologist at the University of Iowa. Always get landowner permission before collecting. It is illegal to collect on public lands without a permit. Surface collect; do not try to excavate a site. Identify, catalog, and label your find and record site locations with the OSA. The OSA can help you document, process, manage, and care for your collection. Do not collect human remains. All prehistoric and modern cemeteries and burial sites in Iowa are protected by state and federal law. Report any human remains or burial sites you encounter to the OSA. Avoid buying and selling artifacts. This activity encourages looting and the loss of our nonrenewable cultural heritage. Many items on the market today are recently made copies.

Keep your collection intact; do not let it get dispersed. Be proactive with your collection. Read about Iowa archaeology, allow professionals to study your collection, give programs to school groups, participate in public field schools, and join the Iowa Archeology Society.

Visit the Office of the State Archeologist at the University of Iowa

Visit the Iowa Archeology Society

A Guide to Projectile Points of Iowa, Part 2: Middle Archaic, Late Archaic, Woodland, and Late Prehistoric Points by Joseph Tiffany, photographs by Christian A. Driver