Emperor Moth Caterpillar

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Juvenile

Scissor-tails love barbed wire for some reason. This one doesn't even have his long tails yet. I photographed him on the same stretch of barbed wire I photographed an adult previously.

Beautiful birds.

Common Whitetail Dragonfly

Black Swallowtail Caterpillar

On a favorite host plant, Rue.

Zebra Swallowtail, a Delicate Beauty

Currently Appearing in Springfield

Gulf Fritillary


Monarch


Black Swallowtail female, distinguished by the blue band on hindwing. The male has yellow.

Variegated Fritillary

Common in the Ozarks.

The Red-Spotted Purple

When I was a child I had a book of butterfly stamps. My favorite butterfly was one called the Red-Spotted Purple. I thought it was beautiful. There were none of these butterflies in California so my goal was to see one some day. But I wasn't sure I ever would.

It was a lot of years before this happened. We moved to Missouri in 1997 and I found that they are abundant here! Because of all the hiking I do, I see them frequently. Two nights ago as I was walking a trail, I found a Red-Spotted Purple on a bench and coaxed it onto my finger. When I returned that way 20 minutes later it was still there and I again coaxed it onto my finger.

The butterfly I thought I might never see, I now see regularly. And I still think it's beautiful.

It's now one of my favorite photographic subjects. God's art.

AG Chapel 8/17/10

My friend and fellow Bethany U. alum, Bob Cook.

My Dad c.1918

Leroy Kenneth Earl Horn. One of the few pictures I have of my dad as a child.

Black Swallowtail Up Close

Butterfly close-up from below.

10 New Martyrs - Killed for Doing Good

Ten members of a Christian medical team were killed by the Taliban after bringing medical care to isolated Afghan villagers.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — They hiked for more than 10 hours over rugged mountains — unarmed and without security — to bring medical care to isolated Afghan villagers until their humanitarian mission took a tragic turn.

Ten members of the Christian medical team — six Americans, two Afghans, one German and a Briton — were gunned down in a gruesome slaughter that the Taliban said they carried out, alleging the volunteers were spying and trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. The gunmen spared an Afghan driver, who recited verses from the Islamic holy book Quran as he begged for his life.

It is hard to comprehend the kind of religion or mindset that would do this to people sacrificing to help others. God, protect other workers there (I know some of them), and comfort the families of those martyred for You. Turn these lost ones from this wickedness.

Full story here.

Black Swallowtail, a Gorgeous Butterfly

This Black Swallowtail is missing one "tail." (Papilio polyxenes)

August 2010 Calendar (KH Photography)

Another Partial, Liberal, Likely-to-legislate-from-the-bench Supreme Court Justice Confirmed

In a blow to those who care about the lives of unborn children, Elena Kagan was confirmed today as a Supreme Court Justice in a 63-37 vote.

Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life Action, said Kagan "will emerge as one of the Supreme Court's most agenda-driven, reliably pro-abortion justices."

"It is deeply troubling that the Senate voted to confirm Ms. Kagan without fully investigating her role in manipulating medical evidence during the partial-birth abortion debate in 1996-97," she said. "The American people want fair and impartial judges, and Justice Kagan's negative impact will be felt for decades to come."

One more reason for Christians to unite in prayer and action.