Summertime

Its butterfly season!  The flowers have been covered with Painted Lady butterflies feeding on nectar--

Painted Lady butterflies are the most common species of butterfly, seen on all continents except Australia and Antarctica.  You can distinguish between an American Lady and a Painted Lady by the "wing spots"--a Painted lady has four and an American Lady has two.  They do not become dormant in winter and are dependent on overwintering in warm climates.  You can read about Painted Lady butterflies here.

Another beautiful butterfly was photographed by Karla outside the Visitor Center--

A Red-Spotted Purple butterfly (I know, they look BLUE).  They are founded in wooded areas and are less abundant than other butterflies.  The color is so vibrant on these butterflies.  Read about them here.

The Visitor Center also has interpretive programs, here is Andrew getting into his role for a Lewis and Clark program--

I'm not sure why but the hat is super small!  Andrew does a great program interacting with all ages of visitors.  Can you imagine wearing the full dress uniform made of wool in August 200 years ago?  Lewis and Clark met with the Yankton Sioux here for a three hour speech.  Hot, sweaty, bugs, lice, and not much soap.  Maybe the smell kept the mosquitoes away?  

~Lori1R in Nebraska~