Nathan’s Notes

Everyone knows Reiman Gardens loves butterflies, but now we’re bumping up our game in educating the public about other insects as well. Thanks to a grant from Alliant Energy, we have a new entomology display, which will rotate a variety of invertebrate species: walking sticks, cockroaches, beetles, tarantulas, scorpions and […]

One of the most stunning butterflies of all is the Common Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides). It’s popular at the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing not just because it’s blue, but because it’s a shimmering, iridescent blue that subtly changes depending on the viewing angle. This amazing color isn’t created with pigment–as […]

Some butterflies are amazing examples of biological diversity, and the Scarlet Mormon (Papilio rumanzovia) is one such butterfly. It’s a regular in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing. For one thing, it’s “sexually dimorphic,” that is, the male and female butterfly look different. That’s not the case with all butterfly species. […]

The pupae of the Cruiser butterfly (Vindula dejone) is amazing, and very different than most of the others we receive. They look like little dragons hanging upside down! Another interesting characteristic of this species is the adults are sexually dimorphic, which means the males and females look different from each […]

It is amazing the difference an “o” makes. In the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing we fly both Archaeoprepona demophon (Banded King Shoemaker) and Archaeoprepona demophoon (Silver King Shoemaker). Not only are the names similar, but the two species even look very similar. In the wild they occupy the same habitats but, interestingly, utilize different parts […]

Sometimes the best camouflage is to have no camouflage at all. The Glasswing Butterfly (Greta oto) has fascinating wings with clear membrane so that you see right through them. This allows it to instantly blend in, no matter what the background. It can be hard to find, so take an […]

Swallowtails are spectacular butterflies, and in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing we fly both the Thoas swallowtail (Papilio thoas) and the giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes). At first glance, these two species can be very difficult to tell apart. Learn to ID them by counting the number of spots on the […]

Join us for the annual Pollinator Fest! On Saturday, June 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., come celebrate this diverse population of insects. It’s so much more than bees! Browse booths and stations and talk with experts to learn more about these insects, often threatened, that are crucial to […]

Owl Butterflies, butterflies in the family Caligo, are a pretty common occurrence in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing. We also fly other similar species that resemble the Owl Butterflies, such as the Purple Mort Bleu (Eryphanis polyxena). Like the Owls, the Purple Mort Bleu also has a large eye spot on […]

Longwing butterflies in the family Heliconius can be a little tricky to identify. They are smaller with a wing that is longer than it is wide. But one species in that group that is easier to spot is the Doris Longwing (Heliconius doris). Its wings always have a black background color, and […]