iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The scumbags realize how ‘impossible’ it is for academics to find funding sources other than via federal grants thru their universities. They know you and all of your research programs will disappear soon. Science is held hostage-big time- on this side of the pond…

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Musems that have been developed over dozens or hundreds of years cannot just be shuttered, when other options exist, by a free and fair society. We have a very serious problem here in the USA- and it radiates worldwide.

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It’s so sad to see USA university after university relinquish their autonomy after bowing to threats from our massively corrupt “leaders🤢”. My beloved @cornelluniversity.bsky.social caved like a bunch of cowards- their museums will surely disappear soon, too (Shame on you Cornell!!!).

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As more and more academia-affiliated folks get sidelined, and more museums close down based on hasty or forced decisions from those ‘above’ (morally way down below), maybe this idea will gain some traction…? Until then, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSEUMS!

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… for political reasons. I don’t see the traditional funding sources for science and natural history museums ever coming back in the USA. If we don’t find a different path forward, our scientific efforts will be snuffed out. We need a scientific infrastructure far more diverse than universities!

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The traditional model of “institutional funding” for natural history museums and collections is broken in the USA. Universities feel free to ignore previous agreements and just close museums and sell or shutter collections! This is unacceptable. We need to develop a new privately-funded model!

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This is so fucking infuriating! Another museum shutting down 😭

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Parnassius butterflies are simply extraordinary! I've been so lucky to have them in my life for as long as I can remember... It makes watching their habitats being destroyed for more and more homes so very, very painful...

Two mating butterflies perched on a succulent plant, against a rocky background. The plant, Sedum lanceolatum is the caterpillar's foodplant. The female (above) will loose her yellowish coloration in the hours after mating as her wings dry and harden. These are from a low-elevation site for Parnassius smintheus sayii east of Castle Rock, Douglas County, Colorado, USA, which is sadly being converted into 525 more homes- the future residents of 'Bella Mesa North' will live here instead. As I painfully watch the habitat become degraded and destroyed, my memories of these magnificent butterflies and their landscape become more and more cherished.....

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Reposted by Andrew Warren

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

If you want a full rundown of the Academy of Natural sciences situation, this video does a really good job of covering it. youtu.be/nxyfBfCrbDw?...

youtu.be

The Plan To Destroy Americas Oldest Natural History Museum

YouTube video by Miniminuteman

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Yup! I'll ramble on for 30+ pages describing variation, but these great illustrations from a century and a half ago sum it all up much better :)

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Can you believe these illustrations are 154 years old? They're from W. H. Edwards' 'The Butterflies of North America', Part 1, published between 1868-1872. These remain some of the finest illustrations showing variation in Colorado's Parnassius butterflies- which I'll be posting more about soon!

These extraordinarily detailed illustrations published by W. H. Edwards in 1972 depict variation in Colorado Parnassius butterflies that were collected by Theodore Mead in 1871. The paler individual on the upper right is a male, all others are females. Females from lower elevations (on the left: east slope above, west slope below) are larger and paler than females from the highest elevations (lower right). The high-elevation individuals have essentially always been considered an elevational "form" of the larger ones at elevations below, but after studying these for a very long time now, it appears clear to me that they are separate species. I'll be rambling a lot more about "Parnassius smintheus" (on the left) and "Parnassius hermodur" (on the right) in future posts...

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Bea Leiderman @bealeiderman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The largest of the bunch, and the only one I don’t have a still image of. The common Morpho, M. helenor. Nothing common about it, though. Each wing is as big as my hand.

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Marburymoths @marburybirds.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Oh my. This Clouded Yellow has just let me photograph it on my phone. Just look at the colour of its eye 😁 So glad this beautiful butterflies have turned up on patch this year.

Close up of a Clouded Yellow butterfly with its striking green eye

Close up of a Clouded Yellow butterfly with its striking green eyes

Clouded Yellow butterfly in the dewy grass

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Please repost! Drexel announced that it will close the Academy of Natural Sciences public museum- the oldest nat history museum in the US. There are 2 petitions to support the academy. Please sign both & come to our rally Tues. actionnetwork.org/petitions/pe... www.change.org/p/the-academ...

A poster featuring the T-Rex at the cognitive natural sciences, which says save the Academy natural sciences, museum rally in front of the academy 1900 Ben Franklin Parkway, Tuesday, September 8 10 AM. The T-Rex is saying tell Drexel keep the museum open. There’s an RSVP QR code and then the logos of Philly Science Action Skype scientist In Philly on the bottom.

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

This is just a vicious little jumping spider- ready to leap if I get any closer!!! Western Pygmy Blue Brephidium exilis Pueblo County, Colorado, USA

One of North America’s tiniest butterflies, Western Pygmy Blues have black and metallic greenish scales that resemble the eyes of a jumping spider… The whitish markings below vaguely resemble spider legs…. This one hadn’t become active for the day yet and was quietly perched near the larval foodplants- the time when such a strong resemblance to a spider is likely most important.

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Got the first batch of these fine friends into the fridge for 2-3 months today. They are on a saturated bed of sterilized sand among pieces of sterile gauze… Will be checking on them often… Good Luck!

This plastic container has 2 inches of saturated, sterile sand below sterile gauze strips on top. Four ventilation holes in the container, one on each side. This has been a successful overwintering setup for pupae in the past- first time trying this with larvae. The larvae are all curled up in a defensive posture since I just placed them there…

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

The caterpillars have apparently decided to overwinter- seems I still have much work to do……..

This caterpillar is curled up in the palm of my hand. The bristles are hairs-not spines- and are soft in the hand… I think it’s done feeding for the season so it’s going in the fridge for a few months…!

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Looks like a great time! Best wishes to all of you…

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Nice find! Insulting common name tho for this magnificent little one… It is a great skipper indeed!

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I would imagine the birds don’t care too much about the table collapse…

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Had such an insightful day studying two adjacent side canyons off Glenwood Canyon, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA. The first two pics show a forested canyon that barely got spared from the Grizzly Creek Fire of 2020. The second two pics are of Grizzly Creek Canyon, 6 years after the fire.

Forested canyon with creek near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA. Walking path at lower right.

Rocky, forested canyon near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA. This canyon barely got spared from the Grizzly Creek fire of 2020 just to the east.

Grizzly Creek Canyon 6 years after it burned. Some trees were spared, but most vegetation here is growing back anew. The butterfly fauna here is not as rich now as it was before the fire, but a lot of species are doing great here now.

Canyon wall of Grizzly Creek Canyon, a side canyon off Glenwood Canyon, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA. The burnt trees are still standing from the Grizzly Creek Fire in 2020. The low, green, mat-like shrubs on the steep slope are Gambel Oaks coming back up from the roots.

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Super-cute cat! Congratulations!!!

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Reposted by Andrew Warren

Sarah Finn @romanceofbooks.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

My first article was published in the Archives of Natural History! It is about The Naturalist’s Library, a popular forty-volume book series published in Edinburgh from 1833-1843 by William Home Lizars and Sir William Jardine. @sochistnathist.bsky.social

Cover of the recent issue of Archives of Natural History. Phlox flowers in the background.

Two original watercolours by James Hope Stewart (1789 –1856) that were the basis for steel engravings for The Naturalist’s Library. Top: ‘Glossy Ibis’ (Plegadis falcinellus). Bottom: ‘Kingfisher’ (Alcedo atthis).

From the Library and Archives, Natural History Museum, London

@nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Watched this video about 10 times 😂

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

The best way to start the day- with a lovely two-tailed swallowtail…!

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Ceci mp @cecimp.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

"A New Challenge to Species Delimitation: Remarkable Genomic and Ecological Diversity in the Butterfly Melitaea diamina" has been published! Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... #PublishedArticle @WileyInResearch

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Florida Museum of Natural History @floridamuseum.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Museum Collections 🔬 Secret Morphology Lepidopterists can often look at butterfly and moth wing patterns to help identify them, but not always. They sometimes have to rely on – genitalia dissection. Read about this with our McGuire Center: www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/mcguire/news...

a brightly back-lit image of what looks like a five petalled flower with pink hair on its petals next to a small glassy oblong tube with short golden hairs lining one end. There is a small inset showing a tiny glass dish near labels which indicates this could be magnified biological items from insects of some kind

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Nature’s Edge @edge-nature.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Thank you! It mostly came down to luck…

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Reposted by Andrew Warren

Peck’s Skipper finally showed up in the garden. Their caterpillars can develop in nonnative bluegrass, and other native grasses.

A small swept winged butterfly with yellow surrounded with brown cells. They look fast!

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Flashback to the beginning… oh how fast they grow up!

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These caterpillars have been great travel companions as I traverse the landscape. They are forgiving of poor conditions as they arise- they seem to be focused on a future ahead… Highly recommend!

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So, know it or not, today is your lucky day! You are one of the first humans to see the fully-grown caterpillar of the undescribed Hypsocompe species! They have been happy feeding on a lot of plants, but at the moment seem to prefer the organic romaine from Whole Foods… 🐛😁

Bristly blackish caterpillar with orangish highlights, in the palm of my hand. This is an undescribed species… I’ve been rearing this and its ~200 siblings, with good success so far. I hope they beef up and make cocoons soon, otherwise I might have to figure out how to overwinter them…

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nunesnaturalist.bsky.social @nunesnaturalist.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

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The hills are alive with the sound of vibrating keratin segments! Rattlesnakes, like this defensive Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), employ aposematic signaling to warn nearby threats, like coyotes, bobcats, and passing hikers, of their deadly presence. Be vigilant out there!

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

It was a long hot day, but in a majestical place that is poorly surveyed for butterflies. AND we found our target: a very poorly known metalmark (Apodemia sp.)!

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Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

I’m clueless on birch taxonomy… can only ID to genus… some years the sapsuckers tear up these birches pretty well- the resulting sap wells are butterfly magnets, especially for this Oreas Anglewing…

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Reposted by Andrew Warren

This anglewing butterfly is very rarely seen because it basically never visits flowers or damp ground- it is a sap feeder. Endemic to Colorado’s Front Range: Polygonia oreas nigrozephyrus Douglas County, Colorado

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Or, at least that’s the way I imagine the interaction… probably all wrong…

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Yes, that must be some REALLY GOOD SAP to put up with those ants… Ants: this is SUCH GREAT SAP we’ll go ahead and leave this otherwise yummy butterfly alone…

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It’s from one of the few places I know where it can regularly be found. Note the white legs, that match the PNW oreas. Also, the ants. How is it that they run all around the buttetfly legs but ultimately don’t even disturb it?

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