Please allow me to tell you about today's trip to Missouri's Cuivre River State Park, about 1 1/2 hour drive from St. Louis. My family and our friends had lunch in the picnic area before setting out on a short hike on a half-dry creek bed. To the right you'll see a typical portion of this walk (clicking on these images will give you bigger higher-res versions). No, we didn't see any bears or snakes, but it was a beautiful day (high temperature about 70, after a summer filled with 100 degree days) and we saw quite a few small spectacular things.How about this blue moth, for example? I looked up this article and it really seems to be a moth and not a butterfly. [More . . . ]