South Texas Thing - Strange Object on Path [Butterfly]

The butterflies, incidentally, here in South Texas are dead. They fly a few days and fly through mostly vehicle grills and I am genuinely surprised at any making it to Mexico if they do. They're super tiny and each year that 'swarm' dwindles, there's just not enough of them anymore with the climate change. It's too bad but off topic, that's just something that happens here with their migration and if we see more than 10 in a season, that's a lot. If they're swarming, I would think it would be in the countryside not in the city, at least, we don't see a lot of them.
 
always with a birds-ish head and this time, I got it. The first and probably only time in my life. I defo will include it in a future book because it's extraordinary and comforting.
youre going to have to find a way to outline the "birdish" head or 95% of your readers will never see it.

and it is an American Snout butterfly.
 
I have come to terms with a possible harbinger, I've seen this in my life before as I mentioned originally and just never got anything on film, I thought I was just projecting my energy. I was going to open post this to the world on some popular platform but I'm not going to.

Well I hope we've managed to put your mind at ease. Must have been scary - but if I remember my animal totems correctly butterflies are harbingers of joy and a reminder to enjoy the dance of life.

A good omen indeed. :)
 
Different Native American tribes interpret butterflies in their own way, but generally, they're thought to represent change and transformation, comfort, hope, and positivity. While some believed ancestors communicated through butterflies, others took the presence of these creatures as a joyous or hopeful sign.
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deep.
Article:
In early Christianity, the butterfly was a symbol of the soul. In China, it was used as a symbol of conjugal bliss and joy. The butterfly was particularly revered by the tribes of the American southwest. Its dance is performed by both Navajo and Hopis. In the Hopi tradition, unmarried girls of the butterfly clan wore their hair in the shape of butterfly wings to advertise their availability. To Native Americans, the butterfly is a symbol of change, joy and color. The exquisite butterfly was considered a miracle of transformation and resurrection.

In the Old World, the connotation was negative; the butterfly was thought to be the spirit of the dead. In Gnostic art, the angel of death is depicted crushing a butterfly underfoot. Its attraction to flame and light symbolize purification by fire. Sailors who saw a butterfly prior to embarkation believed that they would die at sea. In some areas of England, it is thought that butterflies contain the souls of children who have come back to life. Elsewhere in England, a person is supposed to kill the first butterfly they see or face a year of bad luck; if that first butterfly in spring is yellow, sickness is in store for the entire family. Only in Scotland and Ireland does the appearance of a golden butterfly signify something good – it is believed that a golden butterfly near the dead ensures the soul’s place in heaven.
 
Ah yes, of course: transformation, metamorphosis - makes sense.

Ted Andrews used to be my go to guy for animal totem definitions:

Screen Shot 2022-10-25 at 16.43.30.png
 
my go to guy for animal totem definitions:
but dont forget her totem isnt a butterfly. she doesnt think it is a butterfly. i guess a vulture following you around might be considered creepy, but im a bit wednesday adamsish, so i think that is much cooler than the grey hawk that follows me around.
 
but dont forget her totem isnt a butterfly

A totem can be whatever's showing up for you in the moment. Mainly if a particular animal appears repeatedly or in unusual circumstances, then it's a good time to pay attention to whatever 'message' it might have for you.

And if they sit down and start talking to you that would be considered "highly unusual". ;)

Lots of vultures round here since I'm basically in the desert. They're okay from a distance but not the prettiest things close up.
 
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Like if they sit down and start talking to you that would be considered "highly unusual". ;)
yea ive never seen a bird sit down near me (aside from geese). that would be freaky.

the crows and seagulls talk alot, but i assume they are always saying something along the lines of "give me some of those french fries" or (in the case of crows) "give me whatever you are eating".
 
the crows and seagulls talk alot, but i assume they are always saying something along the lines of "give me some of those french fries" or (in the case of crows) "give me whatever you are eating".
I have seen a crow having a long conversation with a seagull, neither of them acting aggressive toward the other, but the subject was obviously some spilled fries in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. :)
 
but dont forget her totem isnt a butterfly. she doesnt think it is a butterfly.

:D

After all that trouble. Well, nevermind. A very useful and eye-opening thread about optical illusions nonetheless. For the general viewer.

P.S. Loved your brilliant little visuals. You'd make a great science illustrator for kids and adults a like.
 
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I have seen a crow having a long conversation with a seagull, neither of them acting aggressive toward the other, but the subject was obviously some spilled fries in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. :)

Amazing bird conversations delight my every morning here in tropical Malaysia.




 
The butterflies, incidentally, here in South Texas are dead. They fly a few days and fly through mostly vehicle grills and I am genuinely surprised at any making it to Mexico if they do.

I got curious about this and wondered if it might be possible that there would still be a few stragglers in the San Antonio area in mid-October. So I emailed Molly Keck - an Integrated Pest Management Program Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife in San Antonio and Board Certified Entomologist (and the interviewee in the TPR clip) - and she was kind enough to reply and confirm that, actually, they're present year round and she's still seeing a reasonable amount of them at the moment.

Here's what she wrote:

The image isn’t great, but it’s definitely a snout nose butterfly. They are still around. They actually fly all year, but we see them in the greatest numbers in the fall. I’m still seeing them in pretty decent numbers, so it’s not unusual that she would have spotted one. I would wager that the majority of the butterflies people are noticing that aren’t obviously monarchs or queens are the snouts.
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She also complimented JMartJr's "good eye" for being the first to suggest butterfly. :)
 
These last couple weeks, I've had this looked at by the zoology dept at UT Austin and it's been confirmed by both a professor and a few people off a research team there that I met through a friend, that this is not any known animal or insect. I'm more confident now to go forward with including this in my project. Thanks again everyone!
 
These last couple weeks, I've had this looked at by the zoology dept at UT Austin and it's been confirmed by both a professor and a few people off a research team there that I met through a friend, that this is not any known animal or insect. I'm more confident now to go forward with including this in my project. Thanks again everyone!
Did you include this particular butterfly in your questions to them?
 
In particular, did you show them this image that Deirdre posted?

1667487180903.png

Thanks again everyone!

Our pleasure. I think we all enjoyed that one and it made a nice change from blobs in the sky. :)
 
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These last couple weeks, I've had this looked at by the zoology dept at UT Austin and it's been confirmed by both a professor and a few people off a research team there that I met through a friend, that this is not any known animal or insect. I'm more confident now to go forward with including this in my project. Thanks again everyone!

They weren't real academics, then. There's at least a few papers in a new species.
 
Ken Gerhard said yesterday that it was not any kind of known animal/insect. I'm not here to enlighten anyone, I just wanted to see if tech people could see if it was a glitch. I am moving forward with this, thanks again everyone !
 
Ken Gerhard

Just for the rest of us, Mr. Gerhard is not exactly an entomologist:

Ken Gerhard is a cryptozoologist and field investigator for the Centre for Fortean Zoology as well as a fellow of the Pangea Institute and consultant for various research groups. He has investigated reports of cryptids and mysterious animals around the world including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra, Mothman, Thunderbirds and Werewolves.

In addition to co-hosting the History Channel series Missing in Alaska, he has appeared in three episodes of the television series MonsterQuest (History Channel) and was featured in the History Channel special "The Real Wolfman". Gerhard's other appearances include Ancient Aliens (History Channel), Legend Hunters (Travel Channel), The Unexplained Files (Science Channel), Paranatural (National Geographic), True Monsters (History Channel), Weird or What? with William Shatner (Syfy), Monsters and Mysteries in America (Destination America), True Supernatural (Destination America), Ultimate Encounters (truTV), Monster Project (Nat Geo Wild) and Shipping Wars (A&E).

His credits include appearances on several news broadcasts, Coast to Coast AM, and Ireland’s Newstalk, as well as being featured in various books, DVDs and in articles by the Associated Press, Houston Chronicle and Tampa Tribune. Gerhard has contributed to trade publications including Fate Magazine, Animals and Men, Cryptid Culture, The Journal of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club and Bigfoot Times.

He currently lectures and exhibits at events across the United States.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Gerhard
 
Ken Gerhard said yesterday that it was not any kind of known animal/insect. I'm not here to enlighten anyone, I just wanted to see if tech people could see if it was a glitch. I am moving forward with this, thanks again everyone !
Ken Gerhard is not on the faculty of UT Austin, as far as I can find out, and doesn't seem to be knowledgeable about the field. I suggest you consult an entomologist, a person specializing in insect identification. It doesn't need to be someone in Austin, because I'm sure you can do it with email.
 
Ken Gerhard is not on the faculty of UT Austin, as far as I can find out, and doesn't seem to be knowledgeable about the field. I suggest you consult an entomologist, a person specializing in insect identification. It doesn't need to be someone in Austin, because I'm sure you can do it with email.

Rory did in post #92 and it elicited no response. Lore was not forthcoming about who she talked to at UTA or their qualifications, but she did mention Gerhard, and his credentials speak for themselves.

Unfortunately, it appears that Lore already had in her mind what the "thing" was in her picture and the only reason to bring it here was to make sure that, it in fact, was in the picture and not a "glitch" in the camera. Once several members confirmed that "it" was in the photograph (because it's very likely a butterfly), explanations where unneeded and tossed aside (all the butterflies are dead).

Unlike many here, Mr. Gerhard confirmed what Lore was already thinking. Whatever is in the photo is no known animal/insect and therefore is what Lore suspected it was all along. From the OP (bold by me):

I need this debunked. I need it sharpened or something where we can see what the hell this is. I have ideas on what it is, it’s been with me but to catch it, I don’t know now.
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In post #1 there are two photos side by side. Does anybody know the cross eye technique for seeing a 3D image? In this case it's not very distinctive but in my imagination there is a slight 3D effect with the butterfly slightly popping out.
I copied the butterfly into the image without it. Stare onto the picture like you were looking into the distance until both images are overlapping, then try to focus. If the image is too big press cmd minus to adjust the size of your browser window, tilt your head or your monitor to get everything exactly overlapping. It's pretty easy once you get it.
3d2.jpg
 
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