Although another winter storm is forecast to hit northern Iowa later this week, spring marches on, and with it returns the central Iowa butterfly forecast, updated every two weeks. I haven’t seen any butterflies yet this year, but several people I know have spotted them within the past week.

During the past two days, ruby-throated hummingbirds have been seen in southern Illinois and Missouri. The only hummingbird species native to the Midwest, these birds usually arrive in central Iowa by May 1.

The federal government is asking for the public’s help in monitoring and preserving native bat populations, threatened by a fungus causing “White-nose syndrome.”

This is an open thread: all topics welcome.

A generous Des Moines business owner got national publicity this week. Ellen DeGeneres gave $10,000 to Derrick Walton, a onetime homeless man who established Chef D’s Rock Power Pizza on the south side of Des Moines. Walton feeds needy people for free at his restaurant on Mondays.

UPDATE: Remarkably, one of the three eggs from the Decorah eagles’ nest hatched on April 2. I would not have thought eagles could successfully incubate eggs through the unusually harsh weather we’ve had since late February.