Adriana Shoning’s blue ribbon winner in the Ugly Cake Contest at the Iowa State Fair, a competition for teens. Animal lovers like me needn’t stew… better this happened to a cake (happily still edible) than a real critter. And what a smart strategy for keeping a teen busy – encourage yours to get in the kitchen and bake up something ugly for July 4th festivities. Hey, any idea what native Iowan species this might be?