Saving the Monarch Butterfly>:< >:< >:<

[chuck kottke]

:flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby::flutterby:

It's Time to save the Monarch Butterfly!:):flutterby:

Alright, here's the chance to prove Einstein right and pay homage to Rachel Carson: Let's put the power of our imaginations to work figuring out ways to save the monarch butterfly!!

A few I've been thinking of..:

(1) Save wetlands, and encourage milkweed to grow

(2) Grow a patch of milkweed and flowers in your yard or garden!

(3) Save the Mexican economy, so less pressure is put on logging in the forest home of the monarchs

(4) Pour & erect concrete "tree trunks" in the new tree growth where recent logging has occurred, so there's plenty of warm thermal masses for the butterflies to cling to (that can never be cut).

[The Escapist]

Is it endangered?

[мaямellata]

how does mexico economy relate to the butterfly?

[chuck kottke]

Not exactly endangered Bryce, but it could be if things keep getting worse. The monarch is an unusual butterfly, in that it migrates from as far north as Canada, down to central Mexico, and over-winters in huddled masses on the trunks of trees in the mountains there. Big trees are essential for it's survival, as the moderated warmth of the trunk keeps the monarchs from freezing at night, and also the shade of the canopy keeps them from getting too hot during the day. So, as poor families search for a means of survival, they illegally cut trees at night - unfortunately, the biggest, old-growth trees necessary for the butterflies' warming pads.

It's quite a site to see, incidentally. The tree trunks are literally completely covered with these beautiful butterflies; NOVA just ran a science special on it = I'll search for a link...

[chuck kottke]

how does mexico economy relate to the butterfly?

Hello Isabella!:)

Poverty in the region has driven many to illegally log the big trees in the mountains in this region of Mexico, and the trees are essential for the butterflies survival. Hence, a better economy = less logging pressure (I hope!).

[мaямellata]

oh i see..

yes please link!

[chuck kottke]

The Link for the program is:NOVA | The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies | PBS

:flutterby::wink:

[The Escapist]

thanks. ill check out the link now

[мaямellata]

NOVA | The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies | PBS[/url]

:flutterby::wink:

thanks chuck ♥

 

i love NOVA. they always show interesting things..

[chuck kottke]

:)You're most very welcome!

[RICK8]

Oh,for a moment there I thought you had lost your marbles!! :lol:

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Survival of the fittest?

[мaямellata]

i know this is out of topic, but have you seen the movie "bloodline" chuck?

[chuck kottke]

Bloodline? I haven't a clue! I'm not much of a moviegoer, I'm afraid, Isabella.

[мaямellata]

hahah, well, it came out on dvd. its interesting...

but um. you are afraid? oh why oh why?

[chuck kottke]

Sounds like a vampire movie to me!

But anyhow, this is for the lovely endangered lepidoptera, so named the Monarch because of it's glorious regal wings, the color and appearance of a royal coat (similar to the one a certain Chris Martin wears, and as well as the famous Butterfly drops at the concerts) - It all ties in nicely.:)

[мaямellata]

haha *VMschuck*

[localola86]

I have seen in the news the story of the monarch :flutterby: and its link with the Mexican economy. WHY THE BUTTERFLIES? :bigcry:

[chuck kottke]

Back to topic here - I found this interesting article explaining thermals, which are essential to the Monarch butterfly's ability to make the incredible 50-miles per day traveling necessary to reach central Mexico. Here's the link:THE ROTATION OF THERMALS

[chuck kottke]

hope

 

I have seen in the news the story of the monarch :flutterby: and its link with the Mexican economy. WHY THE BUTTERFLIES? :bigcry:

I think there's still plenty of hope for the success of the Monarch Butterfly, if we apply some brain power. Maybe some better logging practices and regrowth in other regions; or a factory that pays well, and creates composite spline-glued beams from small re-growth timber to fit the needed jobs in the area - or even newer natural fiber composite beams. It's out of basic human needs that the trees are cut - but the demand is for wide lumber and beams, which can be made better (no defects) using laminated or splined pieces of smaller wood or fiber crops. Some investment would help - good paying jobs and the materials that are in demand..

[chuck kottke]

:flutterby:: Just found something on Monarch Butterfly gardens, and if anyone is interested in participating in one, helping to keep the monarch population healthy, there are some neat gardens in D.C. & Maryland where you can volunteer: Defenders WVC Monarch Locations - Google Maps

Or, learn from their example, and grow your own!:) :flutterby:

[ricardo]

I've been there. It was simply magical and beautiful, it's just can't be described. Saving those forests it's hard, Michoacan (the sate where most of the butterflies nest) is a mess.

[chuck kottke]

I've been there. It was simply magical and beautiful, it's just can't be described. Saving those forests it's hard, Michoacan (the sate where most of the butterflies nest) is a mess.

Oh man, that must have been magical! I would be in seventh heaven seeing it too - you're so lucky Ricardo to have had the opportunity!!

It just seems like if there were ever a natural treasure to save, this is an incredible one - I did see some of the problems discussed about the forest and the logging going on, wish there were some way to take the pressure off the need to log to make a living there..

Your country is getting it's house in order from what I hear - any chance the Mexican government, with input from the local people, scientists, and all citizens of Mexico, will do something to save the forests there, and find other ways to offset the needs of the people living in the surrounding area? What does the government in the state of Michoacan think about preserving the forests for the monarchs?

[ricardo]

Oh man, that must have been magical! I would be in seventh heaven seeing it too - you're so lucky Ricardo to have had the opportunity!!

It just seems like if there were ever a natural treasure to save, this is an incredible one - I did see some of the problems discussed about the forest and the logging going on, wish there were some way to take the pressure off the need to log to make a living there..

Your country is getting it's house in order from what I hear - any chance the Mexican government, with input from the local people, scientists, and all citizens of Mexico, will do something to save the forests there, and find other ways to offset the needs of the people living in the surrounding area? What does the government in the state of Michoacan think about preserving the forests for the monarchs?

The trees were carpeted with butterflies and at one point some started flying and bathing in some puddles, just being there in the lush forests with the impossibly blue sky above and the monarchs adding the motley and colorful touch is worth the experience...

Well I think there are bigger concerns right now, such as this stupid war on drugs and economy. Michoacan's rural areas are controlled by crime and just like in all of Mexico, the rural areas are also the poorest and least developped areas. And well what else can be said: money will always come first and of course people will always be more important than butterflies. However this logging will solve midly people's needs and just in a short period of time and eventually will destroy them. People will realize one day that this unconscious coexistence with nature will lead us to downfall, hope when they do it's not too late. This lack of harmony apart from being unethical, is self-destructive. All of us need to being working on that, from government to citizens we're all people and we need to solve this immediately. In fact some weeks ago I remember reading a small note on the newspaper about Michoacan people protesting about logging with a demonstration. But heck Michoacan is a crime hotspot, that is just one of their problems.

[chuck kottke]

The trees were carpeted with butterflies and at one point some started flying and bathing in some puddles, just being there in the lush forests with the impossibly blue sky above and the monarchs adding the motley and colorful touch is worth the experience...

Well I think there are bigger concerns right now, such as this stupid war on drugs and economy. Michoacan's rural areas are controlled by crime and just like in all of Mexico, the rural areas are also the poorest and least developped areas. And well what else can be said: money will always come first and of course people will always be more important than butterflies. However this logging will solve midly people's needs and just in a short period of time and eventually will destroy them. People will realize one day that this unconscious coexistence with nature will lead us to downfall, hope when they do it's not too late. This lack of harmony apart from being unethical, is self-destructive. All of us need to being working on that, from government to citizens we're all people and we need to solve this immediately. In fact some weeks ago I remember reading a small note on the newspaper about Michoacan people protesting about logging with a demonstration. But heck Michoacan is a crime hotspot, that is just one of their problems.

All I can think of is WOW. Awesome!:flutterby::awesome: I've seen pictures of that forest, trees covered with monarchs, on TV, but being there must have been like heaven! Here, just the fledgling monarchs, sipping nectar & heading down on their long journey. I did get to see a pair mating the other day, what a funny thing to watch. One monarch hangs with wings folded beneath the other, and the top one has to fly around in a pattern, carrying the weight of two - I'm amazed at how strong they are!

Oh yes, I have seen a lot of documentaries on the problem, so it is unfortunate the way things are. With poverty & corruption, there has to be a better way - the trees might grow back, the butterflies don't have the flexibility of being started again from seeds. I understand rural poverty and what happens in desperate places; wish I had the magic solution! Here, it was the cutting of the last southern old-growth forests and that ended the ivory billed woodpeckers forever. We learned but in many cases too late. But maybe there is hope - to become conscious of our relationship with nature, I have to hope for as well. It is a lot more than just the needs, it's some of the values we place on things, the status symbolism in human cultures. And the disconnect from nature, coming from status symbol land here, ain't that the truth! So the Michoacan people are protesting the logging, meaning the native tribe there? Hope they succeed, but I understand the general forces they are up against. Seems like it's near impossible to save anything unless we first address the social problems, the poverty and dilemmas of modernity, as well as a better values system. I get into trouble here when I talk about things like that - saying we need to keep roads winding, slow people down so they appreciate more where they are, keep things human, pay a living wage - I think that is the problem, our egos and competitiveness and insulation from nature dims our appreciation of the natural beauty all around us. But maybe with all the reform movements, there will be a change in how things are done. It sounds like there is a strong effort to reform the government in Mexico, and I do hope that succeeds, and here too - though we're facing a lot of battles ahead!