In my part of California, I'm now noticing every "cabbage moth." Strictly an anecdotal impression, but numbers of all species have crashed. I'm old enough to remember seeing many times the number I see today. Heartbreaking.
And I'm old enough to remember when seeing a butterfly was no big deal. In recent years there have been times when I was in a park or the zoo or other community places and some child would shout "Look mom, a butterfly!" and people would turn their heads to see it. In my childhood they used to spatter on our windshields and I collected wings from my dad's car radiator grill.
The ones I remember best (because I brought home caterpillars or a chrysalis to watch them develop) were the Monarchs. I suppose most suburban children in the MIdwest in the 1950s raised and released Monarchs. I doubt that I would have seen anything that was endangered then and maybe absent now.
In my part of California, I'm now noticing every "cabbage moth." Strictly an anecdotal impression, but numbers of all species have crashed. I'm old enough to remember seeing many times the number I see today. Heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm old enough to remember when seeing a butterfly was no big deal. In recent years there have been times when I was in a park or the zoo or other community places and some child would shout "Look mom, a butterfly!" and people would turn their heads to see it. In my childhood they used to spatter on our windshields and I collected wings from my dad's car radiator grill.
DeleteDo you recall which butterflies you saw in your childhood - were they different than the ones you see today?
ReplyDeleteThe ones I remember best (because I brought home caterpillars or a chrysalis to watch them develop) were the Monarchs. I suppose most suburban children in the MIdwest in the 1950s raised and released Monarchs. I doubt that I would have seen anything that was endangered then and maybe absent now.
DeleteAgain, just my part of California: Monarchs used to be common. Then they were scarce. Now I can go a whole summer without seeing one.
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