tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post7686526565867939694..comments2024-03-28T23:22:41.774-05:00Comments on TYWKIWDBI ("Tai-Wiki-Widbee"): There should be more butterflies (updated)Minnesotastanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-34980283304124720662021-10-10T09:30:44.775-05:002021-10-10T09:30:44.775-05:00Impressive, scary, and sad. Thanks for posting th...Impressive, scary, and sad. Thanks for posting the information, Jim.Minnesotastanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-69428979240602481092021-10-09T18:43:13.473-05:002021-10-09T18:43:13.473-05:00I have lived on a small farm/ranch in Mendocino Co...I have lived on a small farm/ranch in Mendocino County for 50 years.<br />I have avoided making an inventory of species lost, or nearly so, in that time, but should.<br />Just for a few: Frogs and toads, newts and salamanders, lizards, crawdads, even Jerusalem Crickets.<br />Cowbirds, pheasant, kites, meadowlarks. Many more.<br />I have pasture land with no pesticide or herbicide use ever, but am surrounded by increasing vineyard planting (15 years+), none of which make any claim of organic practice.<br />Two cents anecdote. Sorry.Mendo Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06481821676197739907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-88864005815641047962021-10-03T16:27:19.560-05:002021-10-03T16:27:19.560-05:00I think it’s BT. They use it in Ag and Forestry to...I think it’s BT. They use it in Ag and Forestry to kill moth larvae, but it’s an indiscriminate killer of any flying insect larva. See BT corn in the Midwest, for an example, or the spraying for gypsy moths in western forestsmikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12550138418128556004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-60103264210755121832021-09-30T22:17:28.102-05:002021-09-30T22:17:28.102-05:00Here in southern Maryland it has been an odd year....Here in southern Maryland it has been an odd year. Insect numbers are down. Deer fry season , usually three weeks plus of hell was one week and few files. No bites. The under-story on the back ten acres is almost continuous Spicebush but very few Spicebush Swallowtail at the Butterfly bushes. There is never a shortage of chiggers and ticks but there were non of the emerald green tiger beetles. We have four or five species of firefly but few were present. On the other hand we had a monstrous fig harvest. The spiders in the leaf litter are out in force. I wear a headlamp when I walk the dogs actually just one now. I see their twinkling yellow green eyes everywhere staring back at me. We have a garden plot fenced from the deer that has gone feral, no pesticides or mowing and the black-eyed Susans are taking over but no increase in arthropods. Maybe the spiders, being predators, are just out of phase with the prey and will be gone next year. Only one small Holly near the house was a riot of of activity when it bloomed. On that happy note I will say 'Good Night".. Tom Gaffigamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-63423663781602698902021-09-30T13:44:41.124-05:002021-09-30T13:44:41.124-05:00Smart enough to look for distant planets in the Go...Smart enough to look for distant planets in the Goldilocks Zone, but not smart enough to remain there ourselves. Perhaps, whatever evolves from the stink bug or the extremophiles might handle the Promethean challenge a bit better. Crowboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615681320852482003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-24641609682336135122021-09-30T12:12:18.070-05:002021-09-30T12:12:18.070-05:00Perhaps the stink bugs will join cockroaches and j...Perhaps the stink bugs will join cockroaches and jellyfish as the final survivors on planet Earth.Minnesotastanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-58587477825240599782021-09-30T09:41:51.964-05:002021-09-30T09:41:51.964-05:00Over here in Nashville, TN there is certainly *no*...Over here in Nashville, TN there is certainly *no* shortage of stink bugs... We cannot open a door without a dozen waiting to jump in.mIKEShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03323265886140293924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-18226903438123923872021-09-30T07:56:26.765-05:002021-09-30T07:56:26.765-05:00A quote I've saved that seems prescient:
“We ...A quote I've saved that seems prescient:<br /><br />“We probably could have saved ourselves, but we were too damned lazy to try very hard ... and too damn cheap”.<br />- suggested carving into a wall on the Grand Canyon, as a message for flying-saucer creatures, by Kurt Vonnegut<br />hoosierinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-68868521718769371052021-09-29T19:43:34.504-05:002021-09-29T19:43:34.504-05:00It will be interesting to see how many of your Bla...It will be interesting to see how many of your Black Swallowtail cats survive in the carrot patch. As they get bigger their camouflage is less effective, and they are tasty morsels for predators and wasps. I found four BST cats on our rue and brought them in to our screen porch to feed them in their final weeks. They are currently in chrysalis form and will remain so over the winter.Minnesotastanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-32894120982410675772021-09-29T18:15:10.472-05:002021-09-29T18:15:10.472-05:00It's definitely a widespread phenomenon. I liv...It's definitely a widespread phenomenon. I live in Central Virginia, a little south of Richmond. 6 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter, my middle school science club kids did a butterfly survey by the school and around their homes. I still have their data, and both monarch and tiger swallowtails were frequently spotted- enough that they kept tally's of males and females. 5 years later my daughter and I spotted 2 monarchs all summer and thought it a miracle that one chose to lay an egg in the milkweed by our front porch. We've had 5 tiger swallowtails and are currently watching 4 swallowtail caterpillars eat the greens off our carrot patch. My daughter decided they needed the carrots more than we did because there were so few adult butterflies left (and she loves carrots!)WatsonSciencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01410085262322771853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-69004561742006269522021-09-29T12:24:33.361-05:002021-09-29T12:24:33.361-05:00Terrifying!!Terrifying!!bobbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14353836074794786357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-73360770375739521952021-09-29T12:05:01.791-05:002021-09-29T12:05:01.791-05:00I live in northern California--at the edge of an a...I live in northern California--at the edge of an agricultural valley, close to extensive wild lands. At 65, I remember populations of insects and other wild life far exceeding what I see today. I'm now noticing every butterfly--possibly weeks apart--as if it's a rare jewel. I expect this is the "indicator" or leading edge of global environmental collapse and augurs human extinction. The pace of change has been especially stunning over the last decade. I believe our environmental change window was in the mid-part of the last century. At best, we punted. Not enough sacrifice, plenty of ritual. Hope I'm wrong. Crowboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615681320852482003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-72008574265934678712020-06-23T19:32:00.815-05:002020-06-23T19:32:00.815-05:00I had some fun with Prometheas about ten years ago...I had some fun with Prometheas about ten years ago -<br /><br />https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2009/07/cocoons-of-promethea-silkmoth.html<br />https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2009/07/callosamia-promethea-giant-silkmoth.html<br />https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2009/07/male-promethea-callosamia-moths.html<br /><br />But they are hard to find in my area, and I'm reluctant to buy them from commercial sites.Minnesotastanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382888179579245181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-44972292203225159072020-06-23T17:35:07.668-05:002020-06-23T17:35:07.668-05:00Update to previous post:
"I raised moths (Sat...Update to previous post:<br />"I raised moths (Saturnia hyalophora) and butterflies (Speyeria, Nymphalis & Papilio) as a hobby for 5 yrs till I had to move into a space w/o good environment. 3 weeks ago I caught a female S. hyalophora that laid approx 60 eggs. None of them have hatched. I used to think the decline in numbers was due to imported Tachinid flies used for army worm control (they feed on pupated larva), but this looks like something else. The eggs are small except for 3 or 4 that look normal. They only lay if they're bred (as far as I know), so though the problem may be fertility, it isn't unique to this particular moth."<br /><br />they've begun to hatch in the order they were laid, only a week late, so I guess they're ok. cripes I'm gonna have my hands full in another 2 weeks. :)Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16312596293696392614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-27701557346685849352020-06-23T15:42:57.692-05:002020-06-23T15:42:57.692-05:00Wow, that's sad.
Sue, I've seen a few but...Wow, that's sad.<br /><br />Sue, I've seen a few butterflies in downtown Toronto over the years I've lived here, but it's so rare that I can remember every one. Lydiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14241300876630582609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-58336832029104597162020-06-17T16:44:32.399-05:002020-06-17T16:44:32.399-05:00As a birder, I am concerned about insect decline a...As a birder, I am concerned about insect decline and the effect on bird populations. I did notice a healthy population of swallowtail caterpillars in my small pot of herbs (they devoured the dill and consumed the parsley with reluctance). But small changes in the environment can cause disruptions in populations. We are still trying to understand why the Inca dove population crashed in Tucson- they were a common yard bird 12-15 years ago. I haven't seen on in years, although the white winged and common ground dove numbers are strong.<br /><br />But to see invasive plants and animals is discouraging, knowing what is lost. Ninanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-71815140357946535682020-06-17T14:24:54.990-05:002020-06-17T14:24:54.990-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16312596293696392614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-2757558058052009102020-06-16T17:28:26.303-05:002020-06-16T17:28:26.303-05:00i am still waiting to see my first tiger swallowta...i am still waiting to see my first tiger swallowtail of the year. usually, by this time, i am inundated with them! meaning, i will see two or three flying around. similar case with the red admirals - i saw one once so far. <br /><br />on the other hand, i did have house wrens wintering over, which means we had a mild winter here.<br /><br />I-) <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-47603358737790010142020-06-16T17:16:43.491-05:002020-06-16T17:16:43.491-05:00I make trips between Southern Michigan and Norther...I make trips between Southern Michigan and Northern Michigan in the summer and can go 2 or three trips between windshield cleanings.<br />I know some of that is better aerodynamics on the car, but the lack of insects worries me. Alotrockyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17656781969522287931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-38986246043752157602020-06-16T16:36:29.092-05:002020-06-16T16:36:29.092-05:00Quite possibly the only way to stem the devastatio...Quite possibly the only way to stem the devastation that follows man's footsteps is to remove the man entirely, a feat nature perhaps has been trying to accomplish just recently.<br />Hoping that the powers that be will do something to save the world is a false hope when one realises that we collectively suffer the human condition.<br />Twenty years ago in Auckland, N.Z. someone found a foreign moth that had a penchant for leaving its eggs in apples, so in an attempt to save the dollars generated by the apple export, the government aerial sprayed the entire city, .... large planes flying low over the rooftops, daily, saturating everything with a sticky insecticide.<br />It felt like a coating of glue on the car windscreen, and I ensured my pets stayed inside when the planes were flying over.<br />Needless to say, nearly every insect died, and I guess as a method of eradicating the Gypsy Apple Moth it was successful.<br />But soon the birdsong stopped, not overnight but within a week or so, and the eerie feeling of waking up and opening the door of a morning to hear nothing is really disconcerting.<br />The birds came back, or I guess other birds moved in from areas that were not sprayed, but it took months.WilliamRockethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06353376414079333348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-45680229030342037082020-06-16T16:32:29.489-05:002020-06-16T16:32:29.489-05:00When was the last time you heard, "Close the ...When was the last time you heard, "Close the screen door, you're letting flies in!" It's been years.Marlys Hesch Sebaskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12228387908550622919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-844253383811907632020-06-16T14:21:35.705-05:002020-06-16T14:21:35.705-05:00I am 62 years old and I can tell you with certaint...I am 62 years old and I can tell you with certainty the earth is dying.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15930907968090599358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912713243046142041.post-30208347978976580132020-06-16T14:09:40.591-05:002020-06-16T14:09:40.591-05:00I have not seen a butterfly in 10 years in downtow...I have not seen a butterfly in 10 years in downtown Toronto, but I see a monarch now on my daily walk. A single, solitary butterfly.Sue Dunhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04386142309332609673noreply@blogger.com