A couple things really disturbed me today. Someone out there in the blogosphere mentioned that monarch butterflies are almost gone, and I got to thinking... I haven't even seen one this year. I'm pretty good at noticing stuff like that. I asked a few friends in different places, and they said they'd seen maybe one, two at most. One has a monarch caterpillar in her backyard on the milkweed she let grow for just that purpose. I've seen lots of cabbage moths, and one other butterfly. I don't know what kind, just that it was one of the orange varieties that isn't a monarch.
The other is that I have seen almost no bumblebees. I saw my first one last week. First one of the year.
Also, not so many flies. Of any kind. But, certainly more flies than bees.
Monsanto tried to discredit and ostracize Rachel Carson in the early 60's, when they were doing to nature what they're doing again right now.
We need another popular wake-up call like Silent Spring, but I'm afraid that people don't care as much about insects as they do about birds...
Ontario bee-keeper loses 37 million bees
A catastrophic year for bee colonies- The Globe and Mail
Loss of bees affects plant's abilities to reproduce- NY Times
They're actually so much more important.
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