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Perhaps the only place in the world where you can find an American bison (vs. buffalo) standing near a beach next to a palm tree. The week on Santa Catalina was an wonderful one, and despite a cool spring with a few unseasonable frosts, some decent collecting was done. Here are just . . . → Read More: The Bison of Catalina Share this! 2 comments - (Comments are closed)  Miscellaneous  Bison, Catalina Island, Conservation, Endemic Species, Islands, Non-Insects Shockingly, stunningly, amazingly; the monarchs are back (but not co-staring Julianne Moore). OK, it’s not that amazing; I pretty much predicted this would be the case last March when everyone was running around terrified because the butterflies hit an all time low (since counting started in 1993). Actually I believe I said “I will . . . → Read More: The Monarchs Are All Right Share this! One comment - (Comments are closed) Entomology, Skepticism Butterflies, Conservation, Lepidoptera, Media, Migration, Monarchs I have always known that in many places of the world, especially off the beaten track, caterpillars of moths and butterflies are on the menu. From Africa to Australia there are dozens of species that might taste good enough to be reasonably edible or even delicious. But here in the US insects rarely if . . . → Read More: Entomophagy: moths for dinner Share this! 5 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Butterflies, Conservation, Entomophagy, Food, Insects as food, Lepidoptera, Mexico, Moths, Nutrition Check out this trailer for the film “Se Quema el Cielo” – “The Sky is Burning”. A documentary about the rehabilitation of the Guancaste rainforests in North Western Costa Rica. It looks like a beautiful film…now I just have to find a copy. . . . → Read More: Se Quema el Cielo Share this!For regular readers of my blog you might already know my stance on the monarch, but catch up here if you’d like to. Yesterday I came across this article in the LA times – regarding the overwintering colonies of monarchs in Pacific Grove, CA. Out here, west of the continental divide, there are quite a . . . → Read More: Monarch Madness Share this! 4 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Butterflies, Conservation, Invasive Species, Lepidoptera, Monarchs Pictured is a black-veined white (Aporia crataegi ssp), and it is currently being returned to the Korean Institute of Biological Resources. Loans get returned, as they should be, every day – and can even number in the thousands of specimens. I myself have a few hundred moths out on loan from a handful of . . . → Read More: A Disturbing New Trend? Share this!Here is a hill-topping male Papilio zeliacon, or Anise swallowtail. This butterfly is widespread in the western Pacific states and is probably much more common than it once was. After the introduction of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), and subsequent escape from horticulture, the anise swallowtail took hold as a common California butterfly. Perhaps before this . . . → Read More: Butterfly Porn Share this! 5 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Butterflies, Conservation, Entomology, Extinct Species, Lepidoptera In eastern Lassen county, on the vast high juniper hills of the California-Nevada border, there are herds of “wild” horses, sheep and cattle. Par for the course, the only flowering plant around was horehound (Marrubium vulgare). Despite the non-native flora and (semi)mega-fauna, the insects were still at home. Being the only nectar source, the small . . . → Read More: The only bar in town Share this!Welcome to volume eight of the inconsistently reoccurring series, Genius of the Press. I came across this article recently regarding an endemic Puerto Rican butterfly. Who can tell me exactly why this report is misleading? It may be a little trickier than the standard GOP (I suggest discarding any previously associated acronyms with those letters). . . . → Read More: Genius of the Press VIII Share this! 5 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Butterflies, Conservation, Contest, Entomology, Lepidoptera, Media I’ve always wondered how to find the correct terminology for land cover in a given area. Usually, I just ballpark something along the lines of “oak chaparral”. But now I can use this awesome new map brought to us by the USGS/National Biological Information Infrastructure. The level of detail is amazing, and you can . . . → Read More: Landscape Cover Map Share this! |
Skepticism |
