Despite the presence of a record number of people working to count the insects, this year’s population census for monarch butterflies wintering in California has fallen to a 5-year low, according to a new report.
This is part 2 of a 4 part series by Brad Walker of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment analyzing The Nefarious Connection Between Agriculture and Our Rivers. Read Part 1 Part 2: The major culprit There are many well-documented critiques of the industrialized agricultural system, so we will not dwell in detail about why
The Nefarious Connection Between Agriculture and Our Rivers (Part 2 of 4) Read More 👉
Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat exposes a worldwide crisis in mega-farming. (Graphic from Sunday Times review by coauthor.) The authors, Philip Lymbery and Isabel Oakeshott, believe that the increasingly globalized food production industry threatens the quality of what we eat, our health, and the very land we live on. They say people now
Farmageddon Strips Rosy Myths From 21st-Century Food: London Salon February 20 Read More 👉
A new study by the University of York has shown how a butterfly species changed its diet and spread northwards in response to the changing climate. The study found that warmer summers have allowed the Brown Argus Butterfly to complete its lifecycle by using wild Geranium plants, rather than the Rockrose plants they had
Butterflies Moving North with the Changing Climate Read More 👉
Ari Jokimäki recently published one of his regular roundups of climate science research news. Since you probably haven’t seen many (or any) of these stories in the mainstream media, I’m reposting the roundup here in full. The post is from AGW Observer (via Skeptical Science). Enjoy! by Ari Jokimäki Wouldn’t it be nice to
Climate Science Weekly Research Roundup Read More 👉
One of the best news sources around, The Onion, had a great post recently on endangered blue butterflies and their efforts to bring humans with them:
Lizards are fairly robust and adaptive creatures owing to their ability to tolerate high body temperatures and resist water loss, but warming trends seem to be pushing temperatures past the thermal threshold that these reptiles need for successful reproduction and long-term survival.
40% of Lizard Populations World-Wide Face Extinction from Global Warming Read More 👉
The Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly species was identified in September by Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department biologists. 1934 was the last Maine sighting of the butterfly. The recent finding was in the hardwood swamps of Berwick and Wells.
Rare Butterfly Rediscovered in Maine Read More 👉
A team of eight scientists and conservationists with the Endangered Species Coalition have determined the top 10 species in the United States that deserve protection under the Endangered Species Act. [social_buttons] The animals and plants that were considered for the list, titled “Without a Net,” were nominated by various organizations across the country. The coalition
The Top 10 Species in the US Most in Need of Protection Read More 👉
Rogue prefers his steak medium-well. But when it comes to sniffing out a rare plant, this dog performs work that’s very well done, indeed.
The 4-year-old Belgian sheepdog is part of a Nature Conservancy collaborative project to test the efficacy of using dogs to sniff out the threatened Kincaid’s lupine. The plant is host to the endangered Fender’s blue butterfly, found only in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
The Nature Conservancy: Can Dogs Help Find and Save Endangered Species? Read More 👉