Pyrgus centaureae wyandot

[Mark Walker]

anneevans at canada.com wrote:


> 
> Mark Walker Wrote:
> > Yep - overcollecting happens each time you drive your > car 
> up into the backroads
> > of NC to take your pictures. 
> 
> Oh come on!. This simply isn't right. A collector targets 
> specific things unless you drive a 
> super intelligent car it doesn't just drive at the rare
> butterflies. 
> I'm sure something must have been wiped out 
> by bad collectors. Not that they are all bad.
> 
> > It also happens every time they bulldoze another
> > empty lot that is paid for by your contributions to > 
> >McDonalds, Sears, Chevron,
> > and Blockbuster Video. 
> 
> Well. I won't eat at McDonalds. I care about my health
> and they have a terrible reputation for trashing rainforests.

The point is simple:  whether you like to admit it or not, you are daily
contributing to the elimination of butterfly habitat - which is the
predominant reason that certain leps are disappearing.  I don't like
hypocritical finger pointing.

I selectively collect and kill insects - I know where to find them, and I
know the difference between what I should collect and what I should not
collect.  If I find things I should not collect in places where I didn't
expect them, then that is good news for all of us.  If I look for things I
expect and don't find them, that is also pertinent information that should
be shared.  The voucher specimens that I take home are not in any way
detrimental to existing populations.  If they were, I would be the first to
know - no one else would have to tell me - and I would not collect them.

I'm sure there are bad collectors - greedy collectors.  I'm not sure they
are as prevalent as the media has come to represent them.  But as long as
there is a market for something, human nature has proven to exploit it.
Personally, I make no money on Leps - so as far as I'm concerned, I'm not a
suspect.

Mark Walker.