alien butterfly in my garden

[Mike Soukup]

This is not necessarily my view...but I thought I would put it out here to
liven up the discussion.  And, it ain't gonna go over too well in some circles
but - here it goes....

Throughout history, many, many plants, insects, and other critters have been
dispersed by birds, mammals, storms, and many other "natural" phenomenon.  I
think we would all agree to that.   Now, here comes man.  How do we know that
"mother nature" didn't put us here for just that purpose?   Why do we separate
man from nature?
Maybe "nature" wasn't working quickly enough.....so man came along to speed up
the process.  Maybe the entire future of the planet - thru some fantastic quirk
- hinges on the fact that the Gypsy moth needs to have global distribution.
Mother nature would gladly sacrifice some forests - hell, she'd sacrifice the
entire planet - if it met her final goals.  What makes us think that "we know
better" than Mother Nature???  The "damage to science" argument is irrelevant.
Science is our creation - not natures.  It couldn't give a hoot about what we
want or where we expect to find a "Queen".  The USDA - for all it's "good
intentions" - could end up being - inadvertantly - the impetus for our
destruction (aside from the personal freedoms they destroy in the process).
The bottom line is.....we are clueless.  And furthermore, we will always be
clueless about the goals of the universe.  Any "controls" we place on this
planet are an illusion that can be swept away in the blink of an eye.

Ron said: "Human's are the world's best creatures for introducing exotics and
ruining environments."

It's the terminology.   I would agree that:
Human's are the world's best creatures for introducing exotics and changing
environments.

But, it is only "ruined" in our eyes - from a certain viewpoint.  To the new
creatures inhabiting and utilizing this "new environment" - whether we think
they should be there or not - it means life, existence, a possibility of a
future for them and thier "familes".....

The universe laughs at our petty attempts to keep it in stasis.




Ron Gatrelle wrote:

> Alex Grkovich wrote
>
> > The Queen has recently (within the past 3 to 5 years) been recorded twice
> > from southern Michigan. I wonder whether they were strays or escapes. One
> > would hope they were strays.....
> >
>
> Now we come to some more important questions. I have had various misgivings
> about butterfly houses for years. I know I will go against the grain in
> this, but if I were with the USDA I would shut them all down, reassess the
> whole operation. Exotic plants, insects, parasites, diseases... sound's
> like fire ants, gypsy moths, (Water Lettuce - for those in Africa), etc,
> etc.   It looks like just fun.  Well, so does a loaded gun to an 8 year
> old.  You can fill in the rest of the blanks on this...
>
> Next, is the "damage" to "science".  What if the Queens were not escapees
> but dispersed individuals - now we will never know.  Perhaps the easy going
> lepsters don't have any problem with this, but if I find ________ here or
> while visiting, say, in Miami I want to know if the _____ was an escapee, a
> stray, or from a new to the county, state, nation breeding population.
>
> Escapees are common place. Too many show up in the gardens of the only
> lepsters in town -- so how many are loose and never seen by someone who
> would know? LOTS. Then there are the pilfered ones and seed pods taken by
> people. "Hey, let me get some seeds off that and plant them at home." There
> is a reason the Dept. of Agri. in California or Arizona want to stop cars
> and check for "exotics".  Human's are the world's best creatures for
> introducing exotics and ruining environments. Once the cat (erpillar) gets
> out of the bag it is too late. Sorry, 90% safe is not good enough for me. I
> hate kudzu.
> Ron
>
>
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