Look, maybe net, but don't eat

[Martin Bailey]

It is common across all of North America to allow some wild animals, birds
and fish to be taken for part of the year.  Your choice - stuff them or eat
them.  Examples of exceptions are a spring and fall season on snow geese,
and the destruction of native mice and feral rats whenever and wherever.
Otherwise, you need special permits for the right to stuff all others.

Bugs which either numerically or in terms of biomass make up the largest
groupings of living matter that moves about on Earth are classified as
malign - if they harm us or our crops, benign - if we know nothing about
them, or beneficially if we find a use for them or if they are aesthetically
pleasing.

Butterflies - a bug - fit into all three categories.

And what does this have to do with the joys of either just looking, or
netting, or mounting these usually short lived bugs.  Maybe nothing.

However, I would like to close anecdotally.   After sweeping up a bunch of
coppers amongst dock by a pasture trail, I stopped by the pasture manager's
place and mentioned that I had gathered up all the butterflies at one spot
that I could get my hands on.  I was going to send them to experts that
would identify if these coppers were what I thought that they were.  The
conversation sort of paused as he stared at me.

I think that I knew what he was thinking.  How could you be so stupid as to
cull all your breeding stock.

Martin Bailey,

greetings from:  Weyburn, SK., Canada.
                         49.39N  103.51W


 
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