Base Behavior of Butterflies...

Ron Gatrelle gatrelle at tils-ttr.org
Mon Sep 23 04:22:55 EDT 2002


----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenelm Philip" <fnkwp at aurora.alaska.edu>
To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 4:02 AM
Subject: RE: Base Behavior of Butterflies...


>
> > Butterflies don't "bite," "sting," foul our food, cause diseases, or
buzz
> > in our ears...
>
> Some butterflies are crop pests, however. And it's of interest that there
> is a species of moth (and there is really no basic difference between
moths
> and butterflies--leps are no longer classified into Rhopalocera and
Heter-
> ocera) that sucks blood, quite painfully to the suckee.
>
> Ken Philip

Ken, people who are agenda orientated often either do no know the facts or
conveniently ignore or twist them.  Plenty of Lepidoptera "foul our food" -
both in the garden and in the cupboard (the USDA considers Leps as a group
pests).  A few suck blood as you said (and those that do are just as
capable of transmitting blood borne disease). And if stinging is a
qualifying condition to make an insect ignoble, then honey bees should move
right to the top of the list.  (Folks die each year from bee stings.)

I say again what I always say in this type of discussion, all insects are
the same in uniqueness value it is humans that divide them up into bad and
good ones.  The Endangered Species Act does not say that spiders, roaches
and mosquitoes are exempt and should all be killed at will.  A rare
mosquito can have the same degree of protection as that rarest Birdwing or
allyni Blue.  If Poison Ivy became rare enough it would be listed as an
Endangered Species.

Ron



 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl 
 


More information about the Leps-l mailing list