April is Butterfly Month

[Ron Gatrelle]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Anne Kilmer" <viceroy at GATE.NET>
To: "leps-l" <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>; "tils"
<tiLS-leps-talk at yahoogroups.com>; "Nature Potpourri"
<naturepotpourri at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 4:26 PM
Subject: April is Butterfly Month


> jeb bush
> governor OF THE state OF florida
> Florida Butterfly and Butterfly Gardening Month
> WHEREAS, butterflies play important roles as pollinators of flowers and
as
> indicators of the health of the environment; and
> WHEREAS, people are enthralled by the beauty, grace and tranquility of
> butterflies and are fascinated by their amazing transformations from
> caterpillar to chrysalis to adult butterfly; and
> WHEREAS, the great state of Florida is home to more than one hundred
fifty
> kinds of butterflies, many of them found nowhere else in the world; and
> WHEREAS, by planting certain native plants and flowers, gardeners can
enjoy
> the wonderful diversity of butterflies in their own backyard, and
actually
> increase the populations of many butterflies;
> NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jeb Bush, Governor of the state of Florida, do hereby
> extend greetings and best wishes to all observing April 2003, as Florida
> Butterfly
> and Butterfly Gardening Month.
> IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I
> have hereunto set my hand
> and caused the Great Seal of
> the state of Florida to be affixed
> at Tallahassee, the Capital, this
> 26th day of February in the year
> of our Lord two thousand three.
>
> This is the text of Jeb's proclamation, and I'm sure we'll all have a
> lot of fun with it.
> So ... what's your state doing for butterflies? ;-)

Doing what Florida is doing.   Giving them lip service and little real
service.   Here is South Carolina the State just loves to grade bare the
shoulders on rural roads to make sure no "weeds" come up to bother anyone.
Until states start "caring" and doing something to actually protect "weeds"
and "woods" we can all forget about butterflies being around in 200 years.
Very few butterflies "live" in gardens.  Sure if there is habitat near by,
they will come to the flowers for nectar.  But get rid of the vacant weedy
lots, the patches of "scrub" woods, and the other eyesores of urban America
and we can kiss them all goodbye.  My prejudice is that the same people who
form the garden clubs to grow butterfly attracting flowers are the same
ones who raise holy hell about the unsightly weeds on lots and roadsides.
Mostly well off people with big houses an little knowledge of the real
natural world.   Sure, I know this is not true across the board, and that
some informed gardeners (like Anne) are trying to speak for the thorns and
vines, but there is a huge battle yet to be waged.   Thanks, Jeb - I guess.

Ron Gatrelle
TILS president
Charleston, SC - USA
http://www.tils-ttr.org



 
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