Please help us sign the petition to save the Monarch Butterflies

During recent decades, large commercial farms across the continent have
been spraying their fields with chemicals that kill weeds such as
milkweed without harming the crops. Less milkweed has meant many fewer
butterflies. Commercial farmers and Monsanto, the chemical company that
manufactures one of the most widely used weed-killing chemicals, are
unlikely to stop destroying milkweed without a lot of pressure from the
American people and government, and time may be running out.

Video showing the complete life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Monarch butterflies are the most beautiful of all butterflies, some say, and are considered the “king” of the butterflies, hence the name “monarch”. There are lots of very cool things to learn about the monarch butterfly and we’ll try to get through most of them here.

The Life Cycle(s) of a Monarch Butterfly

Monarch butterflies go through four stages during one life cycle, and through four generations in one year. It’s a little confusing but keep reading and you will understand. The four stages of the monarch butterfly life cycle are the egg, the larvae (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly. The four generations are actually four different butterflies going through these four stages during one year until it is time to start over again with stage one and generation one.

In February and March, the final generation of hibernating monarch butterflies comes out of hibernation to find a mate. They then migrate north and east in order to find a place to lay their eggs. This starts stage one and generation one of the new year for the monarch butterfly.

In March and April the eggs are laid on milkweed plants. They hatch into baby caterpillars, also called the larvae. It takes about four days for the eggs to hatch. Then the baby caterpillar doesn’t do much more than eat the milkweed in order to grow. After about two weeks, the caterpillar will be fully-grown and find a place to attach itself so that it can start the process of metamorphosis. It will attach itself to a stem or a leaf using silk and transform into a chrysalis. Although, from the outside, the 10 days of the chrysalis phase seems to be a time when nothing is happening, it is really a time of rapid change. Within the chrysalis the old body parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation, called metamorphosis, to become the beautiful parts that make up the butterfly that will emerge. The monarch butterfly will emerge from the pupa and fly away, feeding on flowers and just enjoying the short life it has left, which is only about two to six weeks. This first generation monarch butterfly will then die after laying eggs for generation number two.

Monarch Caterpillar Becoming a Chrysalis

Monarch Emerging from a Chrysalis

The second generation of monarch butterflies is born in May and June, and then the third generation will be born in July and August. These monarch butterflies will go through exactly the same four stage life cycle as the first generation did, dying two to six weeks after it becomes a beautiful monarch butterfly.

The fourth generation of monarch butterflies is a little bit different than the first three generations. The fourth generation is born in September and October and goes through exactly the same process as the first, second and third generations except for one part. The fourth generation of monarch butterflies does not die after two to six weeks. Instead, this generation of monarch butterflies migrates to warmer climates like Mexico and California and will live for six to eight months until it is time to start the whole process over again.

It is amazing how the four generations of monarch butterflies works out so that the monarch population can continue to live on throughout the years, but not become overpopulated. Mother Nature sure has some cool ways of doing things, doesn’t she?

Source: Monarch-butterfly.com

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain
or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. ~John Muir

By Editor, All About Wildlife, August 27, 2014

These Beautiful Flying Insects Are In Major Trouble. Here’s What You Can Do.

All across North America and Mexico, the numbers of monarch butterflies are dwindling. A conservation organization called the Xerces Society estimates that the monarch population has declined by 90 percent over the last 20 years. There are several reasons for this decline including global climate change and habitat loss, but the biggest factor seems to be a decrease in the amount of milkweed available to the butterflies. Milkweed is a plant that grows in open areas—on the edges of fields and in fields that have become overgrown. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed, and the young caterpillars that hatch out of those eggs feed on its leaves.

During recent decades, large commercial farms across the continent have been spraying their fields with chemicals that kill weeds such as milkweed without harming the crops. Less milkweed has meant many fewer butterflies. Commercial farmers and Monsanto, the chemical company that manufactures one of the most widely used weed-killing chemicals, are unlikely to stop destroying milkweed without a lot of pressure from the American people and government, and time may be running out.

Monarch Butterflies Are Getting Increasing Scarce. Photo: Keenan Adams, USFWS

Faced with the possible extinction of one of America’s most well-loved flying insects, conservation groups including the Xerces Society are asking Americans to sign a petition requesting that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service seek to list the monarch butterfly as Threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. An Endangered Species Act listing would give wildlife protectors a lot more clout in convincing Big Agriculture to change the destructive way it does business.

If you would like to sign the petition or would like to call someone else’s attention to it, you can find it here.

There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do
nothing to avoid them. But they are there for a reason.
Only when we have overcome them will we understand
why they were there. ~Paulo Coelho

Anger is born from ignorance, and is a strong ally of ignorance.
I have to deal with my anger with care, with love,
with tenderness, with nonviolence. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

I believe there are Angels Among Us,
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love.

[Chorus] Alabama – Angels Among Us Lyrics

By John Boone, ET, September 9, 2014

Apple announced a new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus today, plus the Apple Watch.

Let’s start with the facts: As speculated, Apple announced two new iPhones. And they’re apparently the best phones ever: The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have bigger screens (4.7 and 5.5 inches, respectively), better battery life, a better camera…for taking selfies, and a bunch of other techno stuff that basically means these two are harder, better, fast, stronger.

Other exciting announcements include: Apple Pay, a “reinvention” of the wallet, that stores all your credit cards and allows “easy, secure, and private” wireless payments. And Apple Watch, a chic smart watch used for fitness, communication and, well, basically anything you want it to do.

But it may have been difficult to get all of that. At the beginning of his talk, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “Today we’re announcing the biggest advancement in the history of iPhone.” What Apple may not have spent so much time on what advancements in live streaming.

The live stream would cut out every few minutes, switching to color bars or a pre-filmed video intro. For fans that were able to get through to the stream, they had to listen to the speaker and a Chinese translator at the same time. It was a bit of a mess.

Eventually, Apple seemed to figure it out and everything eventually ran (more or less) smoothly. And thankfully there was one bright moment amid the early mess: This guy named Tommy, who was brought onstage to show off the new iPhone’s video game capabilities, as well as his awesome scarf:

Blast from the not-so-distant past: Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs!

@Carter Gibson

Link source

Troupes of city monkeys explore the rooftops and play with puppies that use the high terrain for exercise. Cute animal video from BBC natural history show Monkey Warriors.

US Air Force personnel walk to their aircraft for an in-air refueling mission over Iraq, on August 11, 2014 (AFP Photo/Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)

AFP, September 9, 2014

Washington (AFP) – The US Air Force has told a sergeant he will have to leave the military unless he agrees to take an oath with the phrase “so help me God,” officials said Tuesday.

In the latest religious controversy to roil the air force, the atheist airman last month was denied his request to re-enlist because of his refusal to swear to God — and he is now poised to take the military to court, his lawyer said.

“We have not received word from the Air Force regarding our letter. It has not indicated a willingness to settle out of court,” said Monica Miller, an attorney for the American Humanist Association, which has taken up the service member’s case.

With the deadline for re-enlisting expiring in November, the technical sergeant at Creech Air Force base in Nevada — whose name has not been released — will be forced to sue the government in a federal court, Miller told AFP.
In the past, an airman could opt for an alternative phrase and omit the words “so help me God,” but the US Air Force changed its policy in October 2013.

The other branches of the American military do not require the reference to God and make the phrase optional.

“This is the only branch to my knowledge that’s actually requiring everyone in all instances to use the religious language,” Miller said.

The requirement violates the US Constitution, which bars religious tests to hold office or other positions, Miller said of the case, which was first reported by the Air Force Times.

“The government cannot compel a nonbeliever to take an oath that affirms the existence of a supreme being,” she said.

The sergeant’s service expires in November and he has until then to re-enlist and take the oath, said US Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek.

In the meantime, “a written legal opinion is being requested” from the Pentagon’s top lawyer, she said.

The air force has been plagued by controversy for years over religion and the role of Christian evangelists.

The US Air Force Academy in Colorado faced accusations several years ago that evangelical Christians exerted a dominating influence over the institution.

But attempts to counter the perceived bias in the service have sparked criticism from Christian activist groups, who allege a new rule stifles the religious expression of troops.

The disputed rule bars commanders from promoting their religious convictions to their subordinates.

Advocates of the policy say it protects troops who worry their careers could be jeopardized if they do not take part in their superior’s Christian activities.