Many thanks, Bryan, for another wonderful piece. It immediately brought to mind my collections of childhood, poorly mounted and soon devoured by beetles, and also, importantly, the hours and hours I spent outside in the sunshine, chasing butterflies with a net, less concerned about catching them and more interested in just happily running around. That was a gift that continues to shape me.
Thank you! It made me think of Bobbi Wilson’s story who was recently honored by Yale for her collection of spotted lanternflies. She’s 9. So glad her collection had a happy ending.
I guess I'm in the camp that sees a tidy display of natural artwork married to life and thinks wistful thoughts about the passing of time. Are you sure your collection will be safe in Florida, a state that is openly hostile to empirical research?
With what I just saw recently on television on a PBS program, it is further evidence we will have almost influence on our climate. On the program, the female scientist (sorry didn't get her name) said the poles of our earth which spins at 1000 mph and orbits the sun at 67,000 mph (serious speeds) had been slowly moving in one direction for as long as we have the ability to show it, but in the year 2000, the poles began shifting in the opposite direction and doing so more rapidly. What does this mean?
Of course scientists were initially baffled, but after investigating all the possible reasons for this sudden shift, concluded a couple of factors were responsible. The first was the huge increase in the drawing up of groundwater, specifically in India, and the second was the massive construction projects in China. At one point years ago, China was putting up 40 story buildings in a number of cities and created a temporary shortage of concrete. Think of the concentrated weight of a forest of 40 story buildings in a concentrated location.
At first, it doesn't seem like these two factors would influence the earth's spin until you think about how the tires on our autos are balanced with just a few ounces of weights. With the speed of the earth's spin, with water weighing 8.34 pounds per gallon and the enormous number of gallons being pulled out of the ground (which had been a balance for the earth's poles) it would be like gradually decreasing the weight of the balancing weights on your car's tires.
The effect of these two factors were calculated and the scientist said that eventually Chicago would be at the equator! Is there any way mankind can overcome this one?
While supporting a clean world, with the recent discovery above, many more species who are climate sensitive will likely perish without us being able to do a thing about it. Let's enjoy the beauty while we can.
Tears, indeed. We continue to savage all in the name of progress and profit, reversing it seems impossible. The ivory trade to Asia or the relentless depopulating of the unregulated oceans are but two examples.
Thank you for the great article and the wonderful memories of the beautiful butterflies and moths I remember in our garden as a child. At the end of winter I most looked forward to the swallowtails and monarchs, and of course the awesome Polyphemus moths we would find in the woods. As to your point as to how we can bring them back, there is a lot we can do. The active weather manipulation and chemicals we are dispersing into the air all around the globe are killing all of our planets biodiversity. We can start there-no tinfoil hats here. You can research this for yourself at geoengineeringwatch.org. Maybe you can join the fight by at least educating others and your readers to bring awareness to this ongoing disaster.
Sad that as I sit here in Florida surrounded by a lot of feeding dragonflies ( probably why we don't have mosquitoes on the coast) and watch as my beautiful area is turned into a condo farm. I'm in Daytona, and the rate that they are destroying our beautiful swampland amazes me. Can't do this in NYS, where I'm originally from. Actually almost owned a beautiful piece of cattail swamp up there, the one I grew up in, hunter ducks in, trapped muskrat in, learned to fly fish in, and know if I go back up there, that swamp will be there forever. Literally. But here, for some odd reason, they consider the swamp a place to build condos as fast as possible. 900 humans a day. I moved here to a sleepy little coastal town, and now I'm in the middle of the biggest building boom this state has ever seen. Ah well, progress, right?
This has inspired me to go ahead and write the book I have been thinking about. I am 74 and we moved around a lot as I was growing up. But I have been thinking back on the 1950s and the difference I see between now and then. The world was a beautiful play ground and we never gave a thought to the damage we causing. When I caught fireflies and put them in a bottle to set by my bed as I slept. In the morning they were dead and we just threw them away. I lived in Florida in the early 50s when it was still mostly wild and clean. We lived in one of the many new houses that were being built to accommodate all of the humans coming there. And the butterflies and birds that we often saw but see no more. The title of my book came to me while reading this. There Used To Be Butterflies.
Well this one is so beautiful and heart-wrenching it brought me to tears.
Lovely way to start the morning as I look out on snow and before the usual bad news when i open the NY Times. Thank you, Bryan.
Wow, an amazing story! They are very special people, those who carefully rescue works like these. Safe travels, Bryan.
Many thanks, Bryan, for another wonderful piece. It immediately brought to mind my collections of childhood, poorly mounted and soon devoured by beetles, and also, importantly, the hours and hours I spent outside in the sunshine, chasing butterflies with a net, less concerned about catching them and more interested in just happily running around. That was a gift that continues to shape me.
I share these sentiments and also--thank you for sharing the beauty 🦋
Wonderful read 🦋
Thank you! It made me think of Bobbi Wilson’s story who was recently honored by Yale for her collection of spotted lanternflies. She’s 9. So glad her collection had a happy ending.
Yes weryy weryy good 🥰🙃🧿
I guess I'm in the camp that sees a tidy display of natural artwork married to life and thinks wistful thoughts about the passing of time. Are you sure your collection will be safe in Florida, a state that is openly hostile to empirical research?
With what I just saw recently on television on a PBS program, it is further evidence we will have almost influence on our climate. On the program, the female scientist (sorry didn't get her name) said the poles of our earth which spins at 1000 mph and orbits the sun at 67,000 mph (serious speeds) had been slowly moving in one direction for as long as we have the ability to show it, but in the year 2000, the poles began shifting in the opposite direction and doing so more rapidly. What does this mean?
Of course scientists were initially baffled, but after investigating all the possible reasons for this sudden shift, concluded a couple of factors were responsible. The first was the huge increase in the drawing up of groundwater, specifically in India, and the second was the massive construction projects in China. At one point years ago, China was putting up 40 story buildings in a number of cities and created a temporary shortage of concrete. Think of the concentrated weight of a forest of 40 story buildings in a concentrated location.
At first, it doesn't seem like these two factors would influence the earth's spin until you think about how the tires on our autos are balanced with just a few ounces of weights. With the speed of the earth's spin, with water weighing 8.34 pounds per gallon and the enormous number of gallons being pulled out of the ground (which had been a balance for the earth's poles) it would be like gradually decreasing the weight of the balancing weights on your car's tires.
The effect of these two factors were calculated and the scientist said that eventually Chicago would be at the equator! Is there any way mankind can overcome this one?
While supporting a clean world, with the recent discovery above, many more species who are climate sensitive will likely perish without us being able to do a thing about it. Let's enjoy the beauty while we can.
How wonderful to find a collection that takes you back 70 years. Joyful? Poignant? Exciting?
Thank you for taking us on the journey with you. 💚
Tears, indeed. We continue to savage all in the name of progress and profit, reversing it seems impossible. The ivory trade to Asia or the relentless depopulating of the unregulated oceans are but two examples.
Bryan,
Thank you for the great article and the wonderful memories of the beautiful butterflies and moths I remember in our garden as a child. At the end of winter I most looked forward to the swallowtails and monarchs, and of course the awesome Polyphemus moths we would find in the woods. As to your point as to how we can bring them back, there is a lot we can do. The active weather manipulation and chemicals we are dispersing into the air all around the globe are killing all of our planets biodiversity. We can start there-no tinfoil hats here. You can research this for yourself at geoengineeringwatch.org. Maybe you can join the fight by at least educating others and your readers to bring awareness to this ongoing disaster.
Sad that as I sit here in Florida surrounded by a lot of feeding dragonflies ( probably why we don't have mosquitoes on the coast) and watch as my beautiful area is turned into a condo farm. I'm in Daytona, and the rate that they are destroying our beautiful swampland amazes me. Can't do this in NYS, where I'm originally from. Actually almost owned a beautiful piece of cattail swamp up there, the one I grew up in, hunter ducks in, trapped muskrat in, learned to fly fish in, and know if I go back up there, that swamp will be there forever. Literally. But here, for some odd reason, they consider the swamp a place to build condos as fast as possible. 900 humans a day. I moved here to a sleepy little coastal town, and now I'm in the middle of the biggest building boom this state has ever seen. Ah well, progress, right?
This has inspired me to go ahead and write the book I have been thinking about. I am 74 and we moved around a lot as I was growing up. But I have been thinking back on the 1950s and the difference I see between now and then. The world was a beautiful play ground and we never gave a thought to the damage we causing. When I caught fireflies and put them in a bottle to set by my bed as I slept. In the morning they were dead and we just threw them away. I lived in Florida in the early 50s when it was still mostly wild and clean. We lived in one of the many new houses that were being built to accommodate all of the humans coming there. And the butterflies and birds that we often saw but see no more. The title of my book came to me while reading this. There Used To Be Butterflies.
Maureen
Maybe a deeper dive next time before commenting.