#and even THEN corn is still set to go extinct within a few years too

[oflgtfol]

just saw interstellar in imax. love this movie so much. literally any critique of it that i see just shows that the person critiquing it didnt actually watch the fucking movie or havent seen it in ten years and think they remember it perfectly still

[gethealthy18-blog]

Why to Plant a Butterfly Garden (& How)

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/why-to-plant-a-butterfly-garden-how/

Why to Plant a Butterfly Garden (& How)

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Much like a pollinator garden, a butterfly garden is a great way to attract and provide for these beautiful insects. There’s a little more to it than planting a few colorful flowers though. Here’s how we can help save the butterflies and have a better yard while we’re at it.

Why Do We Need Butterflies?

Many know how important pollinators are for our food supply and ecosystem. Yet butterflies don’t always get the attention they deserve. Butterfly expert Mike Malloy lays out why butterflies are so important.

Butterflies are at the bottom of the food chain for many birds and some small animals, like mice. When the butterfly population dips, everything else takes a hit too. Almost 66% of invertebrate species can be traced back to the butterfly on the food chain.

This insect is more than just bird food though. Entomologists at the University of Kentucky also point out butterflies play a critical role in natural pest control. Butterflies eat plant-damaging aphids.

Stronger, Better Plants

Like bees, butterflies are an important pollinator, but in a different way. While bees spread the love locally, butterflies carry pollen over a much farther distance. Butterflies can evenly cover large areas of plants in a single go.

They’re also an important part of helping plants be genetically diverse. This delicate insect shares pollen across different groups of plants over a wide area – sometimes miles apart. Plants then become more resistant to disease and stronger. Companion planting is another way to give plants a helping hand.

The Butterfly Effect

There’s a reason why butterflies are one of the most monitored animals in the world. Ever heard the phrase “canary in the coal mine”? Butterflies are the canary to our ecosystem. When an area lacks butterflies, scientists know there’s something wrong.

Birds even plan their breeding season around when caterpillars will be available for food. Not enough caterpillars, not enough bird food. It has a ripple effect on our entire ecosystem and food chain.

A Dangerous Trend

According to the Smithsonian Institute, there are about 17,500 different species of butterflies. The United States houses around 750 of these species. While that may sound like a lot, more of our butterfly friends are dying every year.

Various butterfly species declined from 35-67% over a nine-year period in the UK. On the upside, some butterfly species started to make a comeback in 2019, according to The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.

Monarch butterflies overwinter in Mexico and California. Scientists estimate there were at least 4.5 million monarch butterflies in California alone in the 1980s. At last count, the population has declined to less than 29,000. That’s .5% of what they used to be.

The Center for Biological Diversity reports on the butterfly decline in Mexico. From 2019 to 2020 Mexico lost 53% of its remaining monarch butterfly population. The Xerces Society for conservation highlights the loss in the US. California lost 86% of its monarch butterfly population from 2017 to 2018 alone.

At this rate, scientists say the species will be extinct within 20 years.

What’s Killing the Butterflies?

There are several reasons why our important pollinators are dying out. According to EPA pesticide usage reports:

Pesky Pesticides

More than half of insecticides in the US are sprayed in yards and gardens.

The US accounts for 23% of the world’s total pesticide use.

83 million US households use insecticides. This doesn’t include other pesticides used.

All of these pesticides spell major trouble for the butterfly population.

Neonicotinoid pesticides may be especially harmful. Researchers found that as neonicotinoid use rose, so did butterfly deaths. The Guardian reports:

“If we’re going to get smart about using chemicals in the countryside we need to test them better before they get out there. It’s crazy that we’re using a potentially dangerous-to-wildlife chemical and nobody has done those studies.”

A Boring Landscape

Along with pesticide use comes a decrease in plant diversity. When people spray unwanted “weeds,” like beneficial dandelions, it has a domino effect. Milkweed is the monarch butterflies main food source, but thanks to pesticides the number of plants has plummeted.

Green lawns empty of nutritious and diverse plant life. Roadsides and fields that are sprayed and mowed. Fields full of bare ground and pesticide-resistant corn or soybeans. All of these scenarios rob our important pollinators of the food they need and ultimately damages the ecosystem we depend on.

5G and EMF Effects on Butterflies?

5G has gotten a lot of buzz lately, and not all for positive reasons. A 2010 study in the journal Nature explores its possible effects on insects and animals. How? Butterflies have photoreceptor proteins called cryptochromes. These allow butterflies to see UV light rays invisible to humans. The proteins also help the butterflies (and other animals) sense the earth’s geomagnetic field. There’s growing evidence that EMF waves may throw off the sense of direction for birds and insects.

Changing the Food Supply

Not only are EMF waves confusing butterflies’ sense of direction, but they could be damaging their food source. Newsweek reports scientists have also found nearly 90% of plant life tested was sensitive to cell phone frequencies. EMF waves have a negative impact on how plants develop, function, and metabolize.

How to Create a Butterfly Garden

Instead of feeling overwhelmed and depressed by this information, we can take action! A butterfly garden is a perfect way to create a haven for our pollinator friends. Unlike bees, butterflies are a little pickier about what they like.

#1 Be a Groupie

Butterflies prefer large blocks of colorful flowers of the same variety. Instead of planting ten different flowers in the same small area, opt for a larger patch of one kind. This doesn’t mean your butterfly garden can only have one or two varieties, but instead group like flowers together.

#2 Plant a Rainbow

Like bees, butterflies like a variety of colors. Red, orange, yellow, pink, and purple blooms are their favorite. Butterflies also tend to prefer flowers with short flower tubes and wide landing surfaces, like daisies and black-eyed susan. Blooms with large clusters, like phlox, are also a favorite.

#3 Take It to Greater Heights

Butterflies want a variety of heights to choose from. Taller flowers and shrubs help provide protective shade for them. Trees and shrubs are important for butterflies to perch and feed on. These plants provide for them from caterpillar through adulthood.

#4 Spread the Love

Like us, butterflies need to eat throughout the seasons, not just summer. By planting a variety of flowers with different bloom times we can help them eat all season long. Some butterflies hibernate in the winter, while others migrate to a warmer climate and feed there.

#5 Put Off Raking the Leaves

While many want a leafless lawn in the fall, leaves provide shelter through the winter for insects and birds. According to Purdue University’s Forest and Natural Resources, annual and perennial plants can contain butterfly pupa and larva. In many areas, butterflies overwinter in fallen leaves and vegetation.

According to scientists at the University of Michigan, fallen leaves have other benefits. Mulched leaves fertilize and add nutrition to the soil. Grass is noticeably thicker, greener, and healthier in the spring. By raking leaves and pulling up plants in the fall we’re disturbing a vital part of the ecosystem.

Late spring is a much safer time to clean up the yard and garden.

 #6 Don’t Forget About the Babies!

Butterflies lay eggs that become caterpillars, and later on more butterflies. A good butterfly garden will also have food and shelter for the reproductive cycle. You can do both you and the caterpillars a favor by creating their own space for them away from your vegetables.

What to Plant in a Butterfly Garden

Ready to get started? Here’s a master list of butterfly-friendly varieties to look for:

Best Veggies for Butterflies

Cabbage

Dill

Fennel

Parsley

Garlic chives

Best Trees for a Butterfly Garden

Gumbo-Limbo tree

Pawpaw tree (and the fruits are edible and delicious!)

Tulip poplar tree

Wild black cherry tree

Chokecherry tree

Northern prickly ash

Butterfly-Friendly Shrubs and Vines

Butterfly bush (Buddleia spp.)

Buddleia davidii ‘Miss Molly’

Firebush

Saltbush

Mexican flame vine (the only vine that attracts monarchs)

Buttonbush

Best Plants and Flowers for Butterflies

Mint – spearmint, peppermint, etc.

Bluemist spirea

Milkweed (vital for monarch caterpillars)

Joe-Pye-weed

Thistles

Plantain

Clover

Dandelions

Alyssum

Asclepius

Cornflower

Cosmos

Purple coneflower (echinacea)

Globe amaranth

Heliotrope

Larkspur

Milkweed

Nicotiana

Pentas

Salvia

Sunflowers

Mexican sunflower

Zinnia

Lantana

Black-eyed susan

Bottlebrush

Coral bean

Coral honeysuckle

Cosmos

Firecracker plant

Firespike

Jatropha

Lion’s Ear

Passion Flower

Blue porterweed

Azaleas

Bee balm (also known as wild bergamot)

Blue mistflower

Duranta erecta (sapphire showers or golden dewdrops)

Echium fastuosum (pride of Madeira)

Blazingstar varieties (a favorite of monarchs) – rough, button, meadow, and northern are some of the varieties.

Purpletop vervain

Egyptian starcluster

Purple giant hyssop (not anise hyssop)

Goldenrod

Marigold

More Butterfly Garden Necessities

Still looking to add on? Try:

Fruit

Some butterfly species eat rotting fruit. Instead of tossing out overripe fruit leftovers, place fruit slices in a shallow dish for the butterflies. These should be set next to a flowering plant they like.

Bath Time

Butterflies also enjoy taking a dip. While they steer clear of deeper water, like birdbaths, a shallow dish of water is just their thing. You can fill a saucer with wet sand and water by their favorite flowers. If your area is prone to mosquitos be sure to dump and change the water regularly.

What About a Butterfly House?

A butterfly house may look like a friendly gesture, but they’re not necessary. These are more for decoration and butterflies don’t use them. It’s more likely to end up as a spider hotel. Try building a bee hotel instead.

Let’s Save the Butterflies

Even though the statistics are shockingly bad, we can all play a part in saving the butterflies. Planting a butterfly garden, skipping the pesticides, and encouraging diverse plant life can make an impact. The more of us who pitch in, the better!

Do you have a butterfly garden? What’s in it?

Sources:

Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources (2004, May). Attracting Butterflies to Your Yard. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-248-W.pdf

The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS). (2019). 2019 Summary of Changes table for the UK. https://www.ukbms.org/official_statistics

Cornell University Cooperative Extension Fulton and Montgomery Counties (2013, April 11). Consumer Horticulture: Plan a Butterfly Garden. https://ccefm.com/readarticle.asp?ID=1577&progID=8

Dovey, D (2018, May 19). Radiation for Cell Phones, Wi-Fi is hurting the birds and the bees; 5G may make it worse. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/migratory-birds-bee-navigation-5g-technology-electromagnetic-radiation-934830

US EPA (2017). Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage 2008 – 2012 Market Estimates. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-01/documents/pesticides-industry-sales-usage-2016_0.pdf

Schultza, C., Brown, L., Pelton, E., & Crone, E. (2017). Citizen science monitoring demonstrates dramatic declines of monarch butterflies in western North America. Biological Conservation. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320717304809

Curry, T. (2020, March 20). Eastern monarch butterfly population plunges below extinction threshold. Center for Biological Diversity. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-eastern-monarch-butterfly-population-plunges.html

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. (2018, Nov 29). Early Thanksgiving Counts Show a Critically Low Monarch Population in California. https://xerces.org/blog/early-thanksgiving-counts-show-critically-low-monarch-population-in-california

UK College of Agriculture Food and Environment. Aphids. Entomology at the University of Kentucky. https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef103)

Hartley Botanic (2016, March 2). Why Butterflies are Important. https://hartley-botanic.co.uk/magazine/why-butterflies-are-important/

Gegear, Robert J. et al. (2010). Animal Cryptochromes Mediate Magnetoreception by an Unconventional Photochemical Mechanism. Nature, 463(7282), 804. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature08719

Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (2004). Attracting Butterflies to Your Yard. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-248-W.pdf

Johnson, T. (n.d.). Out My Backdoor: Do Butterfly Boxes Work? Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division. https://georgiawildlife.com/out-my-backdoor-do-butterfly-boxes-work

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/427932/butterfly-garden/

[violetcrownchronicles]

The Foul Murder of Mollie Blanton

8 MAR 1887. Austin Daily Statesman.

A DEMON’S DEED. The Killing of Mrs. Blanton a Horrible and Dastardly Crime. Details as Gathered at the Inquest and From Various Other Sources.

Rumors in the Air and Hot Trails for the Perpetrators---A Hard Character Arrested on Suspicion.

THE STATESMAN extra yesterday, giving the details of the foul murder of Mollie Blanton, created widespread interest over the city, and the universal expression was that the swiftest justice should he measured out to the perpetrator of the damnable deed, if caught. Every circumstance that can be gathered, and every shadow of theory that can be woven, tends but to one conclusion. The murderer went to the place from the rear of the barn which cut off the view from the neighboring houses. Passing from the barn to the kitchen he there made an assault upon the lone and unprotected wife, whose young husband was at work in a field a half mile away. Defending her honor, she struggled through all the house, only at last to be shot down in cold blood by the demon, who feared, if she were left alive, she would disclose his name and be the means of bringing him to a justice swift and richly merited. Officers went out to the scene of murder again yesterday, and, with citizens, spent the day in scouring the country in search of the murderer. In the city Sergeant Palmer yesterday afternoon about 5 o’clock, arrested a negro, named Edward Jackson, on Red River and Ash streets, on suspicion of being the guilty man. Jackson is a repulsive looking, copper colored darkey, and bears a reputation about as bad as can be made. He has heretofore been mixed up in two or three assaults on women and has for a long time been under the watchful eye of the officers. He has been in jail more than once, and is a familiar figure in the courts. His home has been in the Dunson neighborhood, and was last seen in that neighborhood on Saturday. Since that time he has been loafing in the city and suburbs. When arrested there were blood stains on the front of his pants. He, of course, denied all knowledge of the crime, but, for all that, he will be held to await a thorough investigation of the case.

Justice Tegener yesterday continued the inquest proceedings, when the following testimony was taken:

Ada Dunson—I am twelve years of age; the deceased was my sister, who was Mrs. Mollie Blanton; she lived about seven miles northeast from Austin; I started from the house of Mr. William M. Dunson about 4 o’clock to go over and stay with my sister, as her husband was helping to plant corn in Mr. W. M. Dunson’s field; I came across some cows on the way up there, and, being afraid of them, I crawled under the fence inside the field; I went this way about 150 yards, and when I got into the pasture again I saw somebody open the door just wide enough to stick a head out; it was the front door—the door to the west room opening on the south side; the door then closed again; I heard no noise at this time; I went on to the yard fence, which is about ten steps from the house; I crawled under the yard fence, when I heard a shot fired; taking it to be a fire cracker, I went to take a seat on the end of the gallery; I heard someone hollow inside the house; I looked through the blinds, immediately to the left of me, when I saw my sister throw up her hands; she was lying on the floor; I thought she was laying some plan to scare me; I remained on the gallery some twenty minutes, then passed around the corner to the east window, where there are no blinds; I then saw blood on the body of my sister, and I ran away to give an alarm; when I returned with Mr. T. J. Miller and others my sister was not lying in the same position as when I first saw her.

T. J. Miller—I was out in the field when my wife came to me and told me some one had shot Mrs. Mollie Blanton and killed her. I went to the house as quick as I could, and when I got there I saw her lying on the floor in her blood, life not quite extinct. I ran around the house and gave the alarm. I was excited. Entering the house I found the bed on fire. My daughter and I put the fire out.  

T. J. Runger testified that he responded to the alarm given by Mr. Miller. He looked under the house and in the barn but failed to find any clew to the dead; saw no blood, except in the room where she was lying; saw no marks of violence on her clothing; the bed in the room was in perfect order and I could not see that anything was out of order.

Lucy Jane Tweedle—I am going on 12 years old and I went to Mrs. Blanton’s after dinner, Saturday, to take some clothes home my mother had washed for her; when I went into the room Mrs. Blanton had a pistol; she pointed it at me and said: “Lucy, I will shoot you;” she then put the pistol on a table and went to churning, singing as she did so.

Dr. T. O. Maxwell testified to having examined the body, and described the wounds the description being as substantially as given in another part of the paper. He said there was no powder burn on the face.

Upon this testimony the jury returned verdict that Mrs. Blanton came to her death from a pistol shot wound and three blows upon her head, inflicted by some person to the unknown.

The following are the details of the tragedy as published in THE STATESMAN extra, yesterday morning:

Again THE STATESMAN is called upon to chronicle one of those terrible deeds which make men shudder and which send a thrill of horror over the whole community. In the issue of yesterday morning a paragraph was published to the effect that a Mrs. Dunston, living on Walnut creek, had committed suicide by shooting herself. This information was obtained from the officers. The word had been brought in by a messenger who was either too hurried or too excited to give details of the occurrence. Yesterday, however, a call was made upon the sheriff and other officers, the information being given that instead of its being a

CASE OF SUICIDE

it was a foul and most horrible

MURDER!

The victim of the crime, which from all that can be gathered, had for its object a darker and more damnable aim than murder, was a daughter of Mr. Will Dunston, the wife of Mr. Thomas Blanton, a well to do and highly respected young farmer who lives in what is known as the Dunston neighborhood, on Walnut creek, about seven miles from the city. Mr. Blanton was married to Miss Dunston about two or three months ago, and had fitted up a cosy little home, where happiness ruled supreme, and where love sang in every breeze that swept across the threshold. Saturday afternoon, between 4:30 and 5 o’clock, while the young wife busied with her household affairs, her thoughts, doubtless, upon the husband at work in the field a half mile away, the dreadful tragedy occurred, a bright life was blotted out, and a home, but a little while before, aglow with happiness, was enshrouded with the gloom of despair.

THE CRIME

The exact occurrences within the house where the death dealing shot was delivered may never be known, and only the circumstances and situation can be given to throw light upon the case. From the position of articles in the house, it is supposed that Mrs. Blanton had begun to prepare the evening meal for her husband, to have it ready for him when he returned from the field. A fire was in the stove and a frying pan with meat in it was on top. A churn with milk in it and a chair by it showed that the busy little housewife had started to give this part of her daily duties attention.

The house fronts to the south. There are two rooms in front and in the rear of one of these rooms is a dining room, back of which is the kitchen. Alongside these rear rooms is a porch on the east side. Doors lead into the dining room and kitchen from this porch. In the room immediately in front of the dining room there are two beds. This was the family room and the one adjoining in the front was unfurnished. There is also a small porch in front of the house. This much by way of description of the premises.

The theory of the officers who have fully investigated all the bearings of the case go to shown that the murderer must have come by the barn which is in the rear of the house and entered the kitchen from the back porch. What struggle took place then

IN DEFENSE OF HONOR AND LIFE

may not be known in all time to come; certain it is that the unfortunate victim passed out of the kitchen through the dining room and into the family room. In this apartment, there was, lying on a table in the corner, a large Colt’s forty-five calibre six-shooter. This, it is supposed, she grasped, her assailant meanwhile struggling to overpower her. A shot from the pistol struck the corner of a bed in the room, passed through the mattress and foot board, setting the bed clothing on fire. How long a struggle ensued is one of the

UNKNOWN MEASURES

of the crime. It must have been a fight of desperation, for the left hand of Mrs. Blanton was powder-burned, going to show that her assailant had wrestled with her for the possession of the weapon. Releasing herself, she must have run to the front door at this time, as a little sister about nine years of age, who was on the way to visit her and who was coming up the pathway from the main road, saw her open the door, throw her hands above her head and then disappear within. The little girl going on toward the house, heard in a few moments another shot and then all was still.

THE STATEMENT OF THE LITTLE ONE

is to the effect that she was frightened by the shot and waited on the front porch for a few minutes. Then she went to the side window and there saw her sister lying on the floor with blood all around her. She ran over to an adjoining place and gave an alarm which brought men to the house, but time sufficient had in the meanwhile elapsed to enable

THE MURDERER

to make good his escape. An examination of the body made by Drs. Maxwell disclosed a clear cut wound penetrating to the bone on the right temple back of the eye and extending into the edge of the hair and a contusion on the top of the head about two inches long, apparently made with a blunt instrument. This was perhaps made with the six-shooter. There was a small spot under the left eye, which looked at first to be a bruise, but on closer examination seemed to be a burn, and was doubtless made during the struggle in the kitchen by her being thrown against the stove. There was a bad cut on the back of the head, which the doctor stated had fractured the skull. The left hand was powder burned.

The bruises are thought to have been given when she attempted to make her escape through the front door, at the time when she was seen by her little sister. The powder burn upon her hand must have been received while struggling for the pistol and at the time the shot was fired, which went through the bed stead.

THE FATAL SHOT

But after all this terrible ordeal the fatal shot was yet to be fired. The struggle which had extended from the kitchen through the dining and family rooms to the front door was thence carried into the spare room, where the shot that ended the struggle and cut short the life tide was fired. This struck in the right temple, about an inch above and to the front of the ear, ranged upward, passed out on the left side below the crown, and penetrated the wall of the room in the corner near the ceiling. At the point of penetration was a smooth, round cut, but at the place of exit, the ball crushed a place in the skull as large as a silver dollar.

INTENSE INDIGNATION.

Word was brought in yesterday morning to the officers, and Sheriff Hornsby, Deputies Platt and Davis, Sergeant Palmer, Constable Thorpe, and Officers Dornwell and Kinnerly, went out to the scene of the murder. It is not necessary to say that as the fact became apparent to the neighbors that what at first seemed to have been an accident, turned out to be a foul murder, indignation ran to fever heat, and if any one could have been taken in with bare circumstances shadowing guilt, another chapter would certainly have had to follow this account of the crime.

The officers with posse of citizens scoured the country in all directions yesterday, but the rain coming on washed out all traces of footsteps, and the search was reluctantly given up for the day. Sheriff Hornsby arrested a tramp during the afternoon on suspicion, but he proved satisfactorily where he had stayed the previous night and was accordingly released. There are a dozen rumors in the air and suspicion’s finger has been pointed in more than one direction, but as there is nothing tangible in any of these suspicious they are not given weight or credence at this time.

The funeral of Mrs. Blanton took place at Fiskville burial ground at 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon, and was attended by a tremendous concourse of people from the section of country surrounding.