Butterfly effect

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Had a great Labor Day weekend. Spent it up at the farm harvesting crops and working on my combination pumphouse/outhouse, just in time for the family to arrive for a kayak trip down river.
Six of us floated down and stopped about halfway to have a sack lunch. Didn't see any river otters this time but plenty of eagles fishin' for lunch.
Sent everybody home with tomatoes, zucchini, corn, and green beans.
And sore muscles.
The river flows unevenly. Some sections are up to 13 mph, others as slow as 2-3 mph. But some of the little rapids have to be navigated right or left and there are some obstacles such as trees and big rocks that have to be paddled around. Otherwise , it takes about 3 hours to reach the boat ramp in Toledo.
But a good time was had by all.
Garden there is doing great, but my milkweed plant didn't make it. Planted it a year and a half ago and it come back this year stunted and finally croaked in summer.
In contrast, the one I planted (I bought two at the same time) at my suburban home took off and is spreading like crazy. Big blooms on 4' sprouts that are now growing egg size seed pods.
I haven't seen any butterflies or caterpillars yet, but if I grow it, they will come (?). Are they like salmon and return to their place of birth? Dunno. Will find out.
Anyway, have harvested some seeds and will try to grow some starts this coming winter in my seed room.
And I'll probably be giving them away by the bucketloads too.
Viva la Monarch!
I know, really poor French.
The thread is open.
Anybody have any experience with Monarch Butterflies?

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enhydra lutris's picture

We've always had the odd migrant Monarch and then, decades ago, began planting milkweed and now we get a decent number every year. Most of our milkweed is in the back yard, but we try to keep a few out in front so that the wind can carry them all over the neighborhood. Of course, many neighbors ise gardeners, chemicals, or both, but some might successfully find a home.

I haven't glanced at much news yet today - which is nice. Today is an infusion day and instead of my usual afternoon appointment, they have me in around lunch time. We decided that we will meet at a hofbrau named, appropriately enough "The Hofbrau" (aren't most of them?) that is something of a local institution for lunch and brews as soon as I'm done and then have a yo-yo dinner (you're on your own). This is fine with me since it's my week to cook. I grilled a 3# pork tenderloin yesterday, so the rest of the week will largely consist of doing things to keep it from getting boring.

Still having teething issues with upgraded o/s. Lots of applications upgraded too, and almost all involve subtle changes in the operations or the interface. after a short cool period (seventies) we're looking at 100 or so today thru Thursday which means a lot of indoor time, which isn't a problem because I have a ton to do inside, but, then again, I also have a ton to do outside and it won't be getting done. Ennyhoo, its about time I wen't and checked out Sputnik, RT, SCMP and Asia Times, since I'm out of here fairly soon.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

earthling1's picture

@enhydra lutris
I'm going to peruse the news here shortly.
Got my local news fix from MSM affiliates and moving on to the intertubes.
Thanks for stopping by.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

usefewersyllables's picture

current state of affairs up in Aurora, after the local governments apparently gave a bunch of rent vouchers to the wrong people:

https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/aurora-emergency-order-close-ap...

There have been actual death threats and actual protection shakedowns, even though I think that the mayor and the Chamber of Commerce would have us believe otherwise...

We do indeed live in "interesting times".

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Twice bitten, permanently shy.

dystopian's picture

Hi e1,

The farm sounds greast! As does kayaking and eagles!

Generally it is true, build the habitat and they will come. No matter what habitat.

Various milkweeds are the larval foodplant of Monarch. Which means where adults lay eggs, and what the cats eat. There is not a lot of that where I am but we do get migrants. Sometimes in fall big flights. Once I saw 100,000 go by in a day. Once in San Pedro, Pt. Fermin Pk. winter about 1970 or 71 there were a half-million roosted in the park. Here in so. cent TX a major river of them comes though each year, but can vary a couple hundred miles east-west as to where it hits. Some years we only get small numbers. We grew a patch of Frostweed which is their favorite fall nectaring plant in my area. Mid-to-late Oct. is when the bulk of Eastern Monarchs pass here at away down south at 30N. Tried to no avail to get Antelope Horn going here, which is what some lay eggs on here in March-April as they pass through going north in spring. Having the right Milkweed for your area matters methinks.

Monarch Watch is a great source on them. https://monarchwatch.org/

Journey North is also good: https://journeynorth.org/
Click the Maps link at top for all sorts of critters they track. Great rabbit hole for phenology phreaks like me.

Their fall Monarch map is just starting to show dots. Click on the dots to get details... so you know in real time where to go to see a bunch...
https://maps.journeynorth.org/map/?map=monarch-roost-fall&year=2024

I gotta fly!
monarch092518a_0.jpg

happy trails all!

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

earthling1's picture

@dystopian
for all the links. I will study them in detail in my quest to intice them to the west side of the Cascades.
I need to figure out why it would not grow 75 miles north of here with roughly the same climate. Maybe planted it in the wrong spot.
My three plus acres are a favorite grazing pasture for deer, there are a dozen of them that seem to be residents.
I have to fence in my garden (80 x 80) and all the trees I have planted (70+) to give them a head start, which is where I planted my milkweed, between two cherry tree saplings.
If I can get these milkweed seeds to germinate I will plant them in multiple places and see what happens.
Thanks for stopping by.

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7 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

earthling1's picture

in controlling our borders, even back in the 60s & 70s. I saw it then as a threat and a burden to our working brothers and sisters trying to eke out living.
I'm beginning to believe the talk that this is to provide military fodder for a planned war with Iran or Russia, trading citizenship for service.
There seem to be a lot of healthy young males in the videos I've seen.
I think the hooplah of Venezuelan troublemakers is way way overblown.
Much like in news from the middle east is always preceded by "Iran backed" this group or that group. Even the coming November defeat of the Demos is being blamed on Iranian influence.
The only narrative I'm sure of is the "Empire of Lies".
And we know who that is beyond a shadow of doubt.
Thanks for the post.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

truth teller.

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The rest of the tweet:

They’re literally sending their kids to annex and takeover Palestinian spaces, even the most sacred- places of worship.

Here are soldiers also participating in the forcible takeover of the mosque which has been closed off from Palestinians at gun point for the last days.

What a deranged society.

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earthling1's picture

@humphrey
that ethnically cleansing all of Palestine will only remove the innocents from harm's way with regard to collateral damage.
The seige damage from the Houthis alone should be a real bell ringer.
The danger of Israel becoming a worldwide pariah state is something they didn't think about?
Dumbasses gonna dumbass.
Thanks for the clips.

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4 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

QMS's picture

.
.
years ago, we were in the dunes on the local beach
soaking up some sun when we happened to notice a
couple Monarchs fluttering about on beach rose bushes

within a few minutes, the couple became a swarm
several thousand touching down then flitting off
southbound over the ocean
very cool

thanks for the OT!

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truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security

earthling1's picture

@QMS
once in California back in the 70s. Nothing much since.
Their life cycle is amazing.
They are as mysterious as the cicadas and mayflies.
Thanks for chiming in.
Have a great day.

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6 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

when I was growing up.
Now, very rare to see one.
I had not tried to plant anything that really attracted them, so I might try that.
I have had 5 walk-ins, 25 phone calls, and 3 appointments, so I am being punished for closing the office for the holiday.
Glad you had fun getting sore muscles, e1! Lol!
What variety of corn do you grow?
I have had lots of good luck growing a very sweet corn.
I loved the corn of Kenya, and the corn of Peru. The kernels on the cob in Peru were so large, I had a tough time biting them off the cob!
Thanks for the OT, friend!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

earthling1's picture

@on the cusp
at the office. But good to have traffic.
Don't remember the kind of corn I planted. They were store bought Ferry-Morse. Probably GMO.
I mounted the paper packets in front, but they have deteriorated beyond readable.
Once I get the hang of growing corn I will search for heirloom seeds from Mexico.
But since you mentioned Peruvian corn, it gave me the idea of Chilean or Argentine seeds might be more successful here @ 46°north.
Thanks for sparking the light bulb over my head.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

@earthling1 the local feed store where we buy seeds does not stock gmo seeds.
They are all heirloom.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

earthling1's picture

@on the cusp
Some corn seed for some milkweed seeds?

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

@earthling1 Will absolutely DO!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Pluto's Republic's picture

Speaking as a cultural anthropologist/biologist — Israel is vaccinating the the entire conscious-directed world with powerful antibodies that naturally reject its own existence in this world. They unleashed an Israel-doomsday device upon themselves We've observed similar self-destructive paradigms in a number of different species. A few colonized species manage to survive this anti-intuitive mental twist by retreating into an elaborate underground culture that lies in the far margins of multi-species awareness — much as cicadas have done in their own species evolution. This genetic sub-group may have used this disappearance system repeatedly across the long period of its existence, to ensure long term survival. Perhaps this is where the myth of the Lost Tribe was born.

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Populations don’t like wars. They have to be lied into it.
That means we can be “truthed” into peace. — Julian Assange
earthling1's picture

@Pluto's Republic
That so fits the reality.
Thanks for that,lol.

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7 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.