Sep 22, 2015

Nature Walk | Do Not Disturb!

Taking a break from the job of NOT blogging to post a little PSA.  I haven't been blogging, but I have a lot of photos that I could be blogging about.  

Mostly nature photos.  Of course.

I've been waiting to see the Monarch caterpillar and behold, I spotted a few in a favorite spot, Trustom Pond, a federal wildlife refuge.  Refuge is the key word here since that's the point of my PSA.

The refuge has a lot of milkweed, but even so ... very few caterpillars.  It does make me wonder if the Monarch is in fact endangered.  It's controversial I guess.  They may be endangered, they may not.  Only in the midwest.  Only in the east.  Only in the south.  I've read it all and who knows what is right?

Since this is a refuge, you are encouraged to visit, but must leave nature the way you found it.  And so comes my PSA.  After spotting my caterpillar, photographing him, and exclaiming my excitement to another nature watcher by the pond, the nature watcher told me she saw children walking out of the refuge with a milkweed stem and caterpillar to take it home.

This saddened the nature watcher as it does me.  The children OF COURSE did not know better, but their parents should have.  Removing the caterpillar will more than likely be its demise.  Nature needs to be respected at the refuge.

I'll leave this post with a photo and request from one nature watcher and a Monarch caterpillar (wink):



It is amazing what these little buggers go through to become butterflies, and travel so far to overwinter in Mexico, and then come back again!

2 comments:

  1. Ugh. That's awful. We have a big crop of milkweed outside our front door. Last year they were covered over with eggs and had caterpillars hatch more than once in the season. This year nothing. I have had yellow tiger lily? and queen butterflies hanging around, but no monarchs! Has me very worried. We had some yardwork done and they pulled out some of my new milkweed, I was not a happy camper.
    You take the most amazing pictures!

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    Replies
    1. that's so odd Niru - I want to plant a bunch of milkweed for next year ... we'll see if i get to it!

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