Chris Grinter By, on September 8th, 2010 While I work on a more substantial post, you can name this butterfly – and the plant should be pretty easy too. Extra bonus if you can guess the county (state won’t be too impressive) in which I took this photo. This was pre-DSLR, but my old beat up canon point-and-shoot did manage to get some good ones.
Chris Grinter By, on September 7th, 2010 
A sad story has just made its way up from Belize – du American Crocodile Education Sanctuary has burned to the ground. At first glance this was merely an unfortunate report about a research and conservation facility that had been lost in a tragic fire. That, hala ere, is not the entire story. It turns out that a mob of indigenous Mayans flew into a rage and torched the facility. Zergatik? Because a psychic told them the owners had murdered children and fed them to their crocodiles!
It was like something out of a Frankenstein movie,” Cherie Rose said Tuesday. “If we’d been home, they would have killed us. They said they were going to chop us up and feed us to the crocodiles.”
National police confirm that the indigenous Maya villagers were acting on the advice of a psychic who said the Roses had something to do with the August 7 disappearance of 9-year-old Benjamin Rash and his 11-year-old sister Onelia.
The question often comes up – “what harm is it really?” – in regards to this sort of anti-scientifc woo. Most of the time, there really isn’t any damage done, except to the pocketbook. Baina, every once in a while, something tragic happens and it all could easily have been avoided with even the tiniest bit of rational thought or discretion. The psychic in town was far and beyond reckless by blaming these gringos – and she should suffer the consequences for her actions. She deliberately blamed two innocent people for the death of local children, which quickly resulted in a severe loss of personal property. Thankfully, Cherie and Vince Rose were both away at the time rescuing a crocodile – they may have not escaped the angry mob had they been at home. Examples of this always make me sad, but reignite my passion for debunking these thieves and criminals.
I suggest visiting the ACES website and blog and either donate or write a note of support. If I weren’t a broke scientist myself, I’d offer more assistance for their efforts to rebuild. Now – who will help educate those villagers before this happens again?!
Chris Grinter By, on September 6th, 2010 For regular readers of my blog you might already know my stance on the monarch, baina catch up here if you’d like to. Yesterday I came across Artikulu honetan in the LA times – regarding the overwintering colonies of monarchs in Pacific Grove, beraz, ezin dut esan. Out here, west of the continental divide, there are quite a few monarchs that migrate to coastal California and Baja del Norte instead of traveling into central Mexico. Not all monarchs from California stay in the state, but there are dozenaka hundreds of known roosting sites (.pdf) up and down our pacific coast.
Pacific Grove has one of the best known localities and has built the local economy around their seasonal migrants (yet no one is deporting these Mexicans). Laburbilduz, the town government hired an arborist to cut back dangerous eucalyptus growth. Why was that necessary? Back in 2004 a limb from a diseased native-pine had fallen and killed an 85-year-old woman while on a walk with her grandchildren. In wake of the million dollar settlement paid to the family of the deceased the town decided to preemptively cut back old tree growth. But now everyone is running around screaming foul, the trees were trimmed ere bai much. Bai, the precious homes of the monarchs were disturbed and it has riled the townspeople into a fury. What if the monarch’s don’t return?
Don’t worry, local filmmaker Bob Pacelli has a solution. Let’s just scatter as many eucalyptus trees as we can find into the grove to attract more butterflies.
In desperation, Pacelli came up with a plan: Find boxed trees — preferably blue gum eucalyptus — around 20 feet high and place them at strategic spots to help shelter the incoming monarchs. But the city has been slow to respond, Pacelli said. One official, Pacelli said, wrongly accused him of stepping on a butterfly, a violation of city code. No charges were filed.
For those paying attention, bai, the city council of Pacific Grove has a law on the books that imposes a fine of $1,000 on anyone who molests a butterfly. Good things monarchs don’t roost in catholic churches.
Continue reading Monarch Madness
Chris Grinter By, on August 27th, 2010 This genius of the press is extra special, not for its difficulty, but for its redundancy. I found the same story carried on two separate sources, with different images – and both equally incorrect! I can imagine that it won’t take long for someone to point out exactly what’s wrong with these stories (hint, badaude 2 things).
Here is the first from the Mirror.co.uk “Giant rare moth found in Devon”.
And the second from the Daily Mail online ” Rare Luna moth found on Devon…”
Chris Grinter By, abuztuaren 24an, 2010 And while I catch up you can watch some creepy Isabella Rossellini re-enact the mating strategies of a bedbug. You should also read, if you haven’t caught it already, du excellent bedbug article written by the distinguished (and my former professor) May Berenbaum.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MakIB_IJnu0&feature=search]
Chris Grinter By, abuztuaren 14an, 2010 Tonight, if you’re in San Francisco, you should make your way to Showdogs bar (near the SoMa) for skeptics in the pub with the honorable James Randi! I’ll be in attendance, along with a few fellow entomologist friends. Try this facebook link – but if that fails, the event starts at 9pm.
If you’re not in SF, enjoy some Randi videos instead!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9w7jHYriFo]
Chris Grinter By, abuztuaren 10ean, 2010 
Pictured is a black-veined white (Aporia crataegi ssp), and it is currently being returned to the Korean Institute of Biological Resources. Loans get returned, as they should be, every day – and can even number in the thousands of specimens. I myself have a few hundred moths out on loan from a handful of museums that are pending research. As soon as I finish my work (or request an extension), the specimens are promptly returned accompanying my paper. Unfortunately it is not a rare occurrence where loans have gone out, and remained out without permission, for decades. At least in one case to my knowledge (names and institutions redacted) the loaned specimens were out so long they created a small international incident. Foreign ambassadors had to formally request the specimens, which had to be presented in person by our ambassador to their country.
This butterfly, hala ere, I don’t believe was part of a loan. So why is it going back to Korea?
Continue reading A Disturbing New Trend?
Chris Grinter By, on August 9th, 2010 Hau besterik ez da ere bai erraza. Karteldegia I-35 Burleson hegoaldean dago, Texas.
Ez dakit irudi honen benetako jatorria, baina Omar Bocanegratik etorri zitzaidan Mike Quinn-en bidez Texas Lepidoptera list-serv-en.
Chris Grinter By, Abuztuaren 8an, 2010 
estropezu egin nuen (ez stumbleupon) koloretako SEM irudi hauek Telegrafoaren webgunea gaur. Batez ere Calliphoridae larba baten irudi hau maite dut (Protoformia sp.) hori zientzia-fikziozko film bat baino gehiago dirudi. Star Wars-eko pertsonaia bitxi bat eta Muppet bat gogorarazten dit aldi berean. Ugaztunen gorputz-arkitektura estandarretik bat-batean alde egiteak intsektuak beste munduko atzerritarrentzako hautagai nagusi bihurtzen ditu. Intsektuak gida gisa erabili behar izan dira District bezalako filmetarako 9, Starship Troopers, Alien, Galaxy Quest… azken batzuk aipatzearren. Ziur nago beste hori, akreditatuago, Zientzia-fikziozko geekek are adibide hobeak pentsa ditzakete. Ildo beretik gogoratzen ditut behean Cerambycidae kakalardo bati atera nizkion irudi hauek – Moneilem gigas. Hau nire kamera berriaren lehen egunetan izan zen, beraz, ezin ditut atzera begiratu argazki perfektu gisa.
Continue reading Muppet Monsters
Chris Grinter By, abuztuaren 6an, 2010 
Hona hemen mendi-gaineko ar bat Tximeleta zeliakoa, edo Anise enara-buztana. Tximeleta hau Ozeano Bareko mendebaldeko estatuetan oso hedatuta dago eta ziurrenik lehen zena baino askoz ere ohikoagoa da. Mihilua sartu ondoren (Foeniculum vulgare), eta gero lorategitik ihes egitea, anis enara-buztanak Kaliforniako tximeleta arrunt gisa hartu zuen. Beharbada landare honek gure errepide bazterrak gainditu aurretik zelicaon baliteke Sierra magalera mugatuta egotea, orain Kalifornia osoko lorategietan aurki dezakezu. Arren, badirudi gauzak itzultzen ari direla CA hegoaldean, non tximeleta hau hiriguneetatik desagertzen ari den. Ventura/LA eremuetan ijito sitsa sartu berritan intsektizida ihinztatzeko erregimenak hasi dira. – zer esanik ez lepo handiagoak maite dituen Tachinidae parasito inbaditzaile baten agerpena. Ekialdeko kostaldean euli bizkarroi honek eta ihinztada astunak Sis Inperiala desagerrarazi du (Eacles imperialis) bere tarte handitik, arriskuan utziz Ingalaterra Berri gehienetan.
Continue reading Butterfly Porn
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eszeptizismoa
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8 iruzkinak - (Iruzkinak itxita daude) 
Entomología 
Tximeletak, Lehiaketa, Entomología, Lepidoptera, Plants 
