Ag Chris Grinter, ar 8ú Meán Fómhair, 2010 Cé Tá mé ag obair ar an bpost í níos substaintiúla, is féidir leat ainm an féileacán – agus ba chóir na plandaí a bheith éasca go leor freisin. Bónas breise más féidir leat buille faoi thuairim an chontae (Ní bheidh an stáit a bheith ró-suntasach) inar ghlac mé an grianghraf. Bhí sé seo réamh-DSLR, but my old beat up canon point-and-shoot did manage to get some good ones.
Ag Chris Grinter, on September 7th, 2010 
A sad story has just made its way up from Belize – an 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, ach, is not the entire story. It turns out that a mob of indigenous Mayans flew into a rage and torched the facility. Cén fáth? 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. Ach, 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. Go raibh maith agat, 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?!
Ag Chris Grinter, ar 6 Meán Fómhair, 2010 Maidir le léitheoirí rialta a dhéanamh ar mo bhlag d'fhéadfadh a fhios agat cheana féin mo seasamh ar an monarc, ach catch up here if you’d like to. Yesterday I came across this article in the LA times – maidir le coilíneachtaí overwintering na monarchs i Pacific Grove, CA. Amach anseo, thiar den deighilt ilchríochach, 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 dozens 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). I mbeagán focal, the town government hired an arborist to cut back dangerous eucalyptus growth. Why was that necessary? Ar ais isteach 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 freisin much. Is ea, 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, yes, 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
Ag Chris Grinter, 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, tá 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…”
Ag Chris Grinter, ar 24 Lúnasa, 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, an excellent bedbug article written by the distinguished (and my former professor) May Berenbaum.
[youtube = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MakIB_IJnu0&feature=search]
Ag Chris Grinter, ar 14ú Lúnasa, 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]
Ag Chris Grinter, ar 10 Lúnasa, 2010 
Sa phictiúr tá dubh-veined bán (Aporia SSP crataegi), and it is currently being returned to the Korean Institute of Biological Resources. Iasachtaí a fháil ar ais, mar ba chóir dóibh a bheith, gach lá – agus is féidir fiú uimhir i mílte heiseamail. 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, ach, I don’t believe was part of a loan. So why is it going back to Korea?
Continue reading A Disturbing New Trend?
Ag Chris Grinter, on August 9th, 2010 This one is just freisin easy. The billboard is on I-35 south of Burleson, Texas.
I don’t know the true provenance of this image, but it came my way from Omar Bocanegra via Mike Quinn on the Texas Lepidoptera list-serv.
Ag Chris Grinter, ar 8 Lúnasa, 2010 
Shiúil mé ar (ní ar stumbleupon) na híomhánna SEM daite seo ar an Leathanach gréasáin teileagraif inniu. Is breá liom go háirithe an íomhá seo de larbha Calliphoridae (Protophormia sp.) is cosúil go bhfuil níos mó as scannán ficsean eolaíochta C-rátáil ná nádúr. Cuireann sé carachtar freakish Star Wars agus Muppet araon i gcuimhne dom ag an am céanna. Fágann imeacht tobann ó ailtireacht choirp chaighdeánach mhamach feithidí mar phríomhiarrthóirí d'eachtrannaigh dhomhanda eile. Caithfidh gur úsáideadh feithidí mar threoir do scannáin mar District 9, Troopers Starship, Eachtrannach, Rompu Réaltra… gan ach roinnt de na cinn is déanaí a ainmniú. Tá mé cinnte go eile, níos creidiúnaithe, is féidir le geeks sci-fi smaoineamh ar shamplaí níos fearr fós. Ar an mbealach céanna is cuimhin liom na híomhánna seo a ghearr mé de chiaróg Cerambycidae thíos – Moneilem gigas. Bhí sé seo sna laethanta tosaigh de mo cheamara nua agus mar sin ní féidir liom breathnú siar orthu mar shots foirfe.
Continue reading Muppet Monsters
Ag Chris Grinter, 6 Lúnasa, 2010 
Seo fear ag barr cnoic Zeliacon féileacán, nó ainís swallowtail. Tá an féileacán forleathan sna stáit an Aigéin Chiúin an iarthair agus is dócha i bhfad níos coitianta ná mar a bhí sé aon uair amháin. Tar éis tabhairt isteach na finéal (Vulgare Foeniculum), agus éalú ina dhiaidh sin ó gairneoireachta, ghlac an swallowtail anise shealbhú mar California féileacán coiteann. B'fhéidir sular rug an planda seo ar thaobh ár mbóithre an zelicaon b'fhéidir go raibh sé teoranta do bhunchnoic Siarra, anois is féidir leat é a fháil ar fud gairdíní i California ar fad. agus tiocfaidh an post seo, is cosúil go bhfuil rudaí ag cúlú iad féin i ndeisceart CA áit a bhfuil an féileacán seo ag imeacht ó cheantair uirbeacha. Tá tús curtha le réimis spraeála feithidicíde nuair a tugadh isteach an leamhán giofógach go ceantair Ventura/LA le déanaí. – gan trácht ar an chuma atá ar Tachinidae seadán ionrach a bhfuil grá ag na leapacha níos mó. Amuigh ar an gcósta thoir tá an eitilt sheadánach seo agus an spraeáil throm seo tar éis éirí as an leamhan Imperial (Eacles imperialis) ó go leor dá raon, rud a fhágann go bhfuil sé i mbaol sa chuid is mó de Shasana Nua.
Continue reading Butterfly Porn
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Feithideolaíocht 
Féileacáin, Comórtas, Feithideolaíocht, Lepidoptera, Plandaí 
