From: Michael S. Lorrey (retroman@turbont.net)
Date: Wed Aug 02 2000 - 19:41:01 MDT
Brian D Williams wrote:
>
> From: "Michael S. Lorrey" <retroman@turbont.net>
>
> >No, since monarchs are not dependent upon corn for their diet,
> >there are many other crops being planted besides corn, as well as
> >wild growth in uncultivated areas.
>
> >Yes, and I suspect that areas that are overwhelmingly covered with
> >this GM corn would simply be flown around by the monarchs, much as
> >migratory waterfowl change their migratory routes to fit the
> >availability of wetlands.
>
> >I'm not sure. However, I have found from my own experience that
> >the Monarch Butterfly's primary diet is NOT pollen or leaves from
> >plants like corn, but they feed on animal dung. You heard it,
> >thats right, animal dung. During the monarch migration through our
> >area, I never see monarchs in cornfields. I do however see them
> >congregating en masse on piles of cow, deer, and moose dung. This
> >key fact in my mind tends to blow out of the water the claims of
> >the anti-GM bunch about a threat to the Monarch Butterfly. What
> >the GM corn IS a threat to is the Boll Weevil, which DOES feed on
> >corn, as well as cotton. However the fact that the anti-GM bunch
> >chooses to emphasise a marginal if not false threat to the Monarch
> >Butterfly, which most people like and think are beautiful
> >creatures, and ignore or deemphasise the threat to the Boll
> >Weevil, which most people will admit is a pest that is better off
> >on the endangered species list, fits in perfectly with my theory
> >of the 'Cute and Fuzzy' modus operandi of the Greens, which only
> >incriminates their personal as well as scientific integrity
> >(assuming there was any to begin with).
>
> Monarch larvae eat only members of the Milkweed family, adults only
> drink nectar.
>
> According to the Monarch sanctuary website, they enter a biological
> state during migration to conserve fuel, (2000 miles) so between
> that and the limitations of their instincts I think large scale
> avoidance unlikely.
>
> Don't let the facts get in the way though.....
Are there butterflies that look exactly like Monaroch butterflies, and
which migrate at the same time of the year as monarch butterflies???
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 15:30:18 MST