Wordless Wednesday

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Bt. Correction.

Just an update on my last post Butterfly vs. Bt. Luckily, Daphne from Daphne’s Dandelions saved us all from the misinformation on Wikipedia.

Unbeknownst to me, there are three main strains of Bt used to target specific pests. Bt is not a broad-spectrum pesticide. Information about the three strains and their specific targets can be found on the Colorado State University Extension Website site.

The most commonly used strain is Kurstaki,which targets caterpillars, including cabbage worms, tent caterpillars and leaf rollers.  It is sold under the trade names Biobit, Dipel, MVP, Steward, Thuricide.

Mosquitoes and flies are treated with a separate strain Israelensis.

The third and fourth strains San diego/tenebrionis target beetles, like the Colorado Potato Beetle and others.

Check the ColoState page for more in depth info.

Sorry to scare you all. Bt is a safe pesticide, especially when compared with the alternatives.

Sheesh, I’d better stop using Wikipedia as the be all, end all. It certainly isn’t.

Thank you for clearing that up Daphne!

Butterfly vs. Bt

I know, I’m not Sherlock Holmes, but there is a serious problem afoot that needs some investigating. Here is the first clue: On the East Coast the most prevalent butterflies are the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail in both its black and yellow forms. These pictures were taken last year in the middle of June.  One of their favorite flowers in these parts are the milk thistles. There are a ton of these thistles and they bloom a lot, but this year, not one butterfly on their flowers. Not one. In fact I saw two butterflies this entire summer. A black one quickly darted away from me while I was picking blackberries and a Yellow Tiger Swallowtail also darted away from me closer to the yard.

Second Clue: Bt, Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring soil-dwelling bacteria and biological insecticide. Bt is a living organism very similar to Anthrax.  Bt, like anthrax, produces endospores a virtually indestructible  enclosure that protects the organism’s DNA. Endospores remain dormant until favorable conditions are met, then they replicates their own DNA, producing other compounds and toxins during the process. One of these is a crystal protein toxin produced by Bt’s cry gene. This cry toxin specifically effects larvae in many orders of the insect family. Bt lives in the soil and on plant material, specifically plant material that caterpillars need to eat. When caterpillars or any insect larvae ingest the cry toxin it becomes activated due to the pH in their guts. The toxin basically causes the cells in the thin gut lining to explode, quickly and effectively killing the insect. This is exactly how Bt insecticides and genetically modified Bt crops work.

I lifted the following paragraph from Wikipedia’s Bt page. “Because of their specificity, these pesticides are regarded as environmentally friendly, with little or no effect on humans, wildlife, pollinators, and most other beneficial insects”

oh, except, ants, beetles, butterflies,  flies, mosquitoes, moths,  nematodes and so on…

Granted, we don’t want mosquitoes with West Nile Virus flying all over the country, but do we really prefer Bt killing every insect in sight like an invisible grim reaper?

Sources:

Wikipedia Bt]

UPDATED INFO: Bt Correction

Inspiration Fall Colorways

Fall is a colorful and inspiring time of year, so I thought I’d share a selection of beautiful colors that are a perfect representation of the season. Orange is the archetypal fall color. It embodies a lot of good things about fall, ripening fruits, falling leaves, pumpkins, pies, spices, fires, and warmth during coldness. Oranges lead to gorgeous reds, burnt browns, and deep dark purples. The weather in fall is also colorful, the leaves, green, gold, orange, and crimson. Crisp, clear blue skies, dark grey clouds and hurricanes. Autumn is a wealth of color and nature provides it all.

A colorway is loosely defined as a palette of two or more  colors. Textile designers and decorators use color groupings to make the same prints and patterns in different colors schemes.