Saturday, April 30, 2016

At the Hop!

The Everly Brothers









  • The Everly Brothers are the most important vocal duo in rock. The enduring influence of their close, expressive harmonies is evident in the work of British Invasion bands like the Beatles and the Hollies, and of folk-oriented acts such as Simon and Garfunkel, not to mention countless solo artists, among them Dave Edmunds, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt. Most of the Everlys' hit singles — "Bye Bye Love," "Wake Up Little Susie," "All I Have to Do Is Dream" — merged Nashville's clean instrumental country style with innocuous teenage themes, and were smoother than other contemporary country-rock hybrids like rockabilly. Their mastery is revealed in their ballads, among them "Let It Be Me."
    Don Everly was born on February 1, 1937; his brother Phil arrived almost two years later, on January 19, 1939. They were the children of Midwestern country stars Ike and Margaret Everly of Shenandoah, Iowa. The boys toured with their parents around the South and Midwest and performed on the family radio show (a taped sample of which appears on Roots) throughout their childhoods. In the summer of 1955, still teenagers, they left for Nashville, where they were soon hired by Roy Acuff's publishing company as songwriters. Don had a minor success when his "Thou Shalt Not Steal" became a hit for Kitty Wells. The brothers also recorded a country single entitled "Keep On Loving Me" for Columbia before signing with Cadence in 1957. Songwriters Felice and Boudleaux Bryant gave them "Bye Bye Love," which 30 acts had previously rejected. It was an international hit (Number Two U.S., 1957), topped the country chart, and established the Everly Brothers' style of close country harmonies over a rocking beat.
    The Everlys toured internationally with a small combo over the next few years, sporting matching suits and haircuts and leaving fans to identify each brother by the color of his hair (Don's was darker). Their heyday lasted through 1962, by which time they were at Warner Bros., with cumulative record sales of $35 million. In their three years with Cadence (which they left in a dispute over royalties) they averaged a Top 10 hit every four months, including four Number One hits: "Wake Up Little Susie," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "Cathy's Clown," and "Bird Dog."
    Some of their most successful records — "Till I Kissed You" (Number Four, 1959), "When Will I Be Loved" (Number Eight, 1960) — were written by Don or Phil Everly. Their best-selling single, "Cathy's Clown" (sales of which exceeded 2 million), came after their switch to Warner Bros., but their success with the new label was short-lived. In June 1962 the Everlys' string of hits ended with "That's Old-Fashioned" (Number Nine, 1962). They remained major stars in England, but their careers slowed markedly in the U.S. despite continued releases on Warner Bros. ("Bowling Green," Number 40, 1967) and RCA (where they moved in the early Seventies, shortly after hosting a summer TV series on CBS). Their latter-day backup band was led by keyboardist Warren Zevon and included future L.A. studio guitarist Waddy Wachtel.
    By then the brothers' personal lives had gone through serious upheavals. Both were addicted to speed for a while, and Don was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown. Their relationship became increasingly acrimonious until it blew up at the John Wayne Theater at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, on July 14, 1973. Phil smashed his guitar and stalked off stage, leaving Don to announce the duo's obvious breakup. Subsequent solo attempts by both were largely unsuccessful.
    In 1983 the Everlys returned to the spotlight. Phil's duet with Cliff Richard, "She Means Nothing to Me," reached the British Top 10 in the spring. That September the brothers reunited onstage at London's Royal Albert Hall for a triumphant concert that was chronicled on Reunion Concert and in a video documentary that was widely aired. In 1984 they released EB 84 (Number 38, 1984), produced by longtime fan Dave Edmunds. "On the Wings of a Nightingale," penned by another admirer, Paul McCartney (who'd mentioned the pair in his "Let 'Em In"), went to Number 50 in the U.S. and Number 41 in England. Edmunds also produced 1986's Born Yesterday, which came out the same month that the duo was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Everlys continued to perform well into 2000s, and Phil resurfaced on a recording in 2006, singing a duet with Vince Gill on his album These Days. The Everly Brothers have inspired several musicals, including 1998's biographical Bye Bye Love: The Everly Brothers Musical, which ran in Nashville, and 2000's Dream, Dream, Dream, which played Atlantic City.





Friday, April 29, 2016

Friday Night Steam



How about a steam powered fire engine to marvel at today?









For the history of Whitby's fire department:

http://www2.whitby.ca/asset/fs-community_historyfiredepartment.pdf


Today's funny :o)








Fast and slow....

.... that's the only two speeds the gang knows!


Charlie, Maude and Laverne were digging by one of the trees at the rock wall in the front yard. Charlie saw me and figured I had his treat, so he came walking over. Maude thought she was going to miss out on something, so she flew over. They didn't see the treat bag, so Maude just started to scratch in the dirt looking for bugs. Charlie just waits....and waits.



Finally, Laverne s-l-o-w-l-y starts walking back.  She doesn't run anymore, just like her owner!




(Sorry, don't know why my camera is making those wonky noises)


Hubby bringing in more wood. I can't wait for the warm weather to get here. Getting tired of that fireplace and the dust! Maybe next week....


 :o)




Thursday, April 28, 2016

A riddle :o)





"This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious as to just how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would think nothing is wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly unusual though. Study it and think about it. You may still not think anything is odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching."

:o)




Today's funny :o)










This 'N That

Just random photos .....


Hubby was busy with the chainsaw:



 Loading the cut limbs:

 


 Our scraggly dogwood tree:
 


 When there were four:


Little buttercups:



 Hyacinths and dandelions:


If it's green, we usually keep it - fills in the bare spots!

:o)




Wednesday, April 27, 2016

The Nicobar Pigeon

Such a beautiful bird! And the colors - oh my!





From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicobar_pigeon

The Nicobar pigeon's breeding range encompasses the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India, the Mergui Archipelago of Myanmar, offshore islands of south-western Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, southern Cambodia and Vietnam, and many of the small islands between Sumatra, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. On Palau, the only distinct subspecies C. n. pelewensis is found.



The white tail is the most conspicuous feature of adult Nicobar pigeons, particularly when seen at a distance in the twilight
The Nicobar pigeon roams in flocks from island to island, usually sleeping on offshore islets where no predators occur and spends the day in areas with better food availability, not shying away from areas inhabited by humans. Its food consists of seeds, fruit and buds, and it is attracted to areas where grain is available. A gizzard stone helps to grind up hard food items. Its flight is quick, with regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings, as is characteristic of pigeons in general. Unlike other pigeons, groups tend to fly in columns or single file, not in a loose flock. The white tail is prominent in flight when seen from behind and may serve as a sort of "taillight", keeping flocks together when crossing the sea at dawn or dusk. The young birds' lack of a white tail is a signal of their immaturity clearly visible to conspecifics – to an adult Nicobar pigeon, it is obvious at a glance which flockmembers are neither potential mates, nor potential competitors for mates, nor old enough to safely guide a flock from one island to another.


This species nests in dense forest on offshore islets, often in large colonies. It builds a loose stick nest in a tree. It lays one elliptical faintly blue-tinged white egg








To learn more about this beautiful bird:
http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/birds/Columbiformes/Columbidae/Caloenas-nicobarica


Today's funny :o)







Me, too!  :o)

Had to.....


..... make a run to the store in town to pick up a few things. Glad I had my camera with me!



Black Vultures!



 Some little critter got smunched on the road:


 This one was sitting on the roof of a house - look at that wing span!


 They are fascinating birds and we are starting to see more of them around. Sometimes they will dine with the Turkey Vultures (they have a pinkish colored head) which are very common. On the way back, the road was all cleaned up.


Black Vulture Photo




With sooty black plumage, a bare black head, and neat white stars under the wingtips, Black Vultures are almost dapper. Whereas Turkey Vultures are lanky birds with teetering flight, Black Vultures are compact birds with broad wings, short tails, and powerful wingbeats. The two species often associate: the Black Vulture makes up for its poor sense of smell by following Turkey Vultures to carcasses. Highly social birds with fierce family loyalty, Black Vultures share food with relatives, feeding young for months after they’ve fledged.

Source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Vulture/id

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

A cool haircut!




These Horses Are Getting The Coolest Haircuts Ever



JMC Equestrian Driving & Custom Clipping/Facebook
Humans are always doing strange and interesting things to their hair, but JMC Equestrian Driving & Custom Clipping based in England has decided it's time for horses to get in on the fun too.

It only makes sense, considering animals also need a trim every now and again. The business is giving horses spectacular designs that dazzle onlookers as they gallop by.
JMC Equestrian Driving & Custom Clipping/Facebook

Clipping is not only beneficial to the horses in the summer for keeping cool, it also helps to prevent their hair from getting matted. All of the designs are done freehand, and no stencils involved.
The design pictured above is called "The Armor Of Love." It's got swords, hearts and even the letters JMC hiding in the pattern.


 
JMC Equestrian Driving & Custom Clipping/Facebook
 
The artist says that she not only has lots of passion for her work, but for the horses she gets to meet and work with along the way. The horse below gets some funky stars on its back.
 
JMC Equestrian Driving & Custom Clipping/Facebook

 
A four-leaf clover was chosen for the lucky Irish horse below.
 
JMC Equestrian Driving & Custom Clipping/Facebook
 
These haircuts are so unique and cool, we can only hope the concept spreads to the other side of the Big Pond.

To view more of Romeo and JMC's custom clippings, head to the company's Facebook page.



Today's funny :o)










:o(


When I went to let the gang out for breakfast yesterday morning, only three of them came out. Not unusual as sometimes one of the girls will be in the nest box.

Peeked inside the coop and there was Sophia. Dead on the floor. Damn! She was so sweet and liked to be held and petted more than the others. She's the one that made that funny egg, but only laid one more after that, but seemed just fine otherwise.

Hubby dug a hole and we buried her along the stone wall in the back. I hate when I lose one - I always wonder if I did something wrong.

Now there is only Charlie, Laverne and Maude left. I really don't know if I'm going to get any more.

Maybe it's time for goldfish.......



Sophia

Monday, April 25, 2016

An unusual instrument....

.... and pretty darn cool!





The Hang (German pronunciation: [haŋ], plural form: Hanghang[) is a musical instrument in the idiophone class created by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer in Bern, Switzerland. The name of their company is PANArt Hangbau AG.The Hang is sometimes referred to as a hang drum, but the inventors consider this a misnomer and strongly discourage its use.

The instrument is constructed from two half-shells of deep drawn, nitrided steel sheet glued together at the rim leaving the inside hollow and creating a distinct 'UFO shape'. The top ("Ding") side has a center 'note' hammered into it and seven or eight 'tone fields' hammered around the center. The bottom ("Gu") is a plain surface that has a rolled hole in the center with a tuned note that can be created when the rim is struck.

The Hang uses some of the same basic physical principles as a steelpan, but modified in such a way as to act as a Helmholtz resonator.[7] The creation of the Hang was the result of many years of research on the steelpan and other instruments. The inventors of the Hang have continued to refine the shape and materials and have produced several variations over the years.

The name Hang comes from the Bernese German word for hand. It is a registered trademark and property of PANArt Hangbau AG.

Playing the Hang

Manu Delago playing a first generation Hang
 
The Hang is typically played resting on the player's lap. The Hang is generally played with the hands and fingers instead of mallets. This lighter means of playing produces an overtone-rich sound that could be considered 'softer' and 'warmer' than the 'bright' sound of a mallet based traditional steelpan.
The top (Ding) side of the Hang, depending on how it is played, can sound like a harp, bells, or harmonically tuned steelpans. The notes are laid out in a cross pattern in the 'tone circle' from low to high so that with a specific orientation of the Hang, the player can ascend or descend the 'scale' by alternating using the left and right hands to strike the 'tone fields'. Each tone field has multiple overtones oriented specifically in the flattened field with a dome at the center. Typically there is a fundamental tone, an overtone tuned to an octave above that fundamental, and an additional overtone a fifth above that octave (twelfth/tritave). The orientation is fairly consistent across the fields on each Hang so that the overtones can be highlighted, muted, or extracted based on how and where the player strikes the tone field.
The bottom side of the Hang has a round opening, the Gu, producing together with the air in the cavity a Helmholtz resonance similar to a ghatam or an udu. In the 2nd generation, Integral Hang and Free Integral Hang adjustment of the size of the Gu (by partially blocking it with either a hand, or the legs) can generate a sympathetic D2 from the Helmholtz resonance, which introduces subtle layers of cross complexities in the resonance of the instrument as notes are played on the Ding side. In the 1st and 2nd generation models there is a single high note with a long sustain that can be generated by striking the rim of the hole on the 'Gu' side. In the Integral Hang there are two notes that can be generated (F and F#). The Hang can also be used as a friction idiophone. Shaker-like sounds can be made by sliding a hand across the surface, and it can also ring like a singing bowl by using skin (a hand) or a bow.


Hang
Panart-freies-integrales-hang.jpg
Free Integral Hang (2010)
Percussion instrument
Hornbostel–Sachs classification 111.24
(Percussion vessels)
Inventor(s) Felix Rohner, Sabina Schärer
Developed 2000
Builders
Felix Rohner, Sabina Schärer


Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_%28instrument%29







Today's funny :o)













Busy weekend

Took the tarp off the coop and the pen roof and got rid of the plastic around three sides of the pen. 
I'll take the other side off once I know the weather will stay warm. The tarp and the plastic were loaded with spiders - yuck!  There were also mushrooms growing under the plastic and along the bottom of the fence.

Everything got a good cleaning and sweeping out.  All fresh hay was put down in the pen and the gang had a fine time scratching through it when they went back in!



 The coop had a good cleaning and airing out, too



The poopie bin filled up fast and Charlie was the first one in.



Sorry, Charlie - the girls were NOT interested - (again)!



Went to the store and bought a new growing tray along with lots of seeds.
We will sow the corn right into the ground in a week or two.




 Hubby did the first grass cutting on Saturday. By Sunday afternoon:



:o)



Saturday, April 23, 2016

At the Hop!


Freddie Cannon!





Oh what fun Palisades Park was! Spent my growing up years there. My brother and I would go with Mom and Dad at least once a month and when older, was the perfect place to go on a date!

 Palisades Amusement Park was a thirty-acre amusement park located in Bergen County, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City. It was located atop the New Jersey Palisades lying partly in Cliffside Park and partly in Fort Lee. The park operated from 1898 until 1971, remaining one of the most visited amusement parks in the country until the end of its existence. After the park closed in 1971, a high-rise luxury apartment complex was built on its site.


Palisades Amusement Park
Palisades Amusement Park 3.jpg
Slogan Come on over!
Location Cliffside Park-Fort Lee, New Jersey, U.S.
Coordinates 40.8281°N 73.9778°WCoordinates: 40.8281°N 73.9778°W
Owner Nicholas and Joseph Schenck, Jack and Irving Rosenthal
Opened 1898
Closed September 12, 1971
Previous names Park on the Palisades, Schenck Brothers Palisade Park
Operating season Weekend before Easter to Sunday after Labor Day
Area New York metropolitan area
Rides
Total 45-50 (rides varied from season to season)
Roller coasters 5
Website www.palisadespark.com

Palisades Amusement Park Marker Photo, Click for full size

Friday, April 22, 2016

Friday Night Steam

What a beauty!!!



V&T No. 22 "INYO"


Other than the famous RENO steam locomotive, the second most popular iron horse on the V&T is the INYO. Out shopped by Burnham, Parry, Williams & Company, Baldwin Locomotive Works in February of 1875, the 4-4-0 arrived in Reno on March 22, along with the J. W. BOWKER, to begin a long career starting in April. The wood burner cost $9,065 and when filled to capacity with approximately 2,000 gallons of water and three cords of wood, weighed over 58 tons, INYO, the name applied, is Indian meaning "dwelling place of a great spirit." INYO is also affixed to a lengthy mountain range and a large county in eastern California. No. 22, nicknamed the BRASS BETSY, gained the admiration of many of the road's veterans and rightly so as it came furnished with an enormous amount of highly polished brass work including the bell and bell stand, steam dome and sand box casing, boiler jacket bands, cylinder jackets, and running board edging. 
 
By 1879, the brass bedecked engine was employed in the V&T's regularly scheduled mixed passenger and freight service. At other times it substituted for the RENO and GENOA engines when they were in the shop. Beginning in the 1890's, No. 22 handled the road's crack Virginia City express train and saw extensive use during the Tonopah mining boom soon after 1900. In 1910, the INYO was next to the last of the V&T iron horses to be converted to burn oil. From 1926 on, the engine was considered to be retired, although she did replace the RENO occasionally. 

The BRASS BETSY became the first of many V&T cars and locomotives acquired by Paramount Pictures. In 1937 No. 22 starred in HIGH, WIDE AND HANDSOME, followed by roles in UNION Pacific, RED RIVER and Disney's THE GREAT LOCOMOTIVE CHASE. She last operated in 1965 for the TV series WILD, WILD WEST. Four years later the INYO participated in the Gold Spike Centennial at Promontory, Utah. Starting in 1970, the engine appeared as a replica of the Central Pacific's JUPITER at the Gold Spike National Historical Site. The State of Nevada purchased the 4-4-0 in 1974 and when it was no longer need for display the ex-V&T engine returned home to Carson City. After more than a year of restoration work, the INYO made her debut on May 29, 1983. Since then the wood-burning BRASS BETSY has operated on numerous occasions and participated at the grand opening of the Palace Station Casino in Las Vegas during April of 1984. It was also one of the stars at the 1996 4th of July Transportation Fair.

Builder:  Burnham, Parry, Williams & Company, Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date:  February 1875
Gauge:  4 feet 8-1/2 inches. 3/4 inch play
Type:  4-4-0 American
Class:  8-26 C 78
Builder Number:  3693
Road:  Virginia & Truckee Railroad Company
Number:  22
Name:  "Inyo"
Service:  Passenger
Fuel:  Wood
Cost New:  $9,065.00
Tractive Power:  11,705 lbs.
Boiler Pressure:  130 lbs


V&T No. 22 Inyo backing into the hole

Source:  http://www.nsrm-friends.org/inyo22.htm


Today's funny :o)









Busy Hubby!

Hubby is starting to clear our land in back of the stone wall. He's taken down some small trees and made some roads.


 Parts of our  property haven't been touched since the house was built in 1979.


 I found a lot of plastic bags that were buried under the brush. Some of them were little parts bags from when the gutters were put on the house! Plastic sure does take a loooong time to disintegrate!

 

 Don't know what this vine was at one time - now it's just fuzzy. A lot of the trees back here have them.



 We'll never use all this, but at least it will be cleared. It's a good buffer if anyone moves into the house way in back of us.


 Hubby clearing the brush:


 View of the house and barn from in back of the rock wall


 Now all we need is some gravel!


Yup! That gets added to the long  'wish list' too!

:o)





Thursday, April 21, 2016

A wonder of Nature!

The birth of a Monarch Butterfly




Monarch butterflies go through four stages during one life cycle, and through four generations in one year. It’s a little confusing but keep reading and you will understand. The four stages of the
monarch butterfly life cycle are the egg, the larvae (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly. The four generations are actually four different butterflies going through these four stages during one year until it is time to start over again with stage one and generation one.

In February and March, the final generation of hibernating monarch butterflies comes out of hibernation to find a mate. They then migrate north and east in order to find a place to lay their eggs. This starts stage one and generation one of the new year for the monarch butterfly.

In March and April the eggs are laid on milkweed plants. They hatch into baby caterpillars, also called the larvae. It takes about four days for the eggs to hatch. Then the baby caterpillar doesn’t do much more than eat the milkweed in order to grow. After about two weeks, the caterpillar will be fully-grown and find a place to attach itself so that it can start the process of metamorphosis. It will attach itself to a stem or a leaf using silk and transform into a chrysalis. Although, from the outside, the 10 days of the chrysalis phase seems to be a time when nothing is happening, it is really a time of rapid change. Within the chrysalis the old body parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation, called metamorphosis, to become the beautiful parts that make up the butterfly that will emerge. The monarch butterfly will emerge from the pupa and fly away, feeding on flowers and just enjoying the short life it has left, which is only about two to six weeks. This first generation monarch butterfly will then die after laying eggs for generation number two.

The second generation of monarch butterflies is born in May and June, and then the third generation will be born in July and August. These monarch butterflies will go through exactly the same four stage life cycle as the first generation did, dying two to six weeks after it becomes a beautiful monarch butterfly.

The fourth generation of monarch butterflies is a little bit different than the first three generations. The fourth generation is born in September and October and goes through exactly the same process as the first, second and third generations except for one part. The fourth generation of monarch butterflies does not die after two to six weeks. Instead, this generation of monarch butterflies migrates
to warmer climates like Mexico and California and will live for six to eight months until it is time to start the whole process over again.

It is amazing how the four generations of monarch butterflies works out so that the monarch population can continue to live on throughout the years, but not become overpopulated. Mother Nature sure has some cool ways of doing things, doesn’t she?
- See more at: http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/#sthash.9SJJiTPh.dpuf
Monarch butterflies go through four stages during one life cycle, and through four generations in one year. It’s a little confusing but keep reading and you will understand. The four stages of the
monarch butterfly life cycle are the egg, the larvae (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly. The four generations are actually four different butterflies going through these four stages during one year until it is time to start over again with stage one and generation one.

In February and March, the final generation of hibernating monarch butterflies comes out of hibernation to find a mate. They then migrate north and east in order to find a place to lay their eggs. This starts stage one and generation one of the new year for the monarch butterfly.

In March and April the eggs are laid on milkweed plants. They hatch into baby caterpillars, also called the larvae. It takes about four days for the eggs to hatch. Then the baby caterpillar doesn’t do much more than eat the milkweed in order to grow. After about two weeks, the caterpillar will be fully-grown and find a place to attach itself so that it can start the process of metamorphosis. It will attach itself to a stem or a leaf using silk and transform into a chrysalis. Although, from the outside, the 10 days of the chrysalis phase seems to be a time when nothing is happening, it is really a time of rapid change. Within the chrysalis the old body parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation, called metamorphosis, to become the beautiful parts that make up the butterfly that will emerge. The monarch butterfly will emerge from the pupa and fly away, feeding on flowers and just enjoying the short life it has left, which is only about two to six weeks. This first generation monarch butterfly will then die after laying eggs for generation number two.

The second generation of monarch butterflies is born in May and June, and then the third generation will be born in July and August. These monarch butterflies will go through exactly the same four stage life cycle as the first generation did, dying two to six weeks after it becomes a beautiful monarch butterfly.

The fourth generation of monarch butterflies is a little bit different than the first three generations. The fourth generation is born in September and October and goes through exactly the same process as the first, second and third generations except for one part. The fourth generation of monarch butterflies does not die after two to six weeks. Instead, this generation of monarch butterflies migrates
to warmer climates like Mexico and California and will live for six to eight months until it is time to start the whole process over again.

It is amazing how the four generations of monarch butterflies works out so that the monarch population can continue to live on throughout the years, but not become overpopulated. Mother Nature sure has some cool ways of doing things, doesn’t she?
- See more at: http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/#sthash.9SJJiTPh.dpuf


Basic Facts About Monarch Butterflies

The monarch butterfly may be the most widely recognized of all American butterflies with its distinct orange, black, and white wings. While beautiful, this coloring actually sends a warning to predators that the monarch is foul tasting and poisonous. Found throughout the United States, as well as Mexico and Canada, one of the most notable characteristics about the monarch is the astonishing 3000 mile journey some will make in the fall to their wintering grounds in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Mexico or to southern California, depending on which part of the United States or Canada they migrate.

Diet

In their larval stage monarch caterpillars feed almost exclusively on milkweed and as adults get their nutrients from the nectar of flowers. The monarch will always return to areas rich in milkweed to lay their eggs upon the plant. The milkweed they feed on as a caterpillar is actually a poisonous toxin and is stored in their bodies. This is what makes the monarch butterfly taste so terrible to predators.

Population

Millions of monarch butterflies make the trip down to Mexico to roost for the winter. During the migration tens of thousands will land on a single tree in certain areas along their migratory path.

Range

Did You Know?
Monarchs can travel between 50 - 100 miles a day; it can take up to two months to complete their journey to winter habitats.
Wherever there is milkweed there will be Monarch butterflies. The monarch is widely distributed across North America, from Central America northwards to southern Canada, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts. Three geographically distinct populations make up the total North American range of the species, one each both east and west of the Rocky Mountains, and one Central American. Each of these populations has a distinct migratory pattern. Monarchs that live west of the Rocky Mountains will migrate to southern California for winter while monarchs that live east of the Rockies will migrate to Mexico.

Behavior

Monarchs can produce four generations during one summer. The first three generations will have life spans from 2 - 6 weeks and will continue moving north. During this time they will mate and have the next generation that will continue the northward migration. The fourth generation is different and can live up to nine months. These are the butterflies that will migrate south for winter to either Mexico or southern California.

Threats to Monarch Butterflies

It is predicted that one of the many effects of climate change will be wetter and colder winters. If they are dry, monarchs can survive below freezing temperatures, but if they get wet and the temperature drops they will freeze to death. Because hundreds of millions of monarchs are located in such a small area in the Sierra Nevada of Mexico during the winter, a cold snap there could be devastating.
Did You Know?
Monarch butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees. They will sit in the sun or "shiver" their wings to warm up.
As the world warms, suitable habitat will begin to move northward resulting in a longer migration. This means the monarchs may be forced to adapt and produce another generation to reach further north. It is uncertain whether they will be able to do so. Therefore, few monarchs may be able to make the longer trip back to Mexico for winter.
Other threats to the monarch include habitat loss and loss of milkweed which they depend upon as larva to survive. Illegal logging remains a problem today in Mexico in protected areas and is devastating monarch winter habitat.

Reasons For Hope

IUCN has designated the monarch migration a threatened phenomenon. In 1986, the Mexican government created the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve which protects 62 square miles of forests in the Sierra Madres where hundreds of million of monarchs spend each winter. The Biosphere Reserve was expanded to include 217 square miles in 2000. Local organizations are also working to stop the illegal harvesting of trees on the reserve to protect wintering habitat.




:o)



Today's funny :o)

H/T to Renee in Florida!





:o)



Another quiet day....

Not much got done in Coopville today - my brother decide to come up  for a visit and we spent most of the day chatting away. 'Hope it won't be another year before I see him again!

Anyhoo, these are the only pics I took yesterday:


 The usual suspects:


 Finally finished and hung up the new bird house:


 Hubby rotor-tilled this stretch of land for me. This is where I'm going to plant the corn.


He'll add more manure and turn it under again. Can't plant until May, though.
When it starts to grow, we may have to put some sort of fencing around it.
For the damn deer, you know...

:o)