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Feb 11

How One Man Singlehandedly Repopulated a Rare Butterfly Species in His Backyard -

As the California pipevine plant was displaced from San Francisco by urban sprawl, the California pipevine swallowtail, which relies on the pipevine plant to feed its caterpillars, also disappeared. That is, until a biologist named Tim Wong made it his mission to repopuplate the species in his own backyard.
Armed only with a cutting of California pipevine from the San Francisco Botanical Garden, Tim created a screened in butterfly enclosure in his backyard and began to reproduce California pipevines.
As new butterflies were born, Tim would donate them to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens where their pipevine host plant could still be found.
“At first he brought them in by the hundreds. Now he brings them in by the thousands every few months.”
While most of us don’t have the power to create habitat for endangered rhinos or tigers, anyone with a little bit of outdoor space can help create habitat for endangered insects!
You can:
-plant a pollinator garden with native nectar-producing plants
-plant host plants of local butterfly species
-leave piles of fallen leaves or sticks in your yard as habitat for native bees
-avoid using pesticides (or use them as sparingly as possible) around your home and yard
“Improving habitat for native fauna is something anyone can do. Conservation and stewardship can start in your very own backyard.” -Tim Wong

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ir-egipto-travel:

Palace facade with the central doors decorated with the Two Eyes.
Detail from the limestone sarcophagus of Queen Kawit, wife of King Montuhotep II (ca. 2051-2000 BCE). Now in the Cairo Museum

(via egypt-ancient-and-modern)

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workingclasshistory:

On this day, 28 June 1911, 4,000 dockers walked out on strike in Liverpool, England demanding improved pay and conditions. They were quickly followed by 6,000 of their colleagues, then seamen walked out in support. Within a week the employers’ federation caved in and most companies struck a deal with the union which had massively swelled over the course of the week. Here is a short history of the strike wave in Liverpool: https://libcom.org/history/1911-liverpool-general-transport-strike https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1155924537926028/?type=3

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workingclasshistory:

On this day, 17 March 1876 US troops attacked sleeping Cheyenne and Oglala Sioux people in Montana in the Battle of Powder River, marking the beginning of the Sioux wars. They destroyed the village and stole large amounts of the Native Americans’ possessions. However fortunately there were not many casualties, and the Cheyenne and Sioux managed to regroup and recapture 500 of their horses the next morning. The incident solidified resistance to US attempts to force Native Americans from the Black Hills and live on a reservation. More info in this excellent book of American history from an Indian perspective: https://ift.tt/2GR2Ykq
Pictured: the battlefield today https://ift.tt/2TQ5O3g

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An Art Critic Was Mocking A $20,000 Work She Didn't Like — Then It Shattered -

(Source: NPR, via npr)