Saturday 26 March 2011

INEBRIATED LEPIDOPTERA


A Morphos Butterfly (sober)
Most people compost in Monteverde, either by digging a pit or simply throwing waste vegetables and fruit into the forest. It's a mecca for assorted Agouti, Pisotes, Raccoons and Butterflies, especially the beautiful blue Morpho butterfly. I have to keep reminding myself to look before I throw the waste into my compost pit as when Morphos are feeding they put their wings up covering up their vivid blue wings and are much harder to see. Sometimes you can lob a whole bowl of waste into the pit and they don't stir.

The reason for is that if the fruit is rotten enough it becomes alcoholic. So when the Morpho sips this it can get a bit inebriated and just sit there on top of bit a rotting mango or papaya swaying in the breeze, too drunk to fly.

Gratuitous but nonetheless funny photo of drunk man

Monday 14 March 2011

GOTCHA!

Chevron fined for Amazon pollution by Ecuador court

A court in Ecuador has fined US oil giant Chevron a reported $8bn (£5bn) for polluting a large part of the country's Amazon region.
The oil firm Texaco, which merged with Chevron in 2001, was accused of dumping billions of gallons of toxic materials into unlined pits and Amazon rivers.
Campaigners say crops were damaged and farm animals killed, and that local cancer rates increased.
Condemning the ruling as fraudulent, Chevron said it would appeal.
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of 30,000 Ecuadoreans, in a case which dragged on for nearly two decades.
more...  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12460333