Sunday, July 23, 2006

Remember the Butterflies? Remember the Butterflies?. BBC Nature -- Only 56 butterfly species now remain in Britain as others have fallen victim to disappearing habitat, a charity says. The Butterfly Conservation charity said urban sprawl, modern farming techniques and lack of woodland management had all played their part in habitat loss. Hertfordshire has lost the most species - 17 - in the past century, with Bedfordshire, Suffolk and Lincolnshire having lost 15 each. The list has been published ahead of the first Save Our Butterflies week. Cambridgeshire comes fifth on the "extinction" list, having lost 12 species, followed by Essex which has lost 11. Conservationist Dr Martin Warren, from the charity, said: "Butterfly species are becoming extinct county by county. It is deeply worrying. "Butterflies in profusion tell us that nature is in balance. Where butterflies are disappearing, nature generally is in trouble." He added: "These extinctions are the result of habitat loss. That's the result of either urban spread, lack of woodland management or intensive farming practices." Warwickshire comes in at seventh in the table with nine species lost, making it the highest placed county outside of the East of England. Dr Warren said: "Sadly, these counties in the East of England lack any serious hills which could have provided a refuge from the plough." The species that has suffered most county extinctions is the High Brown Fritillary. (07/23/06) [Synergic Earth News] 6:30:49 PM

D.P. Photography - ArtScape 2006 Baltimore ArtScape 2006. There was a huge art festival in downtown Baltimore today. It happens every year, what seems like miles of tents with artists (local mostly) selling their prints and original work. There are also a lot of street shows and 2 stages for bands. I'll upload a few over the next couple days. This is one of the bands on the first stage. [Drew Poland Photography] 11:59:39 AM