US Geological Survey asking for dead butterflies
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Next time you or your kids find a dead moth or butterfly, you are being asked to put it in a plastic bag and mail it in for research. Georgia is part of a six-state program to save pollinators.
“Pollinators are in so much trouble. They are so important because they are responsible for one out of every 3 bites of food that we eat. Scientists estimate we have lost between 10-40 percent insect populations over the last few decades,” said a Senior Scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity Tierra Curry.
Georgia is home to some beautiful wildlife and in order to better understand butterfly, skipper, and moth populations the US Geological Survey is asking people to send them, dead butterflies.
“They want to look at them and see if they have been exposed to any pesticides, or antibiotics, if they have picked up contaminants from confined animal feeding operations or from agricultural fields,” said Curry.
The insects have to be larger than 2 inches. The dead butterflies, skippers, and moths can be put inside of a resealable plastic bag.
Georgia is part of the migration pathway for monarchs. The pilot study also includes Alabama, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.
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