Walking in England’s New Forest in 1892, butterfly collector S. G. Castle Russell encountered such numbers of the insects that they “were so thick that I could hardly see ahead”. On another occasion, he “captured a hundred purple hairstreaks” with two sweeps of his net. Patrick Barkham, who recounts these riots of nature in his 2010 book on […]
  • halendos@lemmy.world
    52·
    4 months ago

    I read somewhere that it was due to cars being more aerodynamic so the bugs just “slide”. Don’t know how much of a factor it is though.

    • PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world
      12·
      4 months ago

      Nah, there has been a widespread extinction or endangerment of flying insects in the past few decades. Something like 5% of the previous year’s population per year, which has totaled up to ~80% loss over the last 30 years. It’s also why there are fewer birds, as flying insects make up a large part of their diet.

      I actually wrote a quick poem about it a little while ago. The first verse isn’t mine; It was from a coworker of mine, (apparently her dad used to say it a lot when she was a kid) and it gave me the idea for the rest. It needs some work, but it’s relevant so I’ll go ahead and post it anyways:

      Spring has sprung,
      The grass is riz.
      I wonder where
      The birdies is?

      The bees all buzz,
      Or so we thought.
      The birds have starved,
      Their food chain fraught.

      Spring has sprung,
      In lands of ice.
      Where frost once ruled,
      Now blooms entice.

      Glaciers melt,
      Their waters rise.
      Oceans swell,
      Beneath warm skies.

      Spring has sprung,
      In forests deep.
      Where shadows dance,
      And rivers weep.

      The frogs once sang,
      Their chorus clear.
      Now silence reigns,
      As they disappear.

      Spring has sprung,
      But at what cost?
      Wall Street soars,
      While earth is lost.