Beautiful Butterfly Video

There is some gorgeous imagery in this video, especially in the first half that I just had to share it. Youtube user 4af's channel consists mostly of him going around to various highway road stops to film the insect activity that most people just drive right past. There are also some of Monarch clusters in their winter huddling states in various trees out in California.

Towards the end of this video though he makes a comment that this diversity he's finding along side GMO corn and other crops doesn't seem to be effecting what we'd normally find in the roadside wildflowers. I'm not entirely up with the issue but my understanding is GMO and neonicotinoid treated crops WHEN USED CORRECTLY are beneficial to the environment. The idea is farmers aren't hosing their crops down every week with pesticides, this would eliminate the runoff. A lot of people have been against neonicotinoides from the start and are blaming them for pretty much the decline of bee and butterfly populations across the US and Europe. My understanding is, Yes the neonicotine is getting into the soil and being taken up by other plants that weren't intended to get it. Also in the case of corn it spews out of the dew at some times of the year and kills pretty much everything that eats it. Overall I don't think they're as bad as they're made out to be. Had the farmer been spraying his crops every week, the drift of the chemical would likely have coated some of these plants in the video and we probably wouldn't have seen half of the pollinators we saw.

Farming Games

So there's a computer game that simulates farming called Farming Simulator 2011. Which looks like a worthy successor to Sim Farm in that you run a farm. From the game play that I've seen though it doesn't look like you get pick what you grow, and driving around is all you do. You can't even own a shot gun to point at unwanted solicitors and be like, "Get off my lawn."


I would love for there to be an updated version of this game. 3D or not though it would be great if they incorporate modern ideas such as dealing with invasive species, plant diseases, using Genetically Modified Crops, pollination, and even prairie restoration. The point wouldn't be to say one is better or worse but rather let the player get informed and take a side. Maybe even play it out to it's ultimate goal, even if it is a deluded fantasy.

Highly favoring GM crops might lead society to a world where everything is naturally trimmed to perfection. Lawns naturally stop growing after they reach 4 inches tall, trees look proper to an ascetic and naturally grow into topiary shapes, Oh and corn cures cancer now.

Highly favoring conservation might lead to a society where permaculture farms are in everyone's back yards, or "environmental corridors" as our city architects now design housing developments around. The seed bank is over flowing with heirloom varieties. And the people are richer in a different way.

And of course there's all the fun stuff in between. Getting Hemp legalized and having it used as clothing, and printing money or whatever. Importing exotic species or unlocking native ones that are currently not on the market.