Mission, Texas, located in the lower Rio Grande Valley, is home to the National Butterfly Center, a private non-profit 40-hectare preserve dedicated to conservation of the insects in their natural habitat.
But the construction of part of a long-promised wall on the border with Mexico — a key plank of US President Donald Trump’s immigration policy — could end up chopping the area in half.
“This land used to be an onion field,” explains Luciano Guerra, who is responsible for education outreach at the center. “We converted it back to native habitat.”
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
“And when we created the habitat for the butterflies, we also attracted birds because the birds like to eat the butterflies and the caterpillars. Then we attracted things that eat the birds, and so on.” In the end, more than 200 species have been counted here. In spring and autumn, “we can have 80 to 100 species of butterflies here in one day,” Guerra says.
Along the banks of the Rio Grande, which forms a natural border with Mexico, there are also bobcats, coyotes, javelinas or skunk pigs, armadillos and Texas turtles.
Building a wall here would be “devastating,” the center says on its Web site.
Photo: AP
照片:美聯社
According to Marianna Trevino Wright, the center’s executive director, the wall and the glaring spotlights that would come with it will disrupt the nocturnal activities of all plants and animals, transforming what is now a vibrant but endangered ecosystem into a biological desert.”
“People say, ‘Well, the butterflies can fly over it or fly through it or around it.’ “Not necessarily,” explains Guerra. “Some butterflies fly lower to the ground — they could not go over that 5.5-meter concrete wall.”
Guerra also warned that “when the bulldozers come in to clear the way for the border wall, they’re going to knock down trees, plants, grasses and so on, which are host plants for the butterfly species we have here.”
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
Those trees also are the home of several species of birds, especially in the spring, and some mammals risk seeing their natural habitat destroyed, he added.
(AFP)
美國德州米申市位於格蘭河下游河谷,是「國家蝴蝶中心」的所在地。國家蝴蝶中心是一塊私有的、非盈利的保護區,面積有四十公頃大,致力於昆蟲自然棲地的保育。
但是,在與墨西哥接壤的邊境建造隔離牆──這是美國總統川普移民政策的關鍵部分,川普掛保證已久──最終可能會將這塊保護區攔腰切半。
「這片土地以前是洋蔥田」,該中心負責教育推廣活動的路西安諾‧蓋拉解釋道。「我們把它還原成原生棲息地。」
「我們為蝴蝶創造棲息地時,也吸引了鳥類,因為鳥類喜歡吃蝴蝶和毛蟲。然後又再吸引了吃鳥類的生物……等等諸如此類。」最後,這裡的物種共達兩百多種。在春季和秋季,「我們這裡一天中會有八十到一百種蝴蝶出現」,蓋拉說。
格蘭河在美國與墨西哥之間形成天然邊界,其沿岸還有山貓、土狼、猯豬(或稱臭鼬豬)、犰狳和德州龜。
國家蝴蝶中心的網站上說,在這裡建造一堵牆,將是「毀滅性的」。
該中心執行主任瑪莉安娜‧特雷維諾‧萊特表示,邊境牆和牆上炫目的聚光燈,將擾亂「所有植物和動物的夜間活動,把現在充滿生機但瀕危的生態系統變成生物沙漠。」
「人們說,『好吧,蝴蝶可以飛越牆,或穿越牆隙,或在牆周圍飛』,但並不見得」,蓋拉解釋道,「有些蝴蝶是靠近地面飛行──它們無法越過五點五公尺高的混凝土牆。」
蓋拉還警告說,「推土機開進來為築牆整地時,將會把樹木、植物、草等都除去,這些都是我們這裡蝴蝶物種的寄主植物。」
他補充說,這些樹木也是數種鳥類的家園,特別是在春季,而一些哺乳動物的自然棲息地也有可能會被毀壞。
(台北時報林俐凱編譯)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too