Green protective netting stretching 860m will be set up along the Formosa Freeway for the next two weeks to help purple crow butterflies on their annual northbound migration, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
Drivers are asked to travel well within the speed limit to minimize butterfly fatalities during their yearly trek. The National Freeway Bureau will also shut down the outermost lane during peak migration hours from today to April 11.
The Taiwan Ecological Engineering Development Foundation (EEF) said tens of thousands of purple crow butterflies, or Euploea, fly northward from Maolin Township (茂林) in Kaohsiung County to Yunlin County’s Linnei Township (林內) each March and April around the Tomb Sweeping holiday.
PHOTO: LIN KUO-HSIEN, TAIPEI TIMES
It is considered to be the second-largest butterfly migration route in the world, following the migration of monarch butterflies from California to Mexico.
In 2007, with the help of butterfly conservation groups, the ministry initiated a “Purple Crow Butterfly Preservation Project” to ensure a safe journey for the insects. The project includes setting up green nettings, planting at least 1,600 more shrubs to attract the butterflies and mandatory road closures whenever the number of butterflies reaches 300 per minute.
The butterfly road kill rate has decreased significantly, from 3 percent originally to last year’s 0.3 percent. However, the number of butterflies has decreased significantly as well. Last year, the foundation reported 46,832 butterflies made it home safely, a sharp decrease from 335,648 the previous year, prompting the measures to protect them.
To make the journey safer and easier for the butterflies, the foundation has recommended the ministry expand the length of the green net by 200m as well as darken the color to make the nets more visible to the butterflies, foundation president Chiu Ming-yuan (邱銘源) said.
The bureau will set up learning booths at Sihu (西湖), Nantou (南投) and Cingshuei (清水) rest stops to educate the public about purple crow butterflies.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS