A Comment to Observations From Our Small Plot Of Land

[suzanne sanders]

For some reason the site would not let me post a comment to Vicki's Post:  Here is my comment: 

We have only seen one bat in the last few days.   I see about 10 swallows,( that is really low).  A few bumble bees,  honey bees really low, native pollinators extremely low, hardly any yellow jackets, no wood wasps, a couple butterflies, a couple of dragonflies, and the frogs have been weirdly quite? I am not sure on the mosquitoes, we did see them up in the mountain.  Sophia pointed out that the bug population must really be low.  She noticed this because when she was younger she and I would hang out, by the front of the car and watch the yellow jackets take the fresh dead bugs off the radiator.  It was fascinating to watch.  The other day we were at the beach and she looked at the radiator and noticed there were hardly any bugs.  This is very unusual.    I believe it would be a combination of agricultural chemicals.  It is a chemical stew out there.  We could very well be on our way to a real Silent Spring.   If the people do not act.  I say this because it is our purchases that make a difference.  If you buy foods that are not organic, not local organic, then you support a system that pollutes this earth and kills its creatures.  All of our indicator species are screaming at us and most of the population is doing nothing.  They still continue to support bad farming practices.    We can change this if we ( all of us) spend our money on environmentally friendly foods.  Side Note:  You really have to know your farmers.  My daughter Sophia has had the experience of hearing local farmers lie about what their practices are.    Please as a consumer ask a lot of questions, I suggest you also ask them if they have a Agricultural Chemical License.   If they do, walk away.  Even if they told you they are no spray or organic and not certified.   Truly get to know your farmer!   ODA Pesticide Licensing  http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/PEST/pages/licensing_index.aspx

[Victoria Pich]

We are now seeing lots of native bees, not very many honeybees. And we did have lots of frogs this year, though they are now quiet, as they always are by August. We have a horrid flea infestation. I have never seen so many fleas on cats! We brush them at least twice a day, and we vacuum every day. While in Montana, I noticed that the place where I play (the last week of the trip) had NO mosquitoes, while it's usually a hideous swarm of them. At the same time, I got a terrible sinus problem while there (Plains, MT). As soon as we left there, it utterly disappeared. I had been taking pain killers every four hours, it was so bad. I had headaches, couldn't touch my face at all, got lightheaded and even nauseated. I'm pretty sure that they had sprayed something like Malathion there. I had been fine at our home in Montana, 3 hours north of Plains, it all started when I got to our venue in Plains.

Meanwhile, at home, things seem ok, though I still have seen no mosquitoes and not many bats.