I wrote this post on August 9, 2011 and I’m still asking the same question. . .have you seen many butterflies? As summer approaches, spend a little time looking for these helpful creatures. Did you that what is killing the butterflies may also be killing us? 
Jeffrey Smith of the Institute for Responsible Technology, and editor of Spilling the Beans Newsletter, is concerned that Roundup Ready crops are killing off the monarch butterfly habitat. As preciously discussed, GMOs are destroying our food supply in many ways and now even butterflies are affected. Butterflies are helpful for pollinating plants and, as caterpillars, for providing food for songbirds and other wildlife. Have you seen fewer butterflies in your area?
Jeffrey states, “GM Roundup Ready soy and corn monocultures in the Midwestern US are killing off the habitat of monarch butterflies, according to a new study. The research shows a drop over the last 17 years of the area occupied by monarchs in central Mexico, where
many of them spend the winter. The study attributes the decrease partly to the loss of milkweed, on which monarchs lay their eggs. Milkweed is killed by Roundup, which is sprayed liberally on Roundup Ready crops. This adds to other causes for milkweed loss, including land development, illegal logging in Mexico, and severe weather. ‘It [glyphosate] kills everything,’ said Lincoln P. Brower, an entomologist who is also an author of the paper. ‘It’s like absolute Armageddon for biodiversity over a huge area.’ ”
In the same newsletter, Jeffrey also indicates that there is a whole new class of GMOs affecting grass. One simple change in grass seed will have long lasting effects on all of us.
“The US Dept of Agriculture just dropped a bomb on GMO regulations in America. Their announcement, released on the Friday afternoon before the July 4th weekend to reduce the media coverage, eviscerated government oversight over a whole new class of GMOs. The USDA announced that Roundup Ready Kentucky bluegrass would be exempt from regulation. That means that a new variety GM grass, produced by Scotts Miracle-Gro, will hit US markets without any government review, not from the USDA, EPA, or FDA. The modified grass, destined for lawns, playgrounds, soccer fields, and golf courses, is designed to survive applications of the weed killer Roundup. This will dramatically increase the use of the toxic herbicide, which is linked to birth defects, cancer, and reproductive problems. Its overuse will also speed up the spread of Roundup-resistant superweeds, requiring a return to other acutely toxic herbicides scrapped decades ago.”
Are you concerned about butterflies, our food supply, lawns, playgrounds, cancer, and reproductive problems? Do you think there is a link to what we put on the ground and our health, and the health of all creatures?
