Author: Ryan Singer

Ryan Singer

Butterflies are essential insects as both predator and prey within the food chain. Bats and birds rely on the adult butterflies as well as caterpillars as a food source. Butterflies eat a variety of plants and nectar. Besides being food for other animals, the butterfly eats a variety of insects. As a caterpillar, they eat aphids. They are important components of a thriving ecosystem.

Pollinating flowers, especially red or yellow ones with a strong scent, is an important role that butterflies play within the ecosystem. Several plant species rely on the butterfly for pollination, like milkweed. Pollen collects on the body as the butterfly is feeding on nectar and is transferred from plant to plant as it moves from flower to flower.

Scientists monitor butterflies as indicators of climate change. Certain butterflies have shifted their distribution further north and to higher elevations as a result of an increase in temperature. Declining populations as a result of climate change, affects birds, other insects, and small mammals when they lose their food source and must eat less desirable or less available species. In addition to indicating climate change, butterflies are sensitive to habitat destruction and can be an indicator of the future effects of habitat loss on other animals.

We as a society can accommodate the butterfly’s habitat loss by creating gardens within our own yards to attract butterflies. Providing sunny areas for butterflies to warm up and bask and a shallow water source such as a birdbath will help combat the loss of natural habitats. The following list of plants is an excellent selection of butterfly attractors.

Butterfly bush, Phlox, Bluestar, Coneflower, Pot Marigolds, Black-Eyed Susan, Blazing Star, Heliotrope, Lavender, Swamp Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, Flossflower, Chocolate Cosmos, Agapanthus, Aster, Salvia, Sea Holly, Hollyhocks, Sunflower, Sedum, Goldenrod, Allium, Joe-Pye Weed, Cardinal Flower, Penta, and Lantana.

Planting a variety of these in several locations throughout your yard will encourage butterflies to move in permanently. They need nectar as well as warmth and room to fly. Research the planting zone you live in and use native species that provide food for the caterpillar stage of its life cycle. If you do not have a yard, window boxes or potted plants on a patio will still provide butterflies a place to thrive. Even leaving fallen fruit on the ground or on top of the compost heap will provide butterflies with the necessary sugar they crave in late summer.

Leave an area of the yard “wild” to provide larvae with the grasses and weeds they need to grow. Furthermore, avoid pesticides that are harmful to butterflies. Plants bought from the garden center may also have been treated. Try to buy organic plants instead. Create a shelter for butterflies by planting larger leaf species such as trees and shrubs. When the weather turns from sunny to stormy, they will have a place to hide.

Landscaping with native plants is a sustainable practice that requires fewer resources. Native plants are better adapted to their climate and are natural hosts to butterflies. Butterfly gardens provide colorful flowers that draw the interest of humans which result is a greater awareness of the environment and a better understanding of our role in preserving natural habitats.

 

Sources:

https://sciencing.com/plants-animals-germany-6775765.html

https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/flowers/butterfly-garden-flowers-pictures

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/gardeners-guide-to-butterflies.html

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/benefits-butterfly-gardens-environment-50693.html

Ryan Singer

The sewage and wastewater treatment system is the barrier that separates our surrounding ecosystem from waste that our homes and businesses produce.  Sewage a “mixture of contaminants containing pathogens, toxic chemicals, heavy metals, debris, nutrients, nitrates, and phosphates…from both domestic and industrial sources”.  That is, pretty much anything that we pour down the drain or flush down the toilet.  And educating ourselves on what should and shouldn’t be going into our sewer/septic systems helps keep our lakes, rivers, and oceans cleaner from harmful pollution.

Here is a list of common things that are (yet shouldn’t be) flushed, poured, or put into our wastewater treatment system:

1. Grains, such as pasta or rice, and flour swell greatly in water and can coagulate to cause blockages in pipes.
2. Fruit pits and orange/lemons peels don’t break down in water and are best if composted.
3. Bones are not disposed of effectively when scraped into garbage disposals and can splinter or get stuck pipes.
4. Eggshells contribute to granular waster, which causes other forms of waste to clump together, causing blockages.  Try composting them instead.
5. Coffee grounds are the worst when it comes to causing drain blockages.  Before rising mugs out with coffee grounds in them, dump it in the trash or compost.
6. Fats, oils, and grease should never be disposed of down a drain.  This includes all cooking oils, motor oil and other car fluids, cooked/melted fat from meats, salad dressings, and mayonnaise contribute to nearly fifty percent of the sewer overflows across the United States.
7. Animal feces and cat litter, not only clog drains but also can attract harmful bacteria and vermin.
8. Sanitary Towelettes, Paper Towels, or Flushable Wipes do not dissolve and breakdown the same way toilet paper does in water.  Furthermore, after use, they are often covered in human bodily fluids or congealed grease and continue to expand while in water.  These often get clogged in wipes and pipes and tangled in pumps, causing damage to wastewater treatment systems and causing cities more money.  Just because a product is labeled as flushable, doesn’t mean it should be flushed.
9. Hygiene products such as cotton balls/Q-Tips, dental floss, facial tissue, Band-Aids/bandage wrapping, and menstrual products all expand, tangle, and stick to themselves and each other, especially when they are made from plastic, which is not biodegradable.
10. Hair, like floss, will form a sort of net and gets tangled in practically everything and does not break down in water.
11. Condoms not made of latex will not disintegrate in water.  They are best disposed of at waste management centers because of the harmful content of human fluids.  If condoms are flushed down the toilet, they can eventually make their way to oceans and be mistaken as food for fish.
12. Diapers are often too big to even flush, but if they do, they usually don’t even make it past the u-bend in the toilet.  They’re just too large to be flushed and cause problems.
13. Gum obviously is very sticky and should not go down the drain
14. Cigarette Butts, other than adding the plethora of toxic chemicals contained in them to the water system, they can also cause clogs, and it’s just a huge waste of water.
15. Fish, despite popular belief, don’t break down in water can absolutely cause a clog.  A proper burial is recommended instead.
16. Medication should never be flushed down the toilet. This isn’t so much a clog concern, but rather an environmental one. Sewage systems have complicated biological processes to break down waste and medications can interfere with that. Most medications cannot be removed from the water, so they end up in our lakes, oceans, rivers, and ponds.  Drop off all unused/expired medicines at local pharmacies which should have access to chemical/medical waste disposal units.
17. Chemicals, such as bleach, paint, sealants, solvents, thinners, cleaning solutions all fall under the toxic/hazardous waste category and can often not be removed from water by treatment systems and can enter and harm ecosystems.  Often, more eco-friendly alternatives are available.

 

Controlling how we manage our waste, including what goes down the drain, fosters a cleaner and healthier environment.  Out of sight does not mean out of mind, as dirty waterways diminish the health of people and the environment.

Sources:

Brain, M. “How Sewer and Septic Systems Work.” How Stuff Works. https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/plumbing/sewer3.htm

Gray, J. “Sustainable Sewage Design.” Sustainable Build, March 3, 2016. http://www.sustainablebuild.co.uk/sustainabledesignsewage.html

Mason, S., Singer, K., Collins, D. “Fats, Oils, and Grease.” North Charleston Sewer District, 2017.  https://www.ncsd.sc.gov/fats-oils-and-grease

Morgan, B. “16 Things You Should Never Flush Down The Toilet.” House Beautiful, June 29, 2018. https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/cleaning-tips/a21992808/what-not-to-flush-down-toilet/

Rinkesh. “25 Things You Should Never Put Down the Drain.” Conserve Energy Future. https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/things-you-should-never-put-down-the-drain.php

“10 Things to Never Throw in a Toilet: Don’t Flush That!” Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, & Electrical. https://happyhiller.com/blog/10-things-to-not-throw-in-toilet/