Dog poop and butterflies. Really.

We know that the topic of dog poop frequently appears in my blog.  We've discussed production, charteristics, gathering and frequency.  And probably other aspects as well.  My human was bemoaning the fact that she never DID do a REALLY good job of clearing the leaves from the lawn, so combine them and dog poop with a slight dusting of snow and you have the quintessential canine minefield.  But this blog isn't about ANY of these.  It's about butterflies and dog poop.  A cheery topic amidst the cold of winter.  And HOW do butterflies and dog poop go together you may be asking.  Well.  Allow me to anwer.

My human was looking at Instagram the other day. She doesn't follow many sites, because REALLY - who has the time.   Now mind you - she is STILL attempting to go viral with one of her photos one day (of US) but given that we only have 234 Followers we are hardly in the viral category.   Once you have like a gazillion Followers you can actually make money posting photos.  I hope I live that long.  Anyway, one site she follows is National Geographic.  And she saw this interesting photo of butterfly catchers in Central Africa.  Who KNEW that the butterfly trade is big business in some parts of the world?  Some estimate that as much as hundreds of millions of dollars are traded each year.  Some of it is legit and is done through conservation efforts - but as in anything, there is also an underground trade in butterflies for rare species.  Lepidopterists (butterfly collectors) will pay good money for some species - like the Papilio bluenei which lives on an Indonesain Island and can easily sell for a hundred dollars.  A lot of people are into conservation, more than collecting, yet there still exists an obvious active market in the delicate winged beauties.

So WHAT does this have to do with dog poop you are asking.  Well - if you go to this site and scroll through the slideshow - you will see how we canines fit in to the equation.  You will also see how people can make art with butterfly wings.
https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/the-butterfly-hunters

So. Dog poop is used to attract butterflies.  At least in Central Africa.  Who knew?  I can't say I have ever noticed butterflies on our poop - mind you, it usually ends up in one of the HANDLED poop bags pretty quickly - so the insects don't have a chance to stop by.   I'll have to do an experiment next spring.  I'm not planning to collect any of them - I can't imagine killing one.  And the thought of glass cabinets full of dusty butterfly wings hanging on the walls in this house is beyond comprehension.  We have too much junk already.  Except for our fetch toys and bones and chew toys... Those we need more of.

So that's your lepidoptery lesson for today. How many of you knew the connection between dog poop and butterflies??   We dogs REALLY are amazing.  Even our poop is valuable.  Now maybe my human can start selling THAT......

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 5