By: Interested Reader

Interested Reader — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 06:57:08 +0000

I enjoyed listening to the audio interview and learning about this new butterfly that has come to our islands. I am glad to hear it only feeds on an invasive plant…nature’s way of bio-control. The above response by “concerned citizen” seems odd to me as it does not address the article or interview and veers heavily off topic (on the verge of a rant.) One of the main points of this discovery is the concern of its impact, so it seems only natural that Dr. Rubinoff would fully address the issue. As for field research, was it not Dr. Rubinoff who “observed and collected specimens of the species”–not to mention that the above article is not about his other areas of research, so how can one judge without proper knowledge?

By: Concerned citizen

Concerned citizen — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:46:34 +0000

Dr. Rubinoff has no doubt been spending too much time in his lab and not out in the field. He consistently repeated how lucky the state of Hawaii is that this insect may not cause catastrophic damage. Why is his group of scientists not making better use of their substantial grants to look into ways to prevent further invasive species. Can there not be precautionary measures that can be taken? Is targeted spraying not even a possibility.

As a respected scientist, I would expect to hear more about these critical efforts, rather than repeating himself three times that this species will not cause damage.

Comments on: Web Extra: Newcomer butterfly has a light footprint

By: Interested Reader

By: Concerned citizen