In his newspaper column this week, John Bates talked about those annoying orange beetles that come around in the fall. He said these Asian lady beetles were imported by the USDA from China and Japan in the late 70's to control pecan aphids in Louisana. By 1992, they had found their way to Wisconsin, and discovered they liked it here, too.
John goes on to tell that last week, he conducted a hike for a group of teachers from Japan who will be teaching in Wisconsin schools for the next two months. When he asked them if their country is troubled by invasive species, they responded affirmatively. And, guess what species' names were included on their lists: snapping turtles, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegills, gray squirrels, raccoons, and channel catfish.
I guess, as our parents used to say, there is "a place for everything, and everything in its place!"
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