On the Run

As I'm a little bit obsessed with this pattern of northward (and upward) migration of species -- a predictable consequence of a warming climate -- I was intrigued to hear Al Gore, in his Senate testimony, cite the case of the manatees appearing all along the eastern seaboard last summer, as far north as the Hudson River and Cape Cod. "Nature's on the run," Gore told the Senators. That will no doubt be seized by the naysayers as more hype from the Goracle. It's not. He's just paying attention.

What got me on this jag was this item in the Los Angeles Times about the start of sakura, the cherry blossom holiday, in Japan, which has been arriving earlier and earlier in the year -- eight days earlier than average this year. While the story focuses on how discomfiting the pattern is for the Japanese holidaymakers and the tourist industry, the more interesting and ominous thing is what it means for the animal kingdom. So, here's one more data point to support the contention that nature is on the move.

Nagasaki's swallowtail butterfly has been observed in northern Japan. At least 12 other butterfly species have migrated with the changes in temperature, according to scientists.

Where the butterflies go, the plants will follow...