More Hip Than Hippie #259 - Beautiful Butterflies

Butterflies play a vital role in maintaining earth's ecological balance.

Do you take the time to notice butterflies? There are more than 17,000 species found everywhere in the world except Antarctica. Dori and Val get to know these amazing insects a little better, busting a few myths along the way. This week's show also has a bass soundtrack as the Hipsters share studio time with Chico faves The Yule Logs!

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Our favorite Mexican restaurant brew is Negra Modelo. This dark beer not only puts out a jalapeno fire, but also pairs well with chocolate.

Chocolate: Ah, Ghirardelli, if only your Milk & Peanut Butter bar were made with dark chocolate! Great texture, nice creamy filling...just a tad too sweet.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Greenhouse effect. Designers in New Zealand have created the Plant Room so apartment-dwellers can have their own garden in the sky.
• Seed money. Ready to start a Farmers Market in your community? The USDA is offering a grant program, so hurry and apply by April 15th.

Hip News

• The good news. The EPA moves to curb mountaintop removal mining by tightening water quality standards.
• The bad news. Obama reversed a ban on oil drilling off most US shores.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Three times a lemon! From Frugal Homemaker Plus: "I got three uses out of the lemons today! The zest and a bit of the juice made excellent lemon poppy seed bread. I then sprinkled baking soda in them and scrubbed my shower walls with them. (Some vinegar on a sponge took care of the spots the lemon/baking soda combo did not take care of.) I then ran the peels through my garbage disposal for that lemon fresh scent. Not bad for a couple of humble lemons!"

 

Beautiful Butterflies

One of nature's greatest pollinators, the butterfly leads a fascinating life. Learn how to attract these legendary creatures into your garden, how to assist a butterfly in need and how to help threatened butterfly populations.

• Butterflies are great indicators of a healthy environment.
• From egg to chysalis, the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly is a wonder of nature.
• If you touch a butterfly, will it die? Nope, that's one of the myths about them.
• Bring butterflies to your home with a nice spa. No room? Whip up some butterfly bait!
• If you have space, grow these butterfly-attracting plants.
• We found step-by-step instructions for giving an injured butterfly first aid.
• It's been a bad winter for Monarch butterflies. Find out what you can do to help them at MonarchWatch.

Listener E-mails

• Paige in New York loves No Impact Man. She also heard that rabbits are the new urban chickens. OK, but only kill the ugly ones.
• Sarah in Maryland needs disposable plates for her green wedding. Check out Bambu, Preserve and Bagasse, or just go with the real deal!
• Patrick in NC wants to eat fish with a clean conscience. We recommend you roll with Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch.
• Jenny in Ontario (eh!) is proud of her green city, Windsor, which is hosting an Environmental Expo this month. Keynote speaker: Bill Clinton.
• Erin in New York doesn't want to use bleach to clean moss off her brick patio. Try Oxy-Boost and a whole lotta elbow grease instead.
• Kathy in Pittsburgh, PA found that a Klean Kanteen full of ice makes a great long-lasting icepack. But it couldn't make Rick Springfield less hot, right?
• Jason in Rochester, NY wonders where to recycle batteries and whether to start composting. He also enters the Porn Star Name Hall of Fame!

Twitter goes green on #EcoMonday! Follow Val on Twitter: GrnDiva, at your service! Add us to your friends on Facebook and MySpace!

Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley, and leave a glowing review at iTunes!

More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.