The appearance of striped blue crow butterflies in Pingtung County’s Maolin National Scenic Area heralds the onset of fall each year.
Millions of the butterflies migrate to Maolin to spend the winter, where they can be seen flying through the valleys in the area, which is a spectacular sight on a par with the migration of the monarch butterfly in South America, the area’s administrative office said.
The striped blue crow butterflies usually begin leaving the Maolin area after the Tomb Sweeping Festival and fly northwards to Miaoli County and the Jhunan District (竹南) of Hsinchu City, the office said.
Photo: Su Fu-nan, Taipei Times
However, due to a dry spell last year in southern Taiwan, the butterflies left the Maolin area in February and March, the office said, adding that it was a relief to see that the butterflies have returned to Maolin on schedule.
Local farmer Lu Chiu-hsing (盧秋星) said that since he stopped spraying his mango orchard with pesticides, the butterflies have returned to the orchard.
Lu said he joined the Tse Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation four years ago and has since adopted organic methods to tend his orchard, adding that the butterflies have visited his orchards for the past four years without fail.
Photo: Su Fu-nan, Taipei Times
Foundation chief executive officer Su Mu-jung (蘇慕容) said that the organization had been campaigning for farmers in the region to stop using pesticides and take up organic farming, adding that the foundation has persuaded 14 farmers, including Lu, in farms that cover 21 hectares out of a total of about 55 hectares in the area.
Su said that the foundation would like to persuade another 30 farmers to join its cause.
Maolin Scenic Area director Chien Ching-fa (簡慶發) said that the office is looking to promote the harvest festival of Tapakadrawane Village in the Maolin area, which is set to begin on Sunday.
A cycling event is planned for January next year and public transportation would be provided for cyclists and other tourists to and from the New Zuoying High-Speed Rail Station in Kaohsiung, Chien said.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS