Dating and Mating Butterfly Style - Male butterflies find females by sight and use chemicals called pheromones at close range. If the female accepts the male, they couple end to end and may go on a short courtship flight. They may remain coupled for an hour or more, sometimes overnight. The male passes a sperm packet called a spermatorphore to the female. The sperm then fertilize each egg as it passes down the female's egg-laying tube. USGS scientists conduct research on butterflies and other species and develop technical applications to assist land managers in understanding and managing biological systems. Want to learn more? (Interesting facts on butterflies and pages to color): http://www.mesc.usgs.gov/resources/education/butterfly/bfly_start.asp

Story Seeds
25 Years Old and Still Shaking - At the ripe old age of 25, the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act has some things to celebrate. On October 7, shake, rattle and roll a little with the USGS in recognition of all that the Nation has learned about protecting lives and property from damaging earthquakes since the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program was begun. Thanks to improvements in earthquake monitoring instruments, emergency response people in the areas most vulnerable to earthquakes can now look at ShakeMaps of actual ground shaking less than 10 minutes after an earthquake strikes. That kind of quick information means that lives can be saved and property protected. For more information about ShakeMaps and the Advanced National Seismic System - the future of earthquake science and response, visit http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/

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United States Geological Survey
10-Sep-2002