The Journey

The Journey

It was time to begin our 1300-mile trek from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Salt Lake Valley, Utah. I would miss our home in Nauvoo, but we hoped to escape persecution, and to enjoy religious freedom. Like other pioneer families, we loaded our wagon with bags of flour, dried fruit and meat, blankets, and clothes. We secured the wagon to our two oxen. Dad, Mom, Jack, Scott, and I prayed to God for protection. Although we were starting our journey in the early spring, we would later be traveling in the treacherous winter conditions of 1847. Would my family survive?

The first couple of months were uneventful. However, there eventually was a shortage of food due to delays from poor weather conditions. One day, Jack and I search the fields for anything edible. As we searched, we heard a rattling noise, followed by more and more rattling. “What’s that sound, Kaya?” Jack whispered.

Out of nowhere, a rattlesnake leaped toward us, but we dodged the strike just in time! More and more snakes slithered around us.

“What should we do?!” I asked nervously.

“Let’s see who can jump over the most snakes!”

“Okay!” We hopped over the rattlesnakes one by one, then we raced back to our tent.

Mom said a prayer to God asking him to help us find food. Jack miraculously found two stale biscuits in his pocket. We warmed the rock-hard biscuits in a pot over the fire. When we opened the lid, two large, delicious loaves of bread appeared. God had blessed us, yet again.

Winter soon approached. Snow started to fall on the ground, and the temperature dropped precipitously. We walked up a steep mountain, with Scott sleeping in the wagon. As we trudged the snow, we heard a chilling plunge.

“Help!” screamed Scott. I turned in horror as Scott drop down the mountain into the ice cold river.

“Kaya, you can’t swim!” Mom reminded me, but it was too late. I had already jumped into the deep, cold river and prayed for the ability to swim. Wow, I was swimming! I searched left to right and top to bottom. I did not see Scott anywhere. I started to panic. I then had a feeling that I should swim deeper, so I took a breath and dived in again. This time, I saw Scott, who was unconscious. I immediately grabbed him as quick as I could and swam up to the shore. I was freezing and felt like giving up, but I still swam with all the energy left in me to save my four year-old brother. Scott and I were pulled out of the water, and I was unresponsive for 5 whole days.

Scott remained sick for several weeks; he also suffered from frostbite on his feet. Meanwhile, one of the two oxen had unexpectedly collapsed. Dad tried to help the ox stand, but it was no use. The ox’s legs were hurt badly. The ox groaned each time he attempted unsuccessfully to walk. Mom knelt down on the cold snowy ground and prayed fervently, asking God to help the ox walk. As she finished her prayer, the rest of our family also prayed. The ox finally stood up firmly and began to walk. We were all so grateful that God had answered our prayers.

To lighten up the wagon for the oxen, we all took turns carrying Scott on our backs.  My back became very sore as the days passed by, I felt like I was carrying a 200 pound gorilla, even though Scott only weighed about 30 pounds. Our shoes had worn out long ago, but we kept walking on our blistered and swollen feet.

Winter was coming to an end, and Scott began to get better, but he still could not walk. Flowers began to bloom, and the snow melted. Our trek was almost over. After a few more days of long walking, we finally arrived at the beautiful Salt Lake Valley 536 days after we started our trek!  Although I was reluctant to go on the journey at first, I am thankful for this difficult journey. My faith in God was strengthened after our prayers were repeatedly answered. I learned that if you have faith in God, anything is possible.

Which policy was best for China toward foreigners?

Which Policy Was Best For China Toward Foreigners?

The Chinese have experienced both open and closed door policies toward foreigners. For many years, trade flourished as China welcomed contact with foreigners. Traders and visitors brought new goods, fashions, ideas, and religion to China. Even though some scholars believed that the closed door policy was best for China, there were disadvantages brought by closing China’s door to the rest of the world.  An open door policy was the best policy toward foreigners during the Tang dynasty because it brought new ideas and religions to China, encouraged cultural exchange, and introduced new goods and fashions.

One reason the open-door policy was the best policy for China was because it resulted in the introduction of new ideas and religions. Chinese music was strongly influenced by melodies and musical instruments from India, Persia, and Central Asia. Chinese artists and artisans copied new foreign styles too. For instance, silversmiths began using Persian designs. New religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam were also were introduced to China during the Tang dynasty. Jews, Christians, and Muslims built houses of worship in Chang’an where they could preach, even though they only converted a few Chinese. Under the Tang dynasty, Buddhism became a central part of Chinese life. While Chinese pilgrims went to India to study, Buddhist monks came to teach in China. The introduction of new ideas, and spread of Buddhism had lasting influence on the Chinese.

Furthermore, an open door policy brought significant cultural exchange to China. For example, the Chinese received ivory, cotton, perfumes, spices, and horses from foreigners in return for sending their silk, porcelain, paper, iron, and jade. The Chinese also learned from India, the skills of making sugar from sugarcane and wine from grapes. New medicines came from India as well. All of these things greatly enriched the Chinese culture.

Finally, the open door policy was a more advantageous policy is because the foreigners introduced new goods and fashions to China. For example, sitting in chairs from Central Asia instead of floor cushions became a status symbol. In addition, the upper classes in the Tang dynasty wore rubies, pearls, and other jewels, and they drank from goblets made of glass. Glass was previously an unknown material to China.  The Chinese were also introduced to new foods such as spinach, garlic, mustard, and peas. Polo, a Persian sport, became very popular within the upper class women and men. The introduction of new attractive goods and fashion into China significantly improved the quality of life for the Chinese.

Although many support the open door policy, some scholars believed that the closed door policy towards foreigners was the best policy for China. One concern was that an open door policy allowed foreigners to easily attack China. Another problem with the open door policy was that foreigners often enjoyed many more privileges than the Chinese. This also lead to resentment of the Chinese for the wealth and success of foreigners. However, a closed door policy would have prevented the valuable knowledge and enrichment of Chinese culture gained from cultural exchange with other countries. China would not know about  ivory, cotton, perfumes, spices, and horses. or, spinach, garlic, mustard, and peas. They would not have had sugar and glass making skills, more knowledge of medicines, or understanding of additional religions. As a result, Buddhism would not have become the main religion of China. China would not have enjoyed as much success with a closed door policy.

In conclusion, An open door policy was the best policy toward foreigners during the Tang dynasty because it brought new ideas and religions to China, encouraged cultural exchange, and introduced new goods and fashions. It would be difficult for the Chinese to imagine a life without Buddhism. It would be even more difficult for the Chinese to imagine life without sugar and glass, rubies and pearls, and even spinach, garlic, mustard, and peas. It is evident that foreigners greatly influenced China in many ways. Although the open door policy had its disadvantages, cultural enrichment flourished during this period along with the development of valuable skills, knowledge, and ideas. This had a lasting significant influence on the Chinese culture.

Mission Blue Butterfly

Mission Blue Butterfly

Lifecycle

Early February, the larvae that hatched last year wake from a deep sleep called diapause and begin to feed on lupines. Often, specific ant species walk back and forth on top of them, gathering sugary protein-rich secretions and in turn, protecting the larvae from predators. Larvae shed their skins as they grow, and soon form a chrysalis. In a couple of weeks, they emerge as adults with wings. Adults fly from Mid March until the end of July, feeding on floral nectars, mating, and laying eggs on lupines. By mid-summer, adult butterflies have died, lupine leaves have died back, and young larvae go down to the ground to begin their period of inactivity until next year.

Habitat
The Mission Blue butterfly ranges from the San Mateo Peninsula near Crystal Springs Reservoir to the southern part of Marin County. As an endangered species, it is most readily observed at San Bruno Mountain, Milagra and Sweeney Ridges, Twin Peaks, the Marin Headlands, and Oakwood Valley. It inhabits small specks of grassland and rocky outcrops along these coastal hills and ridges. Its immediate year-to-year survival is dependent upon specific lupines on which it lays its eggs. In addition, its long-term prosperity may hinge upon native ants which protect its larvae, conservation minded humans, and a diverse and intact ecological system.

Predators
In the 1983 study "Six Ecological Studies of Endangered Butterflies", R. A. Arnold found that about 35% of eggs collected in the field were being parasitized by an unknown encyrtid wasp. Other parasitic Hymenoptera have been taken from the eggs of various Icarioides species. As far as predator-prey relationships, rodents are probably the primary predator of both the larvae and pupae.
Why the Mission Blue Butterfly is on the endangered species list
There are several reasons the population is endangered. The habitat of the butterfly has been destroyed over time by construction, agricultural development and the project to retrofit the Golden Gate Bridge to make it safer for earthquakes. However, a main reason the butterfly being endangered is that the habitat of the Mission Blue Butterfly's host plant, the lupine, is threatened. The Mission Blue Butterfly needs the lupine to survive. The lupine is where the larvae of the butterfly live and the butterflies eat the lupine leaves. The amount of lupine available is less than before because the habitat has many non-native species which are hurting the growth of the lupine. These include broom, pampas and fennel, and the Monterey Pine. These plants grow quickly and because of them the lupine does not have adequate sunshine, water, and space. This threatens the butterflies because if the lupines die, then they will also. Fire also has destroyed the butterfly's habitat.

Steps humans are taking to restore the native population of the Mission Blue Butterflies in our SF Bay Area

In the San Bruno Mountains, one of the main habitats of the Mission Blue Butterfly, the restoration project is under the Habitat Conservation Plan(HCP). This was the first HCP in the country. HCP's can be a useful process when considering new land development, and other construction that might affect the habitat of endangered species.

The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District(GGBHTD) are working on a similar project in the national park area. They are protecting the habitat from further damage and restoring the habitat, as well.  Because work was to be conducted on the Golden Gate Bridge that would affect the Mission Blue Butterfly's habitat there, they relocated the habitat to the park area. To protect this habitat, they recently have cut 175 trees in order to help restore the lupine. The trees were making it difficult for the lupine to grow.  After the trees and other non-native plants have been successfully removed, the rangers will replant native plant species, especially the silver-leaved lupine.

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_blue_butterfly

http://www.holocene.net/sustainability/Dominican/Creek%20Restoration/student_projects/The_Mission_Blue_Butterfly.htm

http://www.missionblueproject.com