A few days ago I posted a picture of our local butterfly invasion. At least, that’s what I said it was. But really, I could have just taken a blurry picture and added a few blurry white streaks to it. How would you know? But the butterflies were so intent on migrating that none of them stopped so I could get a better picture.

As it turned out, the butterflies kept on coming. However, it looks like we’re finally at the tail end of things, and apparently the stragglers are either tired or confused or hungry. Or, maybe the daisy patch I found yesterday was just too entrancing to pass up. Either way, the Painted Ladies decided to rest for a bit on the daisies, and I was able to get some very nice pictures of them. The first photo shows the coloring and marking on the top of their wings. The second photo shows the markings on the underside of their wings.

March 17, 2019 — Irvine, California
March 17, 2019 — Irvine, California

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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