“We still don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with here… But given the warming of the Mediterranean,… we’re not ruling out that in the coming years we will once again confront situations that we’ve never dealt with.”
(José Luis Sáez, mayor of Guardamar del Segura, Spain)
The Glaucus atlanticus, or blue dragon, is a sea slug that packs “one of the most ferocious stings in the animal world.” It can feed on jellyfish and the venomous Portuguese man-of-war. Typically found in warm tropical waters, blue dragons have been washing up at a concerning level on Mediterranean beaches and in the Canary Islands.
A warning poster from the government of Haría, on the Canary Islands, about the blue dragons. Credit… Haría city hall. [New York Times caption and illustration — translation by JMN]
The Mediterranean is among the fastest-warming bodies of water in the world, with water temperatures hitting record highs in June and July this year, according to Mercator Ocean International.
(Jonathan Wolfe, “‘We Are All Shocked’: Warming Waters Bring a Stinging Sea Slug to Spain’s Coasts,” New York Times, 8-28-25)
(c) 2025 JMN — EthicalDative. All rights reserved
EthicalDative 
Nature strikes back. Always. Now we’ve got to work on a blue dragon killer…..
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Nature is powerful. The little blue dragon is doing what comes naturally, merely following the warm waters. The dragon which needs slaying is the species which is warming them! I believe it’s called “homo sapiens.” We’re not living up to the “wise” part of the moniker, are we Mr. Zettl? Your deep understanding of Zen may be congenial to the view that we are in disaccord with nature.
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Yes, unfortunately, we seem to have decided at some point to wage war against nature, with overproduction, mountains of garbage, and all the other accompanying noise. Now we’re trying to outsmart it with AI, as if nature were a stupid electorate that can be duped with stupid tricks.
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Well said. I’ve just read your latest post on modesty. It’s lovely, and the illustrations are informative and powerful.
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Thanks a bunch! Have a great weekend!
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