Everyone who’s ever thought insects are gross, ugly or scary should see this bee and know that almost basically all arthropods will feel dirty and clean themselves this way.
today i found out that when monarch butterflies migrate south for the winter, all the ones that go across the middle of lake superior suddenly stop going south and go west for five miles and then continue south. which really freaked scientists out cos like What is in the Middle of Lake Superior what do Butterflies know that We Dont Is This The End Times etc. anyway turns out about a hundred million years ago there was a mountain there and the butterflies still think they gotta fly around it. classic butterflies
combine this with the fact that caterpillars literally turn into bug soup in their crystallis, meaning there is no central nervous system to carry over any information, but they seem to retain memories from caterpillar life regardless…
and it brings up a lot of questions about what kind of information can even be stored in genes, like… does genetic memory really exist? what does this mean for humankind? could a race of people develop an instinctual memory of the land like this? are there people whose bones tell the stories of ancient mountains? what about my people? is the diaspora something that can be felt among every one of us? are we all the living cumulation of hundreds of thousands of ghosts?
i am simultaneously fascinated and frightened by this. classic butterflies indeed
I went to the farmer’s market yesterday and at the honey guy’s booth and there were all these bees just hangin out. Checking out the beeswax tabs, floating around the honey jars, not being aggressive, just really gentle and investigating or something
and as he was giving me a sample of the wildflower honey one of them landed on his hand and he just took a drop from the jar and dabbed it on his hand for the bee, and when I asked if they were his bees he said “No, but they show up every time I come out, I think they just know my truck” and this guy is well-known among the local bees and lets them sit on his hand and eat his honey and I just really like the bee guy
Okay so the other day I was taking the trash out and my nail caught on a spider egg sac!
Unfortunately it split open and all the little eggs came tumbling out and luckily landed in a box.
After getting them all in a glass, I was left with several questions, no answers and guilt! But I asked in a few spider groups and got a tutorial on making a spider incubator!
Sooo! We went through a few different stages of mini Orbeez
And by mini I mean REALLY mini!
But finally we started seeing development!
See the little white dot?! That’s a wee lil baby!
Then more started showing up!
Then the day came!! Little legs started showing up!!
And then!!!
Today I just went to look and!!
!!!
MY BABIES ARE HATCHING!
Update
They’re perfect in every way and I love my dumb spider babies.
So, you’ve come across a bumble bee on the ground. It’s moving lethargically, or not at all (a small, very gentle poke will determine if she’s dead or not). So how do you save her, and make sure she lives to pollinate another day?
First of all, make sure you get her off the ground. I used an index card, but any old piece of paper will do! Next, in a spoon, mix some warm water with sugar, making sure it dissolves a little bit. Put the water near the bees mouth, or, if you screw up like I did, spill a bit on the paper in front of them. She will hopefully use her proboscis and start drinking it up! After she drinks her fill, she will hopefully perk up a bit. At this point, take her outside and plop her on a flower. She will hopefully recover here and fly back to join her sisters in the hive for the night!
And that is how you help save a bee! This little lady is doing well, and will hopefully keep doing her part in making the flowers bloom! This has been a PSA from your local bees rights activist 🐝
willowfoot 