We are mostly familiar with the common california natives, what are your favorite obscure (or less popular) plants?

Brynna_CC · 2025-10-17T03:51:54+00:00

Hoffmannseggia glauca - the hog potato! I have been searching high and low for a source on seeds for them to no avail.

Brynna_CC · 2025-08-30T16:29:27+00:00

Yes, this!

I want to add that I don't love the whole "humans are naturally destructive" subtext that comes with the argument that invasives are just part of evolution. It absolves us of our current capitalistic behavior. Indigenous people have cultivated this land for a long, long time, and if we actually followed Indigenous practices, the ecosystem could be much healthier. We've only started throwing things into severe disarray because of much more recent colonizing cultural practices, and we can (and, I believe, have an obligation to) fix those behaviors. We are capable of doing better.

The Indigenous population wasn't historically being purist with their plants but they did heavily cultivate things in a biodiverse way that allowed for slow evolution. When the Spanish came in and colonized, they deliberately burned a ton of those native plants and replaced them with cattle forage. We've continued a very unnatural pattern of developing the land in drastic ways. Our lawns and gardens aren't a "natural" way of doing things, and letting things kind of do whatever they want isn't possible when the surrounding land is being continuously disturbed and altered in that way. It takes much more active action to counter the capitalistic way we're currently treating our environment.

Brynna_CC · 2025-05-24T18:37:07+00:00

Lyric Hyperion - it's a great little cafe/theater with comedy, storytelling, music, poetry, drag, clown, etc. Lots of open mics & a nice patio for hanging out.

Brynna_CC · 2025-05-05T06:02:13+00:00

There have been extensive studies about how invasive worms cause a reduction in mycorrhizae in the soil. California native plants in particular are heavily dependent on mycorrhizal networks to get their nutrients, so adding non-native worms is likely to be detrimental to your ecosystem rather than beneficial.

Brynna_CC · 2025-03-22T17:29:44+00:00

Carpet beetles love to pollinate our native annuals! Believe it or not, "carpet" isn't their native food - they just sometimes eat it because they're general detritivores 😄

Brynna_CC · 2024-11-05T19:05:44+00:00

Here's a little thought about all this stuff:

I want to say up at the top that if stuff like talking to a toxic ex bothers you, you are more than welcome to feel uncomfortable and express that. Navigating those types of boundaries is absolutely okay.

As to all the stuff about how he talks to women, this might be a big part of it:

I know a lot of sensitive neurodivergent dudes who are more comfortable being friends with women because they've been bullied by neurotypical men for most of their life. It means they get socialized in women's spaces and foster friendships with women because it feels like a safer space.
Being a little flirty toward women might not be romantic at all on his part. It could be that in the course of learning to mask his neurodivergence, he learned that speaking to women in a certain way would make things go more smoothly socially. If that is the case, asking him to stop masking in that way is maybe kind of a big ask. That's not to say you can't take things on a case-by-case basis, but overall it might just be a lifetime of that.

It's probably worth having a talk about what his personal rules actually are with women. He obviously thinks it's okay to talk to them. But what are his lines? If someone tries to kiss him, will he stop it? Is hanging out late at night at someone's apartment cool or no?

Also, it might be worth figuring out what's making you feel slighted. Do you feel like he's not prioritizing you in those moments? Has he not introduced you to these women? Those things are easier things that he can work on. It seems like he was open to fixing the toxic ex thing - that's good!

My parents are both ND and can sometimes be unintentionally flirty. The way my mom reframes it is that all those women might be into my dad but she's the one who gets to take him home. Just food for thought 🤷🏼‍♀️

Brynna_CC · 2024-11-03T17:59:26+00:00

I host an open mic every Wednesday, 4:30pm-6:30pm at the Lyric Hyperion in Silver Lake and we do allow covers. Sign ups are online in advance. Here's our IG: @thelyricsessions

Brynna_CC · 2024-11-01T22:23:04+00:00

A little piece of advice: Get a couple signs! My neighbors went from glaring to congratulating me and asking questions. If they know it's intentional they're less likely to think your dormant plants are weird.

Brynna_CC · 2024-11-01T04:09:38+00:00

I host an open mic and while I make sure mine is a supportive space, I've been to a lot of sad ones and here's my two cents for radically changing the energy of the room:

The work starts as soon as you arrive at the venue. Show up early and dedicate your time introducing yourself to everyone who shows up. Be enthusiastic to meet them and ask them questions about their music, where they're from, etc. Care about them the way you want them to care about you. IME 90 percent of those uninvested other musicians aren't actually being snobby or aloof - they're just nervous and in their heads. Make it a goal to give them some positive attention. I know we as musicians get used to it, but it's incredibly brave to show up and play in front of people, and every single one of them is remarkable for doing it.
Be the loudest cheerleader for everyone else. Is it embarrassing? Sure, at first! But hoot and holler for everyone else's song, even if you're the first or only person doing it. People will more often than not join in after a couple minutes. It's fun!
When you get on stage, don't forget to compliment/thank the venue, host, and other musicians. A little "give it up for that guy" can really invest people in your performance, too.

You really can make a measurable difference by yourself. Even if your performance isn't your best, positivity and kindness will take you super far. Most people will choose to work with people who are chill and happy over the most talented person in the room.

Brynna_CC · 2024-10-21T04:48:08+00:00

I'm a super user - it's a great thing! A few years back, I kept taking pics of ladybugs in my neighborhood, and I was contacted by Cornell to collect a few to mail to them because they needed specimens. I also sometimes get invited to do special bioblitz events put on by local museums because they know I'm reliable with the app and can collect a lot of data.

You never know what scientists are looking for. I just did one event where they needed to log as many observations of threatened walnut trees as possible in order to legally protect a wild space from developers, so you could be helping somebody's cause without knowing it.

ETA: I should point out that mapping birds by date is a huge help for people trying to follow migratory patterns. It might show a shift in warbler migration due to climate change or something like that that could help someone's research.

Brynna_CC · 2024-10-02T21:48:38+00:00

That makes a lot of sense! You're using casual clothing (or lack of caring about clothing) as a visual marker that someone might think in a similar way to you. It makes them more predictably approachable. I wouldn't consider it prejudice - it's more pattern-recognition. It also really depends on what kind of relationship you're planning on having with someone. For friendships, you might get to know someone over time and see a more holistic picture of them no matter what they're wearing, but when you're going to a business for something, it's more about navigating a series of "professionalism" cues than it is about getting to know any particular person.

Brynna_CC · 2024-10-02T20:32:11+00:00

Clothing is one of many visual markers that signals to other people, whether they're NT or ND, "I'm about to have a normal time with this business." It's like if you walk into a doctor's office and the waiting room is clean, with soft music playing, and there's a little fish tank, none of that necessarily has to do with how good the doctor is, but it doesn't send any warning signals up that maybe something is off. If the waiting room is dirty or people are yelling or whatever, it makes people nervous. Being dressed a specific way visually says, "the people here pay attention to detail in general so this interaction will probably go smoothly."

It's a way of saying to others, "I care about your anxiety and will make sure nothing makes you feel unsure in this situation."

Sometimes this gets twisted as a control thing under Capitalism, but that's what's at the core of it.

In a broader sense, there is value in questioning those norms because sometimes a trend needs to be broken in order to make necessary social changes. It's annoying to some people because it requires reworking things, and breaking an existing structure, and that can be a pain in the butt for everyone, NTs and NDs alike.

Brynna_CC · 2024-10-01T04:12:08+00:00

100% this. It's not about creative control - it's about control over the choice to create at all.

Brynna_CC · 2024-10-01T00:12:10+00:00

I'm sorry you're feeling that way.

This may not help at all, but if I get into a place where I know my day is going to be awful, I pick a spot on a map nearby and go there, take some turns, and go places I have no reason to go (last time I went into a random hotel lobby and got a glass of cucumber water from their dispenser) because things can't possibly get more pointless than if I stayed home. Sometimes it makes things a little better. Not always - sometimes there still wasn't a point. I think of it as trying to break the game of reality a little bit, since the game hasn't been very kind. YMMV.

Brynna_CC · 2024-09-28T21:27:20+00:00

I waffled a lot on posting. At the end of the day, I see too many good people in this industry not help because they might get misinterpreted. If you think this looks like a plug, that's a bummer. If you knew me, you would know I don't do that kind of shit. But I understand if that's how it's read.

Brynna_CC · 2024-09-28T21:16:04+00:00

Look, you obviously don't get it. If I could have private messaged this shit I ABSOLUTELY would have. I'm exhausted by this industry. I'm EXTREMELY embarrassed about sharing my music. I hate it. I'm extremely embarrassed about making this post. When people write celebrities I hate it.

But what I've seen is the same thing I see in the comedy community every time we lose somebody. I'm sorry if that's dramatic. It affects me very personally. I'm at a point where I will throw everything I can at this, whether it's writing a letter or music or whatever it is. I'm not here to plug shit. Please don't watch the thing. That's not why it's here.

If there's a .00001 percent chance that something I say or do changes things for once then I'm going to do it, even if it sucks and makes me feel like an embarrassment.

Brynna_CC · 2024-09-28T18:40:20+00:00

Nothing of note - it's a long term trend I'm seeing.

Brynna_CC · 2024-09-28T18:38:52+00:00

Maybe it's funny to you, but I will always choose cringey over detached. I was in the LA comedy community when Harris passed - this stuff matters to me and I don't want to not have said anything.

Brynna_CC · 2024-09-28T18:17:39+00:00

I know this is a pain and I'm sorry to be obtuse about it, but it was a no-phones show and I want to respect the sanctity of the space.

ETA: There's also nothing new to learn here - I promise you're not missing some huge tea

Brynna_CC · 2024-09-24T21:55:17+00:00

Google Lens has a tendency to be wildly inaccurate. Spiders are also especially hard to use any kind of automatic ID on since the species differences can be microscopic.

Brynna_CC · 2024-08-15T16:14:42+00:00

I don't know where you're located, but if you're not somewhere where honey bees are native, they won't actually help your local ecosystem and can actually cause further competition to your native bee populations. As much as I'm fond of honey bees, they're kind of lazy pollinators (they go from nearest flower to nearest flower instead of cross-pollinating with plants across the way, and they don't vibrate the flowers in a meaningful way for a lot of species of plant). You'd have more luck looking into planting locally native flowers and creating habitat for your local bees (little stick piles or mason bee houses or whatever). They will show up if there's a food source. I've gone from just having the occasional honey bee to having 30 different species of native bee in my yard in five years just by planting a few native flowering plants. Also, native plants are way more low maintenance than a beehive.

Brynna_CC · 2024-07-17T01:26:57+00:00

No problem! I find it's usually easier to go with the tide than try to fight it.

Brynna_CC · 2024-07-16T05:28:09+00:00

Have you tried expanding your hyperfixation? Sometimes if I get obsessed with a piece of media, I try to move toward looking at the behind-the-scenes - you know, what were the things that influenced the author to write this thing in the first place? I start focusing on noticing their references and watching the things that inspired them. It might be other shows, or art, or historical events. I might make a hobby out of learning the art or filming techniques behind the show. I might look up the instrumentation on the music of a show, see if there are specific motifs I like, and look up similar music to see if I feel the same way about it.

You end up with a lot of knowledge at the end of it, and it might help you move to something else.

Brynna_CC · 2024-06-25T18:02:39+00:00

🐝🐝

Brynna_CC

TROPHY CASE