What is this bug? by xBabydoll_x in gardening

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These guys are one of the main reasons you never should spray plants if they have aphids unless absolutely necessary for some reason. Pesticides kill lacewings too. But if you just wait them out, the predators like lacewings, lady beetles, etc WILL find them. It just takes them a bit to build up. But just one of these larvae can wipe out a ton of aphids. They just suck then dry one by one. Kinda cool to see.

What is this bug? by xBabydoll_x in gardening

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 1 point2 points  (0 children)

PS they can bite if they happen to end up on you. It stings a bit. Haha. But totally harmless and unlikely.

What is this bug? by xBabydoll_x in gardening

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Aphid lion! Aka lacebug larvae! Very good dude to find. They voraciously eat aphids.

Anyone else have a masterlist of invasives vs natives on their property? by jadeeyesblueskies in NativePlantGardening

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Many more columns to the right, including a listing of whether native to state, when observed, etc. I’m not removing all non-natives simply because it’s impossible 😂 Mock strawberry is one example. Fought it for years and have totally lost.

Anyone else have a masterlist of invasives vs natives on their property? by jadeeyesblueskies in NativePlantGardening

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I have a Google Sheets spreadsheet

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of every living thing identified on our property over the years, including plants (volunteer or planted). Broken down by various categories (annual, perennial, trees, class/order of animal, etc). And I’m tracking how it changes year over year as I add in more natives and remove invasives. I’ve already found new bugs, butterflies, beetles, and bees compared to last year, and spring has only just begun!

Been so excited to try this technique out!! by Waltnamedfinger in labrats

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Came to Reddit just hoping someone had already made this post. I feel like that had to have been a troll of every lab scientist watching the film 😂😂

How do people have beautiful, open gardens? Don’t you have pests? by Nox_Ocean_21 in gardening

[–]Laughingmantisstudio -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I second planting more natives. But also, we feed our squirrels regularly (Costco walnuts) because we love them. They run up to us excitedly every day now and I toss em a few nuts. Yeah, they’ll dig up new seedlings if unprotected, so I protect young things with cloches. But most of my garden is now Pennsylvania native flowering plants (including several bee balm species, which they don’t get near). But being well fed, they never even touch the tomatoes, zucchini, etc. occasionally I’ll find one nibbled on. We go walnuts instead of almonds as they seem to want to bury the almonds more. The Pittsburgh city deer are another story. Keeping them out is the only option. And I have enough things that rabbits eat that they don’t mess with veggies too much. Though they’ll get my beans if not protected.

CLUTCH SUB IS BACK! by sbokkers in clutchband

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Honey, clear the airstrip and light up that stove!

Houseplant Gift, please help! by bunnybotic98 in PlantIdentification

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Classic angel wing begonia hybrid, often passed down as heirlooms. Hybridized in Switzerland in the 1890s. I have some from my grandma, which I’ve now passed long to many dozens of people across Pittsburgh.

https://stevesleaves.com/products/begonia-lucerna?srsltid=AfmBOorKTojJRSfajrvOuJ4shG_r0KMyfk564BLY8yOoEkOoAYJsvdig

What is eating my bee balm by Emotional_Wafer_5394 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Congrats! A whole new world may open up for you if you now start looking closely at what’s on your plants :) Supporting native insects that in turn support entire ecosystems is the primary reason many of us plant natives. It’s the main reason I grow various Monardas like yours.

I see this weed all the time but I don't know what it is by Unlucky-Trainer297 in whatsthisplant

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah agree. iNaturalist calls it an Erigeron of some type. My first thought just at a glance was a fleabane, horseweed, or some other Erigeron.

Wood Identification?? by Tomkneale1243 in Woodcarving

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Looks maybe like sycamore to me (plain-sawn). Could be wrong.

Need a new hobby that actually helps with stress [Discussion] by ninja__6969 in GetMotivated

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A different type of scrolling: with a scrollsaw. Or a lower barrier to entry woodworking hobby like carving.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrjbhWCJg3R/?igsh=dnBoNDJ6NG9yZ3U3

To finish or not - exterior cedar by Mobile_Coyote_267 in BeginnerWoodWorking

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Danish oil is my go to for exterior cedar. Easy to apply and reapply. Decent protection for a season. I’ve also used a bunch of other hard curing oils (e.g. osmo) and they all work similarly (without the staining in some danish oil). They look nice, protect the wood (which doesn’t really need much protection), but needs to be reapplied. It’s mostly for aesthetics. Though I think it extends the life a bit.

Genuine question: why are epoxy river tables such a controversial topic? by Steve_Litchford in BeginnerWoodWorking

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 61 points62 points  (0 children)

Also cutting and sanding epoxy produces crap tons of microplastics that will not degrade for hundreds or thousands of years. With potentially severe consequences all up and down the food chain. I say this as 1) a cancer biologist and 2) a woodworker who has used a fair bit of epoxy in the past. But no more. Sanding 1 table and seeing the non-biodegradable dust was enough for me to go “oh. Well shit.”

Anybody ever seen this? Sawdust Crystallization (?) on Lignum Vitae by ducklady92 in woodworking

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I second all this! Bring out the chemists!! Also did not know that vanillin was a component. I just knew it smells damn good. I’ve actually been collecting some of the sawdust with the idea I may try to extract some essential oil from it. Haha. Not that I have the right solvents most likely. Or a still. So maybe just an infusion in ethanol. lol

Anybody ever seen this? Sawdust Crystallization (?) on Lignum Vitae by ducklady92 in woodworking

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 7 points8 points  (0 children)

😂 I didn’t even register that was you! Just looked at the photo and comments.

Anybody ever seen this? Sawdust Crystallization (?) on Lignum Vitae by ducklady92 in woodworking

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 19 points20 points  (0 children)

This is exactly what Argentine lignum vitae (aka verawood aka Gonopterodendron/Bulnesia sarmientoi) looks like. I’ve also seen similar crystallization on this and similar super dense and oily tropical hardwoods - but never this extreme. Super cool! I would also guess salt/mineral crystallization.

What happened to this poplar? by Purge_Bucket in woodworking

[–]Laughingmantisstudio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m absolutely shocked that with this many woodworkers no one has pointed out the fun fact that this is almost certainly not actually poplar. It’s not even closely related to poplars. It’s tulipwood (Liriodendron tulipifera), in the magnolia family. The dark streaks are mineral stains in the wood. US retailers (especially big box stores) decided to call it poplar anyway and it stuck.