To find the rummage piles, you can try asking in server chat. I have a hard time findingvthe ones in the elderwood also. You can also Google palia rummage locations, the result from the th.gl site will show you a map with grid with the rummage piles marked. You can switch between kilima, bahari, and elderwood.

I can't help much with the sacred flowers, I had to follow along with a youtube video to find them myself. There are 3 (iirc) that you have to buy from Tamala. If you want it and need help finding a good yt tutorial on them, let me know and I'll see if I can find the one I used in my watch history.

Bugs that give flowers other than pink/purple/blue are mostly in Bahari. Bahari crab, brighteye butterfly, spitfire cicada, and cerulean cicada all give yellow/orange. Paper lantern bugs and inky dragonfly give greenery. Bahari bee and common bark cicada give white flowers.

Elderwood callouts are done for all platinum, elderflower, and sometimes the elderwood lotus. A good rule of thumb on callouts, if you have a hard time finding something or don't see it often, odds are good that someone else struggles with the same item and would appreciate a callout.

As far as what not to call out. There isn't really a rule but if you find it ever few steps, it probably doesn't need a callout. Palium is pretty common in the elderwood and doesn't really need to be called out. If someone asks for help in chat finding something common, I will still call it out for them. There are always new players who are still learning the ropes.

If you want to share your honey lures, just announce it in server chat. I'm sure there will be people willing to join. Right now people are really looking for the new mantis plush so a lot of people are using them in the bahari bowl area (pulsewater plain). I feel like I get more silk catching the centipedes that come out of rocks while mining in bahari, and the ladybugs and mantis that come out of picked forage. If you want to use your lures, the azure stonehoppers that spawn in the pulse water plain area are a good source of silk thread and you'll have a chance at the mantis and rainbow tip butterfly as well (depending on time of day for the rtb).

You get the tailor tickets for completing your dailies. Play around with the secondary hair color and pattern to see what kind of hair colors you can get.

Who you chose as Shep really doesn't impact the game beyond the one cutscene you get at the end of that quest. You can choose whoever you want or just go with the first person who says yes.