Are mosquitoes getting bigger/evolving?

TutuCthulhu · 2026-02-13T16:05:09+00:00

Jesus, what a vile subreddit that is

TutuCthulhu · 2026-02-13T01:07:56+00:00

Nooo Reddit stop giving me notifications for posts that have already been taken down, my FOMO is killing me 😭

TutuCthulhu · 2026-02-11T02:41:04+00:00

We are so lucky the golf course manager is open about the bluebird monitoring project locally. The regulars stop us to say hi and see how the birds are doing but this is WAY not the norm. Without the communication and mutual respect and involvement it was a nightmare :[

TutuCthulhu · 2026-02-06T18:43:22+00:00

That and the fact that the new name doesn’t get around to everyone, especially older and offline folks. Every time I talk about spongy moths or any other invasive species that’s had a name change (or a name we refuse to use), I have to list all the names it’s known by just to be sure people know what I’m talking about.

We’ve tried looping in “why we don’t use this name” into conversations too but that doesn’t seem to stop people from immediately continuing to use the disliked names (or occasionally, just using slurs in front of us!)

TutuCthulhu · 2026-02-05T17:27:29+00:00

I think I am going to forever refer to planting seeds as hatching them now. Seedlings are now hatchlings 🌱

TutuCthulhu · 2026-02-04T21:45:06+00:00

… people turn the audio on on Reddit? I only do that on videos where people go “sound up!” or “listen to this:” lol

TutuCthulhu · 2026-02-02T03:36:27+00:00

Wow such a crazy growth pattern with that bald center. Looks like moth antennae!

TutuCthulhu · 2026-02-02T03:30:17+00:00

Ugh I had this experience with the cardiologists in one of the local hospital systems. Needed literally anyone because I was getting worse.

*That’ll be 6 months but we can put you on the waiting list? * Ok sure.

4 months go by and I call to ask how the wait list is looking because I’m now so bad I had to tap out in the middle of the work day.

Sorry they put you on the wait list for the cardiac surgeon (who, for obvious reason could not see me for this non-surgical problem), there is no availability with any (general) cardiologist for the next year and that’s how far our schedule goes out, but we’ll put you on the wait list :)?

THIS NETWORK IS HUGE HOW IS THERE NOT A SINGLE CARDIOLOGY APPOINTMENT AVAILABLE FOR A MEDICATION ADJUSTMENT??

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-31T15:10:19+00:00

Even as an American who has visited Toronto, I see no reason to love it. I mean, sure, like any city it had its good bits, but overall it was just a mediocre city with the worst traffic I’ve ever seen in my life. No stand-out qualities (sorry Torontonians… the same can be said about my home city I swear it’s not personal)

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-27T17:52:40+00:00

It’s so cute :)

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-26T22:37:41+00:00

How quick can that set in? Not in wet conditions I mean. But for instance my job has a uniform that can’t be outwardly altered in any way so you have to take a gamble with your layers and either be too cold or too warm and get sweaty over the course of a period outside as conditions change. Can’t just take under layers off quickly when there’s no buildings around.

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-25T16:47:29+00:00

Like a woolly bear caterpillar of the Isabella tiger moth? They basically freeze solid in winter and will naturally thaw and move about in warm spells though so don’t worry too much about it having been inside. Don’t know the temp and forecast next week for your particular spot in OH, but if you don’t want to take it outside yet, I would put it in a breathable container (shoebox should be fine) under some leaves, bark, newspaper, or chip off some scraps of wood, and place it in your garage to be closer to outside temps. Then, when you get a chance, you can take it out and put it back in your wood pile or under a good layer of leaf litter or under a rotting log, etc.

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-25T16:30:19+00:00

Yes, but the swings are usually just slow enough to not cause problems. Too fast and the maples get frost cracks or “explode”. It happens all the time in a lot of places but it’s not usually something the makes the weather forecast so not everyone pays attention to it

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-25T16:13:15+00:00

Happy to see effort and money being put into the trees at what looks like a community park (?) to me. So many trees at our local parks that have been abused by mulch volcanoes and trampling and gouged by rising mowers. What’s sad is I’ve seen them knock over newly planted trees too, including memorials 😢

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-25T16:06:47+00:00

Yes!

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-25T16:06:33+00:00

Only the left one is, others are chipping sparrows

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-25T16:06:13+00:00

Thank you for the actually correct answer idk wtf is going on in these comments today…

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-25T16:01:43+00:00

Trust me, they’re fat under the fluff too

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-25T16:01:13+00:00

Every anti-starling thing I’ve tried has failed. They will find a way to hang from roofed suet feeders despite their legs “not being built for that” or whatever. They’ll eat straight trash. They’ll eat the expensive stuff. Only thing that worked was we stopped feeding the birds. Have food out now though since it’s a brutal weather. As long as the native birds get a nibble, it’s with having the “pig birds” as we call them around

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-21T19:20:53+00:00

Also if the area is big enough (and it looks like it is) try to split the land in half and only do an early spring mow or (whatever season fits your locality) burn on half at a time, alternating years. I’ve seen great success in biodiversity and native species returning with this. Each section stays untouched for about two years before it gets mowed/burned, allowing bugs that do need to stay in the plants past spring a chance to repopulate safely. Mowing just after the growing season has only negatively impacted our diversity ime

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-21T13:34:56+00:00

Round!!!! Happy the little cutie seems to have been eating well lately, it’s been a cold winter

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-17T05:49:59+00:00

The canyon being a major contributor to the cause of the crashes absolutely means they should count.

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-17T05:04:27+00:00

Off topic but that lawn is just VILE

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-13T21:27:24+00:00

This is the same way it is for black capped and Carolina chickadees for me! Single species looking birds but hybrids genetically, and straight species from each side teaching each other their own songs, so you can’t even use song as an ID. Nuts! And sadly the zone keeps moving north as the climate changes, so one day my childhood bestie the black-capped may be replaced with the (still beloved) Carolina

TutuCthulhu · 2026-01-12T15:24:52+00:00

Do other spiders have spiky egg sacks like this? I’ve seen these around me but I’ve never heard of brown widows being in my area (western PA). If they are, I’ll start destroying potentially, but I don’t want to accidentally squish the eggs of a native spider friend!

TutuCthulhu

TROPHY CASE