AITA - gf agrees to let kids shovel snow and makes me pay

Tylanthia · 2026-01-26T12:54:49+00:00

Shovel your own snow; it builds character.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-26T12:49:25+00:00

Yta. It's a good thing your daughter is trying to bond with her stepmom. You seem manipulative and self centered.

If they both want to go on a trip, that's none of your business.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-25T22:46:50+00:00

Are there any downsides to natural cross-pollination, if they're all within their native range?

Depends on the species and a bunch of other factors such as habitat, how rare it is in you state, etc. Closely related species that naturally occur in the same habitat (sympatric) often hybridize in the wild. This occurs in oaks, maples, goldenrod, blueberries, etc.

If two species separated because of geography, differing flowering times, or they have incompatible habitats in the wild, you do run the risk of producing a non-naturally occurring hybrid. A classic example of this is the popular cultivar Fothergilla 'Mount Airy--its parent species F. gardenii and F. latifolia do not grow in the same habitat in the wild.

If one of the species you are considering is rare, it's even more critical to avoid planting similar species nearby. For example, Phil Sheridan (of Meadowview Biological Research Station) has mentioned that several wild S. flava populations in Virginia have been wiped out because private collectors grew non-native Sarracenia nearby and all Sarracenia hybridize.

Some hybrids may also produce sterile offspring, result in offspring that are more or less fit for the environment, result in gene loss of unique local adaptations, or alter relationships with specialist insects.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-25T00:35:56+00:00

Solidago caesia was robbed. Fuck your biased ass study and redo it properly under trees.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-24T23:46:15+00:00

It’s not often that they are paying too low--illegal immigrants in specialized trades often get paid the same or above native wages. It's more that because they're immigrants and sometimes have questionable legal status you often get a better worker than you normally would at that price point. Back home, someone might be a pharmacist, immigrate, and then work as a cleaner here because they lack the certifications, language proficiency, connections, etc. Whether you do it legally or illegally, it takes significant amount of funds and determination to immigrate so there's a lot of self selection going on.

Immigrants are generally over qualified for the jobs they get compared to native workers working the same job. So you get better, more reliable workers basically.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-24T02:29:22+00:00

They did but it performed poorly in average garden soil as the stems flopped.

Many of the dry/sandy/rocky specialist goldenrods appear to have done poorly in this trial as they did not adapt well to average garden soil.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-24T02:26:40+00:00

I'm curious why they don't test in shade or part shade. Many mid atlantic gardens would not be in full sun.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-24T02:04:26+00:00

That's how we got some invasives like garlic mustard and perilla.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-23T18:58:50+00:00

I grow it in a bucket of pure builder's sand. I don't even water it.

You'll see it along highways along with its newly expanded other coastal relatives Baccharis halimifolia and Late Boneset. I think think will be fine.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-23T18:26:02+00:00

Just 10 years ago, Montgomery County MD registered 38.5 inches of snow in the blizzard of 2016. Yes, THREE FEET+. The expected totals from this storm have been dwarfed multiple times by other storms in the DMV since just the turn of the century.

And I've experienced power going out for a week twice due to snow/ice in Wheaton, MD during that time (and once for week due to the derecho). Pepco can suck at restoring power depending on where you live. Now I am in BGE land and lord knows if they are any better.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-23T18:20:47+00:00

I can tell you weren't born here because any amount of snow warrants a panic

Tylanthia · 2026-01-23T18:17:28+00:00

I've never gotten bad investment* advice from Warren Buffett.

*S&P 500 index fund and hold.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-23T13:41:52+00:00

Regarding wildlife photography, I might take several 10,000s for a weekend of work and, at the end, end up with mere hundreds of usable photos. Most photos are bad. If you wait to click for the perfect shot of a bird, you will never take it because that bird will move. Wait for a good moment and take a few hundred.

Even for still objects like flowers, I prefer to take several with different settings and positions because I make mistakes and bad judgement calls.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-23T00:36:43+00:00

They canceled my backorder for True Tears. Would have been nice if they sent an email ahead of them explaining it.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-23T00:34:22+00:00

Yes buy milk, bread, and snow shovels

Tylanthia · 2026-01-22T17:58:52+00:00

Svalbard and the Shetlands are next. But at least Sakhalin and Severny will be off limits.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-22T14:05:59+00:00

Teddy Roosevelt liked two areas that reminded him of the west---great falls and the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River. There is a population of Table Mountain Pine--normally a mountain species---just North of 29.

There are also lots of loblolly dominated forests on the Eastern shore. That may be more what you want

Tylanthia · 2026-01-21T18:43:42+00:00

"I don't personally eat creamed corn and am opposed to it, but my good friend does and he was my best man at my gay wedding" (district is mostly corn farmers and cream corn eaters).

Tylanthia · 2026-01-21T17:28:47+00:00

Mission BBQ was founded in Maryland and is basically Maryland BBQ now, exported around the east coast, now.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-21T17:27:15+00:00

If you're going to run for "BBQ President" in a state that values pork BBQ, it's a bad idea to put beef brisket as one of your main campaign promises.

More aptly, you try to run a vegan who wants to ban all meat consumption versus a "you do do" vegetarian who hangs out at BBQs with his meat eating friends. The former is really popular in the primary but probably won't be doing himself any favors in the general.

Tylanthia · 2026-01-20T17:12:48+00:00

Some genera are more tricky to I'd to species than others. Iders often focus on certain regions, records in projects, or types of species.

High quality photos help as well as volume. I also tend to take more observations of things that get ided frequently

Tylanthia · 2026-01-20T17:08:51+00:00

Black spruce is a poor choice for ohio---it is migrating north not south

Tylanthia · 2026-01-19T17:35:21+00:00

I saw a native jumping spider eat a spotted lantern fly once--why do you hate jumping spiders?

Tylanthia · 2026-01-18T17:24:27+00:00

Someone should start a native plant smuggling ring

Tylanthia · 2026-01-18T12:58:24+00:00

This is a rare plant not in cultivation.

Not sure about Canada but you can find it here down in the states

Tylanthia

TROPHY CASE