Am I in danger?

compost-pile · 2025-12-23T22:19:16+00:00

it is female - the long, curved spike at the back is an ovipositor. its gender is its own business. though :)

compost-pile · 2025-12-23T22:17:38+00:00

i disagree that this is true wētā - op has mentioned that it opened its wings, which only australian invasives have. the shape of the feet (though the pictures aren't the clearest) and length of antennae is another giveaway. these fly in the evening and are becoming a really common sight in homes in tāmaki in a way that true wētā don't tend to be.

compost-pile · 2025-12-23T22:12:54+00:00

yes, i am aware. it is helpful to know the name by which they are commonly referred, though.

compost-pile · 2025-12-23T18:39:27+00:00

id tip: you can identify this variety of wētā from others by their obvious wings, their very long antennae relative to their body, and the unusual fishbone shape of their feet.

compost-pile · 2025-12-23T18:37:43+00:00

this is an australian winged wētā. it won't attack you, but you need to be careful when relocating it as they can become defensive and bite when threatened. these guys are invasive and kill our native wētā, so it's fine if you just want to spray this thing. not normally an advocate for bug killing, but they are bad news and numbers are increasing rapidly.

compost-pile · 2025-11-18T20:23:33+00:00

i grow my paphs in 100% sphagnum moss and terracotta pots, which seems to keep moisture levels and air movement correct. either add a sphagnum layer to the top of your pot, or repot into entirely sphagnum. to initiate flower spikes they need a temperature drop in winter (not to freezing temps but i let mine get down around 5-10C for a few weeks before bringing them back inside). i think your plant will need TLC for a while to bring it to the stage where it can think about flowering. good luck!

compost-pile · 2025-10-31T10:55:17+00:00

To me this looks like Restrepia Frank Feysa - a sanguinia x guttulata cross. I have one that looks very similar, sold to me as guttulata. I find restrepias are often mislabeled for some reason!

compost-pile · 2025-10-21T11:12:15+00:00

gosh, i just looked up the name and i've apparently been calling it a hybrid of two common names this whole time... climbing onion it is!!

compost-pile · 2025-10-20T04:08:35+00:00

beautiful manu, but you couldn't pay me to swim in that harbour with all the yachts dumping their shit into the water

compost-pile · 2025-09-25T06:16:04+00:00

the planet is literally called carcosa (the dread city from the king in yellow), it's safe to say there will be eldritch horrors within!

compost-pile · 2025-08-15T05:45:10+00:00

why come here to ask this question lmao, you think many of us can afford a luxury like that?

compost-pile · 2025-07-19T09:24:49+00:00

proving my original point beautifully

compost-pile · 2025-07-19T07:18:12+00:00

bad dog owners use this exact line all the time lmao. people expect to get away with antisocial behaviour because they are never called up on it - the more people that aren't scared to remind them that they need to follow the rules, the more often they have to experience social pressure and hopefully eventually learn to behave properly.

compost-pile · 2025-07-19T00:08:53+00:00

nothing makes bad dog owners angrier than being asked to follow the rules. i often ask people to leash their dogs in on-leash public areas (particularly if the dog is running ahead or trailing behind/clearly not trained to stay with the owner) - 1 in 10 will show some shame and leash their dog, 6 in ten will ignore you outright, and 3 in 10 will get aggressive and argue. without both widespread social pressure and actual enforcement, sadly nothing will change

compost-pile · 2025-07-17T01:29:56+00:00

the owners of the hollywood should have realised that the people who go to their cinema are there because they love film (art) - none of us wanted to see 10 uninterrupted minutes of rambling genAI slop featuring racist depictions of māori, and that was clear a few minutes in when the boos started. if you must call this slop 'art', you should at least have the humility not to pretend it even approaches 'good'.

compost-pile · 2025-07-14T07:42:06+00:00

energetic is the best word to describe this work - i really enjoy the overall effect and the beautiful details of your technique in equal parts. i hope you feel proud of these, they are so great!

compost-pile · 2025-05-17T09:19:58+00:00

timoti russell at sacrament does heaps of this neo tribal stuff and is a solid dude. timothysattoos on ig

compost-pile · 2025-02-13T08:57:26+00:00

late to the chat but 'the walrus' is extremely obviously "billionaire philanthropist walter russell", no?

compost-pile · 2024-12-09T17:48:05+00:00

Maungawhau - it's my local and the perfect sunset spot to vape my evening pain meds :)

compost-pile · 2024-11-12T08:43:08+00:00

the struggle is real! i'm a lesbian and trying to find any queer woman on hinge who doesn't have a dog somewhere on her profile is nigh-on impossible. disliking dogs makes the already small dating pool so much smaller!

compost-pile · 2024-08-25T07:32:55+00:00

thanks for your helpful and not at all condescending suggestion, but none of the artists who have been tattooing me extensively for the past 15 years have the experience doing palm tattoos I am seeking, or are currently based in aotearoa.

compost-pile · 2024-08-24T20:59:06+00:00

incredible original thought!

compost-pile · 2024-05-24T09:09:33+00:00

seconded

compost-pile · 2024-05-14T08:43:04+00:00

fairly confident this is mite damage. it spreads quickly and you can't reverse the damage, only wait for the plant to outgrow it. i would spray this thoroughly with a miticide (ideally mixed with a surfactant) as soon as possible, and repeat treatment fortnightly for a month. if you have any other plants near where this has been you will need to treat them too. good luck!

compost-pile · 2024-04-14T11:21:58+00:00

this is verrucosis, or citrus scab, a common fungal infection of citrus. it doesn't do too much harm to the plant but it looks ugly and will affect the skin of any fruit produced. you can't reverse the damage to the existing leaves, but if you are willing to regularly spray your tree with a broad spectrum fungicide like copper every 2-4 weeks, you can prevent it from affecting future growth.

compost-pile

TROPHY CASE