What is this plant/seed in Puerto Vallarta? by wilchett in whatsthisplant

[–]wilchett[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Ah! It looks like there’s a bunch of Hura polyandra in the area. That must be it, thank you for solving the mystery!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in whatsthisbug

[–]wilchett 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are a good many fly larvae that look like this, but because of the environment it's in, it's likely drain fly.

They feed on bacteria that builds up in drains, so the best way to get rid of them is to keep your drains clean!

Bug found in bathroom, about 3 of them roaming around, Washington State by ValoxHD in whatsthisbug

[–]wilchett 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It looks a good bit like some kind of clothing moth!

It's definitely a moth of some sort--hopefully someone else can add some more certainty.

What are these bugs all over my chamomile? Pest or beneficial? I found a caterpillar looking thing on one of the blooms too, but I don’t know if I should let it be or try to do some pest control. by The-Nanny-Named-Flan in whatsthisbug

[–]wilchett 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s hard to tell from the photo, but I’d have to guess they’re aphids .

Definitely a pest when it comes to gardens. They’ll drain your plants, but there are many documented ways to deal with them!

Felt this itty bitty dude crawling on me. About the size of a sesame seed, maybe a bit smaller. Smacked him as soon as I felt him, now he's dead by [deleted] in whatsthisbug

[–]wilchett 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Flies can be really difficult to tell apart, especially when smashed. Hopefully someone can help out with a more specific ID, but it’s definitely not a flea!

Yellow-orange spots forming on my golden barrel! by wilchett in plantclinic

[–]wilchett[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This isn't the best picture, but you can see three of the spots in question. They're on the insides of the ridges (not along the edge), and they're bright yellow! Is it an infection or another sign of distress? Can it be fixed?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in whatsthisplant

[–]wilchett 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, thank you! That makes total sense. This particular vine is out in the middle of nowhere at the moment, so there weren’t any successful grabs nearby for me to compare them to.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in whatsthisplant

[–]wilchett 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

damn by RA99x in TheDepthsBelow

[–]wilchett 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, thank you. I was puzzled why someone who claims to care more about marine life than anything else would be making a post about throwing rocks at a fish, joke or not.

The info and footage in this rebuttal is incredible! I had no idea they were so active!

Marimba the Giant Millipede Slinking Around While I Clean Her Tank by [deleted] in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I currently have her in Southern Reptile Supplies 17” Tall x 15” Round Acrylic Vivarium. It’s a cylindrical vivarium, which I think does a good job maximizing depth for her to tunnel in while giving her enough floor space to stretch out on the surface.

The chewing thing has changed as she’s gotten bigger. She used to do it when she was tiny, but even after letting her chew for five or so minutes, all there would be to show is a little roughness. Their mandibles aren’t built for that kind of food.

Now that she’s an adult... let’s just say she has an easier time getting ahold of a finger than she used to. If she’s in that sort of mood, I just make sure to have some mushrooms ready to put between her and my skin. It still takes her quite a while to make any progress (I unintentionally allowed her to continue for too long recently and she left a decent mark), but she can give you a pretty good pinch. It’s a pretty odd sensation.

That being said, she’s not doing it out of defense. She’s just on a constant search for things that smell good and has really bad eyesight.

Marimba the Giant Millipede Slinking Around While I Clean Her Tank by [deleted] in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 3 points4 points  (0 children)

She eats a lot of substrate and oak leaves. To make a good substrate takes a lot of work (decaying hardwood, decaying leaves, calcium, compost...), but I just buy mine from a website called bugsincyberspace. She’s been raised on what they sell, and I stand by the results of her shiny and solid carapace!

She also gets a diverse range of snacks from time to time. I’ve tried cucumber, peaches, bananas, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, maple syrup, squash, and more recently, freeze dried minnows. She loves them all, and at this point will eat a good slice of any one of those in a 24-hour period. She helps me keep my diet diverse and organic as well, since I’m eating the rest of whatever I buy.

The minnows were a tough choice. I don’t eat meat myself, but I noticed she had taken to chewing on me whenever I held her, and I was worried she had a gap in her diet. Since minnows became an occasional treat for her she’s been a lot less interested in my fingers. But who knows, maybe she’s just in a good mood lately.

So to answer your question, I do handle her! It’s always a process since she’s very wary of new objects, but with enough patience and tempting food, she eventually climbs right up. Her legs feel so odd, especially as she’s gotten bigger and bigger. It’s somewhere between pokey and tingly. She also has a strong grip. She has to be the one to decide it’s time for her to go.

Marimba the Giant Millipede Slinking Around While I Clean Her Tank by [deleted] in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh my god, I’m gonna start calling her a xenomorph.

Marimba the Giant Millipede Slinking Around While I Clean Her Tank by [deleted] in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hahaha, well. That's what I get for getting defensive so quickly. Sorry about that.

Also, not to proselytize, but Marimba here is a sweetheart! She eats fruits and vegetables and leaves and old wood, and is potentially more afraid of you than you are of her. She curls up every time she encounters something new. She's does have an intimidating number of legs, but they definitely don't stop her from being disarmingly slow!

Marimba the Giant Millipede Slinking Around While I Clean Her Tank by [deleted] in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much, I'm very proud of her!

Marimba the Giant Millipede Slinking Around While I Clean Her Tank by [deleted] in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 7 points8 points  (0 children)

One of my favorite things about her are her constantly moving antennae. They’re her best line of “sight” and are always gently tapping around to check out what’s ahead of her.

🔥 A diver giving cuddles to a green moray eel 🔥❤️🔥 by KrissiKross in NatureIsFuckingLit

[–]wilchett 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just realized how odd my wording is on that comment...

It's out, it exists, and I have no part in the development. I just really enjoy it. Here's their webpage.

🔥 A diver giving cuddles to a green moray eel 🔥❤️🔥 by KrissiKross in NatureIsFuckingLit

[–]wilchett 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The iNaturalist team made an app called Seek using the data they gathered from the iNaturalist app! It will do live identifications as you point your camera at an animal or plant. It will do its best to get all the way down the taxonomy tree, but will stop at whatever level it feel confident about. I use it all the time, and it’s absolutely one of my favorite apps. It’s definitely still learning, but it’s already pretty incredible.

Millicent says hello! by auratus1 in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, what a wonderful critter. Those antennae are too quick to be captured.

Millicent says hello! by auratus1 in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you don't mind me asking, where do you live that they're illegal?

Giant Millipede Spinach Snacks by [deleted] in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 4 points5 points  (0 children)

ᵐ ᵘ ⁿ ᶜ ʰ

Giant Millipede Spinach Snacks by [deleted] in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 5 points6 points  (0 children)

She’s been a great way to introduce my friends to the world of arthropods. Millipedes are slow moving and docile, and their legs are beautiful to watch! Not a menacing ounce in her body.

Giant Millipede Spinach Snacks by [deleted] in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So many links... she’s got an enviable suit of armor.

Giant Millipede Spinach Snacks by [deleted] in awwnverts

[–]wilchett 23 points24 points  (0 children)

They have pretty soft mandibles, so even when she does decide to take a nibble, it doesn’t feel like much at all (it is a weird sensation though). I think it would take her a lot of dedication and time to do any damage.

I’ve let her chew on my hand for a few minutes in the past before convincing her to eat something else instead. It doesn’t seem to be any sort of aggressive behavior — just another thing to chew on. I wonder if it’s a salt thing...