Last pic of this guy, I promise, but here’s side-by-side pics of large nymph, newly molted roach, and hardened roach. Same guy, pics scaled to about accurate comparison sizes.
This is literally the cutest lizard to ever grace my bathroom floor
Final result of the peppered roach who had his final molt yesterday. Hardened up his exoskeleton overnight, and here he is!
He had his antennae tucked up for this pic because I’d just picked him up, but about 30 seconds after, he started crawling around on my hands. Still nice and calm, just exploring a bit. Bigger bugs always seem to be much calmer than small ones.
I’ve never seen these before this year and was thrilled to finally catch a few shots where the bee was visible, mostly I’ve seen them buried in squash blossoms.
I’ve found that “nightmare” is a classification of dreams that has more to do with the emotions it causes me than it does the actual content of the dream.
A dream about being chased and murdered by demons might not be a nightmare, if I experience it as an interesting adventure or story. An innocuous dream about sharpening a pencil might wake me up in sheer terror and be the worst nightmare I have for a month.
My most common “nightmares” that wake me up screaming or crying are about my family and friends. They often have strong negative energies about them that are sometimes tied to the plot of the dream, but not always. Most of my monster dreams are neutral, often enjoyable, but rarely true nightmares.
If I’ve played video games recently, I tend to have a lot of dreams that would be terrible to actually experience (i.e. fighting monsters), but I experience them with sort of a detached, mild interest. They feel kinda like video games themselves- I know how I want one thing or another to go, and I have a bit of investment in other characters not dying, but that’s it.
This belief has come from livestock management, where for parasite control (particularly worms) has resulted in drug resistance in many species of worms, so rotating the drugs used based on testing is recommended. Horse owners typically rotate for the same reason, but also because not all anti-parasite products treat all things.
Fleas, to date, haven’t been proven to develop anti-parasite drug resistance. Yet.
There might be some benefit long term (like, 20, 50 years long term) to rotating the flea products you use, but based on their active ingredients rather than the brand. Fipronil, in particular, seems to have this slowly growing reputation for being less and less effective.
The manufacturers want you to use the same brand forever, of course. I’d just like you to use what you’ll remember to use, as the typical pet owner only uses flea control for 6-9 months of the year, and forgets the rest of the time.
I teach my 7th graders about the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide.
I bring in a graduated cylinder of it and we talk about how it’s used in nuclear power plants and gmo crops. How inhaling even the small amount I’m holding can lead to suffocation or even death. It’s found in vaccines and cancer cells, but also in infant formula and pet food. It is a huge component of acid rain, can cause severe burns, and has been found in places that were thought to be the most pristine and unpolluted locations on earth.
We talk about how there are little to no regulations on this chemical. No bans, no warning labels, and most manufacturers don’t even have to disclose their use of it in their products.
My students are outraged. We talk about what we can do. Create posters and flyers to spread awareness. Contact our senators with petitions to ban DHMO. Spread this information all over social media.
Then I explain that the real problem with dihydrogen monoxide is that….when I am thirsty…there is just nothing else as refreshing, and then I watch their looks of absolute shock and horror as I drink the entire vial down.
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