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florencemtrash · 9 months

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Hummingbird: Chapter One

Miguel O'Hara x Reader

What if the Earth-1610 (Miles’s universe) version of Miguel’s wife was actually Miles’s AP Art teacher?

Masterlist

You leaned back against the desk, ignoring the leftover smattering of paint as it seeped into your overalls, and checked the time. Miles’s face was stuck to the pages of his sketchbook, blue and red ink staining his cheek as he snored softly. One hand loosely gripped an open highlighter, the other dangled over the edge of his desk, half-eaten sandwich abandoned on the floor.

Twenty minutes. He’d been asleep for twenty minutes, and if you let him sleep any longer, he’d be late for fifth period.

You rapped your knuckles on his pencil case, the ringing tin jolting the teenager awake. Brown eyes flashed around the room, fists shooting out in an amateur boxing move as he tried to figure out why his spidey sense hadn’t warned him of any danger.

But there was no danger here. Nope, just Miss Y/l/n staring at him curiously from under raised brows.

“Wakey wakey, Miles,” You wore your usual pair of yellow Converse and paint-splattered overalls, the pockets hanging wide and loose after years of carrying around paint bottles, brushes, and books. The school board liked to complain about your “improper dress,” but at the end of the day you were one of the school’s only art teachers - and the most highly approved by students.

“Oh heyyyyy Miss Y/l/n.” He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck before dropping to the floor and snatching up his forgotten lunch. This was the fourth time you’d caught him sleeping in your classroom. Any more and you might actually have to start giving him detention. He tossed pens, snacks, and his sketchbook haphazardly into his bag, but not before you caught sight of a familiar blond-haired, blue-eyed girl smiling in front of a backdrop rioting with yellow, pinks, and blues more vibrant than a fireworks display. “GWEN!” the comic-style calligraphy called out next to her glowing face. Miles always seemed to be drawing her these days.

“You’ve still got five minutes left, calm down.” Miles straightened up to face you, clutching his lunchbox to his chest and smiling nervously. You folded your arms over your chest and stared pointedly at the gangly boy in front of you. With how much he’d grown over the last few months you wondered if one of his ancestors had been a garden weed.

“You want to talk about what’s been going on, Miles?”

“What do you-what do you mean?”

“You’ve been falling asleep in my class, this is the fourth time I’ve caught you napping here during lunch, and now I hear from Mr. Maloney that you’ve been skipping English.”

“He-he told you that?” He tugged at the collar of his shirt, hoping for a breeze to drift in through the window and save him from his nerves. He thought he’d been good about juggling the responsibilities of being a high-schooler and everyone’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. If his parents noticed anything different about him they chalked it up to teenage angst and grief over Uncle Aaron’s death. But someone had caught him slipping up.

You shrugged, “The teacher’s lounge exists, and people like to talk.”

“Oh…” he mumbled, shoulders dropping.

The dull ringing of the school bell cut through the silence, followed shortly by the rumblings of conversation as students filled the hallway, moving with the current like fish in a river.

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose, “Listen, Miles, you’re not in trouble, ok?” Miles sighed in relief. “If you need to eat your lunch or just take a break in my classroom that’s fine with me. I just want to make sure you’re not trying to flunk out like last year.”

He shook his head adamantly. He couldn’t - wouldn’t - drop out of Brooklyn Visions now. He had a plan for the future: go to Princeton, figure out multiversal traveling, and reunite with Gwen and Peter and the rest of the Spider-gang. Seemed simple enough… and totally doable…

“I promise that’s not the case, Miss Y/l/n.” The sincerity behind his words satisfied you.

“Alright Miles, but I’m keeping an eye on you,” You said dramatically, squinting your eyes and pointing at his chest. Miles snorted, mouth breaking open into a lopsided grin, “Now get out of here or Mrs. Cape will think I’ve convinced you to go to art school again.”

“Yeah. Sorry about that. I just…”

“Yes, yes, you want to go study physics at Princeton,” you waved your hand in the air, tracing some invisible pattern in the sunlight before grabbing a wet wipe from your desk and tossing it to Miles, “Quantum mechanics, the multiverse, and all that stuff.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d told you about his future plans, but the words that left his mouth had a tendency of flying over your head. The kid was too smart for his own good.

You paused and took a moment to look at Miles, to really look at him as he scrubbed away at the ink on his cheek, “Those Princeton schmucks would be lucky to have you.”

“Thanks Miss Y/l/n.” Again he gave you that crooked, boyish smile.

“Alright now out, out!” You shooed him towards the door, watching as he saluted you and flashed you one last smile before joining the crowd of students and disappearing around the corner.

You slipped back into your classroom, the smell of charcoal, dried paint, and pencil shavings settling into your lungs - sweet and comforting. There wasn’t an inch of space that wasn’t covered in some manner of artwork: sketches, paintings, collages… colorful graffiti that you should probably scrub out before parent-teacher conferences. Most of the pieces were the works of current students, but sometimes people like to leave things behind on purpose, trusting that you would find a place for them somewhere.

You wiped down the desks, rubbed the worst paint splotches from your overalls, and then collapsed into your chair, swiveling around and munching on the sandwich you’d picked up at the Prospect St. bodega. You had thirty minutes of peace and quiet before sixth period.

That’s more than enough time. You thought to yourself. Maybe I’ll get some grading done and-

A head of curly black hair popped into the room, face wet and screaming with tears. You straightened in your chair as the boy’s lips thinned, then turned down. His shoulders began to tremble.

“He…He,” Hiccup, “He broke up with me, Miss Y/l/n.”

“Oh geez,” you sighed deeply, setting your sandwich down and ushering the boy in.

There were things you missed about being a teenager… the highs and lows of a first love were not on that list.

>>>

Saturday nights were sacred - the only time you reserved entirely for yourself. No grading, no reviewing and updating lesson plans, no agonizing over student reviews. You’d used to go out with old college friends for drinks on the weekend, but most of them had moved out of the city or gotten married and were doing married people things.

Is this what getting older is like? You wondered as you snuggled further into your couch, a blanket wrapped around your shoulders to keep out the chill. It wasn’t too terrible… albeit a little lonely.

The latest in a slew of cooking shows played out on the tv, throwing flashes of light onto the book-burdened coffee table and providing the background noise necessary for you to finally get your thoughts out of your sketchbook. But the moment you went to put the pen nib down, your mind went blank, and not in a good way. Every line looked wrong, the eyes of the figure looking bloated and misshapen. Time creeped by slowly, dragging you along for a ride as smooth as sandpaper.

You knew the cause of your frustration, but knowing never made it better. It had been two months since Richard had moved out, two months and one day since you’d found out he was cheating on you with some grad student at NYU.

Pendejo.

You’d hated his interior decorating, but now the blank spaces on the wall screamed his name.

You tossed your sketchbook and pencil onto the ground and went to make a cup of tea. Maybe you were better off calling it a night and crawling into bed. Mid-year reviews had just ended and you had a long list of emails to reply to in the morning. One thing you hadn’t been expecting when you’d accepted this job was the number of parents who’d be on your ass about their kids getting a B in art - in art.

The tea kettle was just about to open its mouth and start singing when a crash sounded from the living, followed by a sheepish “Whoops.” The muffled word punctuated Paul Hollywood’s critique of someone’s lemon tart - too stodgy.

Your blood ran cold as the stranger continued to mutter.

“There goes another one. Wow there’s a lot of stuff on the floor.” Another one of your precious potted plants hit the ground with a dull crack.

You grabbed the wooden bat from where it leaned against the wall, swinging it easily behind your head. At least there was one good thing Richard had left you with.

You creeped out into the hallway, backing up towards the front door with your eyes trained on the shadowy figure making a mess of your living room. The figure fluctuated in and out of existence as he stumbled about the room, tripping over the piles of books and art supplies littering the ground. His body splintered outwards like cobwebs and twisted with flashes of bright light, haunting and inhuman.

The creak of the floorboards gave you away. All at once the figure stopped and turned around to look at you. Where its face should have been was a single, flickering white spot, pulsing with curiosity as it tilted its head to the side.

Mierda.

You bolted towards the door… but he was already there.

“Why hello Mrs. O’Hara. Nice to finally meet you.” A thousand voices said at once.

You screamed and swung.

The first swing missed, leaving a crater in the drywall. The second swing hit true, but the bat merely sunk into the black void of his body, some force ripping it out of your hands as you staggered backward. “Oh! Well that wasn’t very nice.” The creature laughed.

Spindly tendrils of dark matter grabbed hold of you and you let out one final scream before the Spot swallowed you whole.

There was a momentary blindness and the sensation of falling before you were unceremoniously spit out onto a hard granite floor. You winced at the rough cut of broken glass beneath your heels, with nothing to protect you but a thin pair of socks. You looked upward and gasped.

Where there had once been a towering glass ceiling dozens of stories high lay a gaping hole, the metal beams blown backwards into the night air like a blooming flower. It took you a moment to recognize the building, after all you’d seen it nonstop on the news for weeks last year - Alchemax.

What the hell?

Police tape criss-crossed over the debris like yellow spider webs, the scene broken up by black holes that morphed and twisted around you, pulsing with the same energy as the stranger in your apartment.

I must be dreaming. You thought. But in the back of your mind you remembered bits and pieces of what Miles told you he’d been studying over the summer - wormholes and spacetime and portals to different universes.

You picked up a piece of metal off the floor, experimentally tossing it into one of the spots. It disappeared under the surface like pottery in slip before popping back into existence above you. You only narrowly lunged out of the way before it crashed into the ground and stuck there like a sword in a battlefield.

“Beautiful, isn’t it Mrs. O’Hara?” the Spot stepped out of a hole in the fabric of spacetime beside you.

You jumped back, choking the scream in your throat. “That’s not-that’s not my name.” You managed to say. “Maybe you’ve kidnapped the wrong person?” A stupid hope.

“Oh? What is it then?” You said nothing, daring to lean down and pick up a jagged piece of roof panel. It might not do much, but it made you feel safer with its weight in your hands. “Well you don’t need to tell me. I just wanted to ask you a question.” He blipped out of existence, taking with him the darkness that pooled out of his skin.

“Who is Spider-Man?” the voices said as the Spot reappeared right beside you.

“You’ve got to stop doing that! Pendejo.”

“What?”

“Just talk to me like a normal person.” You pointed the roof panel at him, keeping him at a safe distance.

“Who. Is. Spider-Man?” He stepped closer, the tip of your makeshift weapon sinking into his skin like he wasn’t even there.

The question made you pause. That was what he wanted to know? He had kidnapped you just to ask about Spider-Man?

“Um, I mean, he’s kind of the local superhero. Stops thieves, saves kittens stuck in trees, makes questionable brand deals at times-”

“NO! I know who Spider-Man is.”

You blinked in confusion, eyes shifting to the side, “Then why did you kidnap me?”

“I want to know Spider-Man’s identity! His real identity.” The edges of his body sparked, shooting outward and striking the walls of the room. Dust and plaster fell to the ground like snow.

“I don’t-how the fuck am I supposed to know who Spider-Man is?!”

“You know him! The other version of you knew him!”

“What, other me?”

“The alternate universe version of you!” He threw his hands up into the air like a petulant child. The darkness around him grew with every passing minute, crawling around on the floor and up onto the walls like a reptile looking for its next meal. He slid his hands down his face, somehow pulling at the ether he was made of as he muttered under his breath.

“Whatever, I may have miscalculated. You’ll still be important. Don’t you worry. You may not know who Spider-Man is, but Spider-Man sure knows you.”

Next chapter ->

>>>

Author's Note: so... I may have gotten carried away and written the second chapter as well... hope you enjoy!

Taglist: @geraskier-thots @howabouticallyou @sweetheartlizzie07 @dont-mind-me27 @omg-edzia-stuff @sarcastically-defensive17 @trouble-sistar @saltyluminaryvoid @lunablue001 @sadslasher13 @yas-v @thel0v3hashira143 @trishuh8 @vague-flying-shape @tiana76 @dinuxia-bhm @mxtokko @devilsrose666 @natbratty @zettoaizawa-shusband @dorck26 @notasadgirlipromise @niyanispunk @thecraziestcrayon @athenxt @imnotyourbcbe @jannajuju @lunamoonbby @elle-19 @aces148 @sseleniaa @elaineiswithyou-blog @summerli-u @rattlethemskulls @sunseekerlove @bubbabobabubbles @loonalockley @aleombre @littlelilies @07-bilin @nerdalicios @insanely-creative-things

#miguel o'hara x y/n #miguel x reader #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara #miguel spiderverse #atsv miguel #miguel spiderman #gwen stacy #hobie brown #miles morales #across the spider verse #atsv x reader #atsv x you #atsv x y/n

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toadstoolgardens · 2 years

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🌿Inviting Birds Into Your Garden🐦

Birds are essential to a healthy ecosystem, but not everyone takes kindly to them in their gardens. Birds love to eat berries, peck holes in fruits, and scratch up seedlings, but in the permaculture garden we strive to partner with nature to meet the needs of wildlife AND ourselves. Growing food for ourselves at the expense of wildlife has resulted, in part, in the current global food system that doesn't value the humans involved or the ecosystem.

"By attracting birds, small animals, and insects to our yards, we not only increase biodiversity but make our gardens more balanced, disease free, and productive as well." -Toby Hemenway, Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Small-Scale Permaculture

Benefits of a Bird-Friendly Garden

Birds are beautiful! Watching them enjoy your gardens and learning bird language is rewarding and entertaining

Birds keep insect problems in check

Birds loosen the soil as they forage and scratch

Birds provide natural fertilizer

The Combination that Works

"Creating a garden that your winged friends want to call home is easy. You'll need to provide food, water, and shelter. Any of these elements will bring birds to your garden for a visit. But providing all three will make them more inclined to take up residence." -Kris Bordessa, Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living

Keep in mind that birds have different needs! Not all birds eat the same things and their nesting habits vary. So the real key is diversity! Plant a variety of plant types, textures, heights, and seasons of value.

Food

Birds have a varied diet of fruit/berries, insects, and nuts/seeds. Some have more specific diets than others. Some forage for food on the ground and some hunt above ground.

Year-Round Bird Food Sources

Evergreen trees - Provide shelter, protection, and sap for food

Flowers, tall grasses, and herbs - Provide cover for ground feeders, seeds, nectar, and insects to forage

Fruits (late spring through summer) - Blueberries, brambles like blackberries or raspberries, cherries, elderberries, mulberries, serviceberries, and wild plum. Birds LOVE mulberries especially and having them available will help deter birds from your other crops

Fruits (fall) - Aronia berries, dogwood, sea buckthorn, buffaloberry. In fall birds need to build up fat reserves to survive winter, give them a fall buffet!

Fruits (winter) - These are fruits that cling to branches over winter. Crabapple, hardy kiwi, hawthorn, highbush cranberry, medlar, sumac

Nectar-producing plants for hummingbirds - Bee balm, lupine, sage, maple trees, black locust trees

Nuts - Butternut, chestnut, hazelnut, pickory, piñon, walnut. Offer protection, good nesting sites, and insects to forage

Choose plants native to your area!

2. Water

Birds love natural moving water like streams or ponds. Replicate this with a 2 inch deep bird bath with a fountain! Place your bird bath near a shrub so they have perches and an escape route nearby.

3. Shelter & Protection

Birds need shelter from the elements and protection from predators along with their food and water sources.

Tall grass, dense shrubs, tree canopy, and thorny plants act as a save haven. Birds also nest at different heights, so offer a variety of trees and shrubs for them to settle in.

More plant ideas that provide nesting sites, shelter, and protection:

Apple

Persimmon

Rose

Serviceberry

"Without animals, nature just limps along." -Toby Hemenway

Source

#permaculture #permaculture gardening #food forest #birds #gardening #birds in the garden #cottagecore #solarpunk #ecosystem

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lunesg-sainte · 3 months

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Be eco-friendly without realizing it

I'm from Mexico, (I say this just to clarify, in case something sounds strange). I live in a still rural area (although urbanization is catching up with us) and I did my first years of school in schools that were a maximum of ten minutes away on foot. At twelve I started taking public transport and when I turned fifteen my trip Every day it was an hour on public transportation (which is considered normal in the area where I live). The thing is that we were always very conscious of our waste.

Much of what we did since my childhood is wash clothes and clean our house with filtered rainwater in the rainy season. The clothes have always been hung in the patio and dried by the air or the sun (we have never had a dryer). Refuse yogurt, cream and other plastic containers. The jars are reused to store cinnamon, coffee, sugar, powdered milk, spices and other things. When we wash the dishes, in a plastic bowl we add water and a few drops of biodegradable soap and with that we wash all the glasses, plates, utensils and pots that we use for cooking and eating. We currently have chickens that roam freely and thanks to this we have a daily supply of eggs. We are not vegan, but I'm not really that worried about that, because my area is highly rural it is very easy to get meat from local producers, the only thing we can't get so easily is fish but it's not like we eat it commonly. If we have too many plastics, glass, cans and metals that we do not use at home, there are these people who buy these types of products by the kilo to in turn resell them to recycling plants that are far from us. The plastic bags we have are generally used for garbage that is not biodegradable. This year we plan for a part of our patio to become a more abundant garden, last year we did it and it was good, we hope to have more success this year. It was great to see butterflies, bees and hummingbirds out the window while I was washing the dishes. I recently bought an electric oven and started learning how to bake.

When I got into the solarpunk label I saw so many practices that we have done in my house throughout my life, it was so cool.

The hope of a future in which we can all live in the most respectable way possible with our planet.

#solarpunk #lifestyle #hopecore

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thelarriefics · 2 years

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NEIGHBORS FIC REC: Below you’ll find fics where Harry and Louis live close to one another.

📖 Light My Fire, Blow My Flame by @softfonds (98k)

the One Where…. Louis is a Broadway actor, Harry is a newly graduated lawyer, Liam is a radio DJ, Zayn is an English Professor at NYU, and Niall is a music producer. A Friends AU.

📖 to lure a hummingbird (you had me moonstruck) by @broken-beaks (81k)

An enemies-to-lovers fic where Harry and Louis are neighbours who are forced to get along due to the inconvenience (or convenience) of a broken lift.

📖 Little by Little by @absoloutenonsense (65k)

Harry discovers figuring out who you are is more complicated than a potato metaphor.

📖 the stars are smiling by @stylesthebrave (33k)

Harry’s new in town and just wants to spend his nights on the rooftop gazing at the stars. He gets far more than he bargained for.

📖 deFENCEless by @cursethedaylight (27k)

When Louis butts heads with his new neighbor who loves to garden a little too much, all he can do to protect his yard (and heart), is keep on building up his fence(s).

📖 In Dreams by @haydolce (23k)

AU. When Harry moves to a new city, his new flat come with a number of sweet, anonymous gifts and surprises that brighten his days. Could it be a friendly ghost? Another friendly presence in his new building is his tattooed neighbor, Louis, who seems determined to put a smile back on his face.

📖 That's How I Know by @allwaswell16 (19k)

the one where Harry’s African grey parrot spills his dirty secrets to his very hot neighbor.

📖 Cut to The Feeling by @pocketsunshineharry (16k)

AU where Louis is a ghostwriter working from home, and Harry is his firefighter neighbour who happens to have the cutest dog on Earth.

📖 in midnights, in cups of coffee by @suspendrs (15k)

Louis is overworked and cold, Harry is stressed out, and they might be in love.

📖 You're My Somebody by @fournipplesau (14k)

where Louis tries to fix his plumbing and cuts off both his and Harry's electricity.

📖 Replay by @itsnotreal (10k)

Harry moves in across the street and they really hit it off.

📖 Just Your Jinx by @larryatendoftheday (10k)

Harry Styles may or may not have accidentally jinxed his extremely fit new neighbor, and it's not so easy to make things right.

📖 I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by @haloeverlasting (7k)

Louis' heat is out, Harry's a terrible upstairs neighbor, and an empty Christmas tree is the perfect excuse to fall in love.

📖 Where Love Grows by @neondiamond (6k)

When his husband leaves without warning only weeks after the birth of their first child, a struggling Harry is forced to move in with a work colleague and raise his newborn in the desolate, dreary outskirts of London. There, within the walls of a shitty apartment complex, he meets Louis Tomlinson, fellow struggling parent and hopeless romantic.

📖 An Old Acquaintance by @getmehighonmagic (6k)

Harry moves into a new apartment building, after a shitty break up with his last boyfriend, with every intention of making a fresh start. That is, until he meets his next door neighbour, with whom he is quite familiar…

📖 Something Blue & Someone New by @littleroverlouis (6k)

Single Alpha Louis moves into a new apartment building and doesn't realize he misses courting someone until meeting his next door neighbor, a charming Omega named Harry.

Louis is working up the nerve to officially ask him to court, but what if Harry secretly beats him to the punch?

📖 I'll Keep You Warm by @parmahamlarrie (5k)

Louis is the kind of guy who keeps his head down and minds his own business. He’s lived on the same street for years and barely would recognize the buildings, let alone his neighbours. That’s all about to change however, due to a broken key and an unexpected snow storm.

📖 The One With the Lemur on the Fire Escape by @louisandtheaquarian (3k)

Louis is an overworked bartender hoping to save up enough extra tips to buy a new air conditioner before he literally melts during a scorching NYC heat wave. Harry is the new neighbor that wakes him up by moving in his sole day off at 6am. An NYC enemies to neighbors to friends to lovers AU featuring a rickety fire escape, the 2021 Euros, Lirry bickering like a divorced couple, and enough OT5 clichés to rot your teeth. (If Harry's pastries don't get them first.)

#neighbors fic rec #neighbors fics #hledit #hljournal #hlcreators #fic rec masterpost

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timelessmulder · 10 months

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A while back my friend bruni @cryptids commissioned me for an atmospheric piece with her Haunted House Documentary Cameraman Warren. I wrapped it up the other night and have permission to share it here (:

On the outskirts of some quaint little town was a pleasant little two story building. It sat tall and unassuming on the border of the woods, with soft yellow walls and accented by white shutters. The front lawn was claimed by a brilliant explosion of color that was the garden, curated with care to give an impression of organized chaos as one strode across the stone path that cut through it to the simple white entry door. Butterflies and fat, lazy bees wandered across the vibrant petals, and if one were so lucky they may see a hummingbird flit among the flowers.

The place was a museum. It had belonged, once, to a playwright who had lived and died there some century and a half before. Now it stood as a monument to the life of its old owner, declared a protected building under the town's historic registry; those beyond its borders may care little for the name, but to them he was a local hero. With that came a snapshot of how one of his economic status, his peculiarities, lived during that era. Like most eccentrics, like most artists, the man had been intrigued by the occult and spirituality. Word was that energy clung to the house. Held in the artifacts preserved in the years since his death, collected by historians and preservationists from collectors and old storage and descendants of family friends. Traveled with the ghosts that visitors and passersby alike claim to have noticed pass in the halls, drift across the windows. And, of course, it meant that the small museum of some small town attracted true believers from all corners of the country.

Warren found it all a bit silly.

Old houses, old land, carried the weight of their history. He thought of this as he strolled the grounds, just beyond the reach of the trees that were keen to swallow up as much of the town as possible, gathering b-roll for the documentary. To step into a place and to know that something had happened there. That someone had lived there. That these items within had been held and cherished or bought as a joke between friends. It settled into the air and found a way to creep beneath the skin; some places tried to mimic this atmosphere, with squat brownstones and the occasional mom-and-pop yet to be choked out of business by a bigger - cheaper - chain store. But the sensation could never be matched. It never put ideas into people's heads. Never quite managed to convince them that every bump and creak was something more than the pipes or the old walls setting.

Maisy was inside with the other tech guys and the curator, setting up a room for interviews with locals who had their own experiences to share. The curator was a friendly enough middle aged woman by the name of Rebecca, an eccentric in the way Warren was coming to realize many historians were when given ground to talk about their field of expertise. While working on this project, he had come to divide these types into three main categories: those who believed, those who were unsure, and those who strictly didn't.

That last one was further subdivided into its own three categories: those who found the idea obnoxious, those who found it silly but harmless, and those who found it fun.

Rebecca was in the category of those who didn't, subdivision "found it fun."

"Etienne Roy, you must understand, was very much a man of that era," she had said, in the easy way of historians who always had information at the tips of their fingers. They had gotten an interview with her early on, just her and Maisy and Warren, during a preliminary tour of the museum. "Seances, communicating with spirits. Even those who weren't eccentric artists were intrigued by it." What she said next came with a light and cheerful laugh, and a tone that came off as though she had personally known the man during his life. That she was close enough to tease him to company without his knowing. "I wouldn't say he was on the level of, say, Arthur Conan Doyle. But he certainly wasn't a skeptic in the league of someone like Harry Houdini."

Warren had not quite grasped her meaning, but had shrugged it off as she led them through the house. She pointed to all manner of things, ranging from the mundane to the stranger things that had found their way into his collection. Warren had taken time to get footage of them, only half paying attention to the explanations Rebecca gave. An authentic ouija board crafted out of wood and with letters carefully painted on by hand. Books on magic, acquired through friends and self proclaimed witches. A strange collection of dolls lined up on a shelf, threadbare and with rotted fabric, staring at the trio with their shiny bead eyes.

There was a distinct feeling of being watched, of icy fingers trailing up his back to send a shiver along his skin. It was probably just the dolls, he thought. Watching you no matter where they stood with those reflective eyes and pleasant stitched on smiles. At least Rebecca hadn't announced their presence to them, as some other curators had on a few prior occasions. Nor had she given Warren any caveats on asking permission to film them. On one memorable occasion, the curator had warned, his voice low and serious, that there were consequences for taking pictures of a particularly ugly threadbare doll without asking his permission first. Bad luck he said, with all the firm sincerity of someone who believed such things, would plague the hapless person until they gave him an apology.

And Warren had rolled his eyes and given Maisy an exasperated look; she'd only given him a sheepish grin and shrug in response. He got a few seconds of footage anyway, no words said to the creepy little doll in his creepy little ringleader outfit. Nothing happened. Of course, the footage of the day had almost been lost and he had spent the better part of the evening - and into the next day - salvaging what he could. But that camera had been on its last legs anyway; a technical problem of that magnitude was inevitable. He'd gotten a new one soon after, and no problems had plagued him since.

Well, no problem that didn't typically plague technology. But he wasn't about to ascribe every little thing to ghosts or curses.

He shuddered against a late summer breeze, one that brought with it that feeling of being watched. A buzz settled in his hands, only kept steady by his years of experience.

He huffed with a roll of his eyes and slight shake of his head. Sometimes when he was lost in his thoughts, Maisy would stand in windows, just behind him, and stare. She would wait until he noticed her, until he damn near jumped out of his skin, and she would cackle. It would be followed by an apology, blunted at its edges to sound not very sorry at all, her mouth smiling and eyes bright. He took it all in stride, accepting it as a bit of friendly ribbing even if she was technically his boss.

The wind blew playful through the leaves, sending them waving against blue skies dotted with clouds. The words "very funny" were building in his throat, when he heard it. A brush against his ear. A young voice, curious, in just above a whisper. "Hello? Who are you?"

Warren jolted. Hands fumbled to find grip on his camera from a momentary loss of control before it hit the ground. He whirled around on his heel, bristling and throat burning hot with embarrassment. And then he stilled. The rush of adrenaline from that flash of fear - that hadn't stepped near a true fight or flight - slipped away, leaving only confusion and a hint of annoyance in its wake.

The window behind him was empty. The curtains fluttered their lazy dance, too sheer to hide anyone behind them.

"Great job, Maisy," he grumbled, b-roll almost forgotten, as he closed the distance to the window. He craned his neck to see inside, looking for the young woman among the dining room furniture. His nose crinkled at the sight of the china cabinets, filled in equal parts with fine cutlery and haunted artifacts. There was a handsomely made ouija board on the table, set up with love and care for a seance that would never come to pass.

There was no sign of the documentarian from his vantage point. He snorted, pushing away from the sill all while drawing up images of her hiding just out of sight, stifling her laughter until her face was red like a teenager not wanting to be caught by a teacher. Not that she was that unprofessional, he thought, of course, even with all her teasing. But with her bright eyes and fashionable clothes and gung-ho attitude, it was easy to imagine her a decade younger than she was.

"You got me," he said, loudly. "I guess you're done with setting up!"

"Sure am," a voice chirped from somewhere to his left.

He whirled in time to see Maisy and Rebecca coming from around the side of the house. Her smiling mouth dimpled her cheeks in a way that usually made one look youthful, but there was a glint to her eye that sharpened her features just enough. His eyes darted back toward the window, the curtains beginning to still in the absence of the wind. Still empty. He leaned back in, looking to see if it was any of the crew who might have snuck inside for a prank. But none had that kind of voice. Unless it was a recording.

"What's it?" Maisy said as they got closer.

"Thought I heard something," he replied, leaning back. That chill prickled along his shoulders, and he suppressed the building shiver.

"Places like this do have a way of getting into your head," Rebecca said with a knowing smile that creased the lines of her face. "Especially out here in the woods."

"Was it a ghost, you think?" Maisy edged toward him, expression wild with barely restrained excitement.

He hummed in consideration, turning away from them. Eyes narrowed as he took in the landscape that surrounded them. To take in the quaint little house in the quaint little town that lived within the woods. Old land with even older history. The kind of place where the very air crackled with the memory of all who lived and died there.

He strained to hear that voice again. But there was nothing out of the ordinary. Only the rustling of leaves and underbrush, disturbed by the wind and wildlife. He watched a bird call for another, finding the tiny speck of black among the green.

"No," he said, finally, with a shrug of his shoulders and a readjustment of his grip on his camera. Useless film there, now, taking up space that could've been used for better things. Later on, when they were all settled, he would play back the footage. Try to hear it. But he doubted it. A trick of the wind, a trick of the mind. He shook his head. "Places like this're...weird."

Rebecca barked a laugh, clapping her hands. "I know what you mean. This house isn't as old as some, but it carries its weight."

Maisy frowned, disappointment hovering at the edges of her expression. Never enough to bring it to a full pout. And then she bounced back, features brightening again. "Well," she said, "if you want a break Rebecca's offered to show us around town. Who knows, maybe we can catch some B-Roll that just isn't this place while we're out."

There was a final glance tossed toward the window, followed by another easy shrug of the shoulders. "Sure."

She beamed. "Great. Rebecca, we can take the van."

Warren flicked the camera off before following the two women towards the front of the house and its gravel driveway. Conversations turned away from ghosts and toward the town history and all its little eccentricities, the likes of which all small towns seemed to possess. And all the while, the Roy estate watched them leave. And the Roy estate would wait for their return.

#horror /#ISH its not that spooky i don't think but just in case #bat writes

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anadorablekiwi · 1 year

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this is arrowwood viburnum!

the plant is really pretty and common in landscaping, as the shrub grows really big, and has pretty white flowers (similar to a hydrangea variation i know i think!) that produce dark blue berries

their region is native to europe, america, northern asia, and it can grow well in australia. most of the information i found on it described north america though (such is using google in english maybe hjsdhk)

oh woah this was a perfect plant for me to research :o i read that the name comes from the information that native Americans would use the shoots from the roots as arrow shafts

the berries are edible but most pit anyways, and apparently they dont smell great D:

medicinally, they can be used "as a nerve sedative, anti-spasmodic for asthma and for stomach troubles, colic and hysteria"

arrowwood viburnum is a shrub that flower in may to early june, the fruit matures in autumn, and it loses its leaves in winter

some say the plant smells bad but apparently some say it smells like a green pepper

"Leaves are 2-5" (5-12.5 cm) long, often leathery, and hairy on the veins and the petiole."

Oooo pretty!! And cool!!!!! I kinda recognize the berries, but maybe a similar plant is what I’m thinking of? No idea lol

This is angelina stonecrop!

I dont know if its used super often but its a great groundcover. It grows fast and spreads a lot, and is really pretty/‘evergreen’. The foliage turns orange/amber in the winter in northern/colder climates but in milder ones its a chartreuse-yellow year round

Its native to Europe/Turkey, particularly central and western Europe/Britain. I think it can grow anywhere with lots of sun and poor dry soil.

Its a succulent that grows yellow flowers in the summertime

Its also great for a number of reasons: attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, deer resistant and rabbit resistant (good for gardeners i suppose lol), bee friendly, and drought tolerant

The plant is edible, but when eaten in large quantities it gives a stomachache (pro tip dont eat random plants i guess lol)

When planted in containers or in a wall, it develops a cascading habit!!

Doesnt do well with foot traffic tho lol

Its height is 10-15 cm/4-6 inches, and spreads to around 30-60 cm/12-23 inches

#kiwi answers #sunny my sweet #plant facts

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abookishdreamer · 1 year

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Character Intro: Physis (Kingdom of Ichor)

The Green Maiden by the people of Olympius

Chipmunk by her mom

Hummingbird by her father

Age- 8 (immortal)

Location- Hearthwood neighborhood, New Olympus

Personality- She's a sweet gentle girl with a shy temperament. She loves enjoying the simplest aspects of nature like walking bare foot on grass or jumping in puddles after a rainstorm.

She has the standard abilities of a goddess. With her current age her powers/abilities are honey generation/manipulation, geokinesis (as of now can only control leaves, mud, dirt, rocks, & pebbles), limited hydrokinesis (as it pertains to lakes, streams, & puddles), limited photokinesis, being able to communicate with woodland animals (is able to shapeshift into a beaver, squirrel, chipmunk, deer, & several small birds), limited vitakinesis (healing), and even limited atmokinesis (as it relates to her mood; for example if she's feeling intense sadness, a raining cloud appears over her head).

Physis is the daughter of a naiad nymph named Syrinx and Pan (god of the wild, satyrs, shepherds, & rustic music).

She lives with her mother in a lakehouse on their private property on the outskirts of the Hearthwood neighborhood of New Olympus. They have an expansive backyard & garden, a few acres of woodland, and a small pond. Physis' bedroom is her oasis painted in cool shades of eggshell, teal, blue, yellow, & green. Decorative branches, chrome butterfly cranes, and a birdhouse-style bedframe is there too along with her favorite humidifier! She has a growing number of small pets like gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, & new white tree frogs named Hoppy, Jelly, Daphne, and Jojo.

Her favorite flower is the daisy. She also likes dandelions- especially blowing away the soft white puffs!

Physis & her parents are proud eco friendly vegans. She loves helping her mom at home with their compost pile. They also use reusable cloth bags when they go grocery shopping, have glass & silicone storage containers, and use metal & bamboo straws.

A go-to drink for her is aloe vera juice. She also likes ginger ale, carrot juice, coconut water, lychee nectar juice, water, orange juice, apple juice, the apple-kiwi-spinach smoothies her mom makes, and watermelon juice. When her & her mom stop by at a Roasted Bean, Physis will usually get the small peach sweet tea.

She loves when her mom makes oatmeal topped with chocolate chips & almond butter for breakfast. She also likes the whole wheat banana pancakes drizzled in maple syrup and the Earthly Harvest fruit crystals cereal (with cold oatmilk).

Even though her father's been around since she was born, Physis was technically introduced to him when he came to her fifth birthday party- an outdoor affair at a public park in the state of Arcadia. Physis saw him walk in holding a wrapped gift and she instantly recognized him! She remembered seeing photos of him holding her as a baby and small toddler in a tucked away photo album hidden in her mom's drawer. She remained sitting atop her father's shoulders for the rest of the party- mesmerized & constantly touching his large curved glossy brown horns. He even performed an original song he wrote for her! Their relationship is still going strong with her mom allowing her visits & overnight stays with him biweekly and some weekends. They communicate often through letters.

Her favorite snacks are pear-applesauce & prickly pear flavored gummy bears.

Physis attends an esteemed private school in the city. She's a third grader with other godly kids in her grade like Hebe (goddess of youth), Paidia (goddess of play & amusement), Caerus (god of opportunity & luck); she thinks he's too much of a jokester, Prophasis (goddess of excuses), and Myrízei (god of smell & gases); who she says hi to. Her best friends are Aceso (goddess of healing) & Mneme (goddess of rememberance). Her favorite class is science and she really enjoyed the class trip to the New Olympus Zoo- her favorite part being the panda exhibit! She even bought a stuffed panda at the zoo's gift shop.

For her seventh birthday, she got a silver necklace with a pan flute charm from her father which she wears all the time.

Her favorite guilty pleasure are tortilla chips with guacamole!

Physis doesn't know and haven't met any of her older half siblings.

In the pantheon she really admires Iris (goddess of the rainbow), Eikono (goddess of iconography & literature), Méli (goddess of bees & honey), Demeter (goddess of the harvest & agriculture), Thalia (muse of comedy), Gaia (goddess of the earth), and Tithonus (god of insects), who Physis has started developing a little crush on.

Her favorite frozen treat are carrot-ginger ice pops! She likes when Aceso's mom Epione (goddess of soothing pain) makes them!

Physis & her mom have a close bond. She loves cuddling up with her on the couch watching it rain from the window & she's even being taught archery by her! They also build birdhouses. Hair day is also a great bonding moment for them. When Physis gets older she wants to get dreadlocks just like her parents, but for now her thick curly brown hair is kept natural. Go-to products are the Hairology soap free sweet sandalwood shampoo & conditioner bars and the Glory's Crown bamboo ginseng curling elixir.

Her favorite dessert from Hollyhock's Bakery is the lemon olive oil cake. She also likes her mom's oatmeal peanut butter-chocolate chip granola squares.

She doesn't eat fast food often so when she does, it's a welcome treat. Her favorite thing to get from Olympic Chef is the spicy black bean burger with small sweet potato fries and tofu nuggets (with sweet & sour dipping sauce).

Some of her favorite meals include spicy chickpea chili, sticky & spicy baked cauliflower with white rice, sweet plantains (fried in peanut oil), and curried tofu collard green wraps (with spicy peanut sauce).

In her free time Physis enjoys climbing trees, swimming, reading, bike riding, jump rope, lanyard, knitting, gardening, indoor rock climbing, going to the park, horseback riding, drawing, surfing, football (soccer), & basketball.

"Sometimes, nature is all someone needs."

#my oc #oc character #my character #my oc character #oc intro #character intro #oc introduction #character introduction #modern greek gods #modern greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek goddess #greek goddesses #greek mythology #greek pantheon

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cselandscapearchitect · 5 months

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Creating a Stunning Desert Oasis: Gardening Tips for the Arid Southwest

Living in the desert Southwest offers a unique opportunity for gardeners to embrace the beauty of the arid landscape and create a stunning oasis that thrives in challenging conditions. In this blog post, we’ll explore some valuable tips and plant suggestions to help you design a water-efficient and visually appealing garden. From the vibrant yellow blooms of Encelia farinosa (Brittlebush) to the…

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rockislandadultreads · 1 year

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Book Recommendations: More Books About Our Feathered Friends

The Glitter in the Green by Jon Dunn

Hummingbirds are a glittering, sparkling collective of over three hundred wildly variable species. For centuries, they have been revered by indigenous Americans, coveted by European collectors, and admired worldwide for their unsurpassed metallic plumage and immense character. Yet they exist on a knife-edge, fighting for survival in boreal woodlands, dripping cloud forests, and subpolar islands. They are, perhaps, the ultimate embodiment of evolution's power to carve a niche for a delicate creature in even the harshest of places.

Traveling the full length of the hummingbirds' range, from the cusp of the Arctic Circle to near-Antarctic islands, acclaimed nature writer Jon Dunn encounters birders, scientists, and storytellers in his quest to find these beguiling creatures, immersing us in the world of one of Earth's most charismatic bird families.

The Backyard Birdwatcher’s Bible by Paul Sterry

An informative and eye-catching full-color reference book for backyard bird enthusiasts, The Backyard Birdwatcher’s Bible is beautiful enough to be a coffee table book and practical enough to be a guide for both beginner and expert birders alike.

Here, an elegant aesthetic is paired with practical tips on identifying, attracting, and caring for backyard birds, as well as crafting bird-friendly gardens and birdhouses. Did you know that the red-bellied woodpecker “is an opportunistic feeder, taking a wide range of invertebrates, seeds, and nuts, also fruits (it drinks from oranges) and sap”? Photographs include images of both males and females and maps explain the range of the species.

Packed with information and beautiful full-color photography and art, the authors offers a cornucopia of information: species profiles, birdwatching for beginners, information about birdsongs, creating a bird-friendly backyard, and much more!

Audubon Birdhouse Book by Margaret A. Barker

Produced in association with the National Audubon Society, Audubon Birdhouse Book explains how to build and place safe, species-appropriate bird homes for more than 20 classic North American species, from wrens to raptors.

A visit to almost any home or garden center presents birders with numerous cute and colorful contraptions that are sold as bird homes. But the fact is, many of these products provide anything but a safe refuge for your feathered friends.

Each of the easy-to-build boxes and shelves within is accompanied by cut lists, specially created line diagrams, and step-by-step photography, making the projects accessible to those with even the most rudimentary woodworking skills.

In addition, this practical and beautifully presented guide is packed with color photography and profiles and range maps for the bird species covered - including titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, phoebes, swallows, waterfowl, and even kestrels and owls - to help the reader properly place and maintain the homes to attract birds.

How to Attract Birds to Your Garden by Dan Rouse

Help your local wild birds by providing them with a safe garden environment. Make a difference to your local birdlife. Help reverse the decline in bird numbers by creating a haven in which they will thrive. It's a win-win. Provide the best shelter, feeding, and nesting opportunities for them and then you can reap the rewards as they sing and entertain.

No need to be an expert gardener already, or to break the bank - many of the most beneficial features can be installed easily and cheaply, and many you can build yourself or upcycle to be eco-friendly.

#national bird day #birds #birding #birdlife #nonfiction #non-fiction books #nonfiction reads #library books #book recommendations #book recs #reading recommendations #reading recs #TBR pile #tbr #to read #book blog #booklr #book tumblr

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cinnabun-faerie · 2 years

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Thursday, June 2

Dearest Reader,

I haven't done these in quite a with, eh? Hello once again. I have much to say but I know not of what I should say first. I hope that you don't mind random or just me sharing some things from my life.

The weather is quite nice where I am. It's been rather sunny as of late. I suppose that's good after a week or so of rain and thunderstorms. It's good for our rather large garden. Should I tell you about it? We plant onions, tomatoes, yellow beans and many other things. I just can't remember all of the things right at this moment. But I do know that we have a strawberry & raspberry bush. I can't wait for when all of it is ready to harvest. Then we can make jams and pickles. I particularly love Lady Ashburn pickles.

To be honest, I am not one to just go outside. I'm very much like a vampire. I'd burn if I'm out in the sunlight for too long. Not too mention, I get sick due to allergies. Not the most fun. But, this year, I have definately been outside much more often. Which is rather odd. Normally I'd rather stay inside, but I guess not anymore. Oh! I want to tell you that we tend to have a few animals around. Deer tend to get into our garden more into the summers, and we feed hummingbirds who fly around excitedly when we put their feeder back up. And of course, we have squirrels that come right up onto our porch. They're quite friendly. We have a few other birds as well. They're rather cute if I may admit.

Perhaps I am thinking more of this now that I'm leaving for a new place on Monday. It'll be weird not hearing the sounds of birds chirping outside my window every morning. Or just to open up the door and lean on the porch's railing as I ask what my grandfather what project he is working on this afternoon. Perhaps I am getting a little homesick before going. But it's not like I won't be returning. I must say though, I am excited to go visit my parents and smell the salty ocean air. I haven't made a trip to stay with my parents for an extended period of time since before covid. I don't know if I'll miss my grandparents more or if they'll miss me more. I'll call them daily of course. It's just like my grandfather said, I haven't really left this house many times since the day I was born. I always feel this magnetic pull back, and honestly I don't mind. If I could have a favorite place, this would be it.

Oh! Something I remembered just now is that I was surprised to hear that my best friend is going with me on the trip. She won't be staying with me. But she's coming to see me off until I can return back home.

Anyways, I should get some work done so I can sleep. Whether it be day or night for you, I hope it is going well.

Until the morrow,

Grey

#just chatting #dear reader #thoughts

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sea-of-cereal · 2 years

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It’s butterfly season again here! You know what that means! Here are some of the ways YOU can help the monarch butterfly’s! (And also just pollinators in general)Also please make sure to do your own fact checking, I try my best.

Don't Use Pesticides in Your Own Garden! If you still want to protect some of your plants try spraying neem oil in a spray bottle with water around your garden. If you do get neem oil make sure its 100% natural, and remember nothing (including helpful pollinators) are going to touch this plant, if not the chemicals that are added can actually hurt you, especially if you are going to eat this plant! Another natural pesticide that actually helps pollinators is peppermint, thyme, and rosemary! But most of all plant wildflowers! These flowers have evolved to handle the climate and feed the native species EFFECTIVELY! It’s actually a problem people aren’t planting native species of flowers/plants.

PLANT NATIVE MILKWEED. Milkweed is essential to the monarch’s life cycle and when butterfly season is over or the milkweed gets too big, guess what? YOU CAN EAT IT. I left the link at the bottom if you want to check it out! There are also some “pollinator” or “bee/butterfly/hummingbird” seed packets you can buy that have a mix of all types of seeds. I know some people cant have outdoor plants/garden so see where places are asking for volunteers for “seed stomps” or just general help with pollinators.

Side note if you don’t know what a seed stomp is, you know when you see a really crunchy leaf and to go and stomp on it? It’s like that but with “seed balls” aka a glob of (dried) mud with seeds in it. You can also help make theses by just getting mud and mixing it with seeds (pollinator friendly or wildflower) and letting them dry in the sun for a day and just throwing them into the forest or any place they wont be messed with too much. Bonus points if you put a little water on them or even cover them a little bit with dirt!

Create a Monarch Way-Station! A Monarch way station is basically a butterfly’s all in one hotel with breakfast stop. Monarchs travel 2,500 miles on their long journey, thats roughly 20-30 miles each day! This is why its so important to have little rest and fuel up stations along the way. There are many different ways to make a way-station so make sure to check them out! You can also just half a orange and place it a bit up high so the ants don’t get it. You can also make or buy sugar water but please for the love of my sanity DON’T BUY THE ONE WITH RED DYE!!! There are many recipes online for how to make butterfly or humming bird sugar water.

Join the Fight to Stop Climate Change. Not only does this save quite literally everyone on earth but many animals. Many of the reasons climate change is happening is because people are deforesting large areas of forest. “But how do i help stop this?” I hear you ask, and ill tell you. It can be in the little things. Now don’t get me wrong, doing small things might not solve the ever growing climate crisis but it does help. For example a project i did involved me learning about deforestation for coffee. Before you stop drinking coffee and throw out all of those precious beans there are still ways to enjoy things AND help the environment! Shade grown coffee is coffee that is grown under the canopy of large forest and does not require deforestation and STILL TASTES THE SAME. Another way is reusable coffee filters. All the trash from the plastic rings on the tiny coffee cups, ends up in the ocean or a landfill. Also biodegradable things will be your new best friend. Also if you don’t already RECYCLE! DID YOU NOT LEARN ANYTHING FROM SCHOOL???? My favorite way to help is to actually use soon to be trash and make little trinkets out of them! You don’t have to go dumpster diving either, just save some things you would normally throw away and make stuff to satisfy the crow brain!

Use FSC Certified Wood. If any of my crafting and building folk out there use wood make sure its FSC certified! What FSC certified wood means is that it has been ethically produced and harvested from forest that are properly managed. It should have a label or a spray painted sign on it thats says “FSC certified”.

Learn More. Always make sure that when people talk about really anything you fact check it! This includes me! The best way to help out a cause is to learn about it and all the ways you can help! The things i listed here are just the surface of what you can do to help. There is also many routes to go like hands on or remote support.

Lastly make sure to spread the Word. Sadly most of the time in order to help the world or even these small little butterfly’s it takes money and space, not everyone has that. The best way to help if you cant donate to a “fighting the climate crisis” fundraiser or plant a huge garden filled with everything any animal will ever need, is to spread the word. You don’t have to stand at the side of the road or have a ted talk in the subway, you can use this very website or other social medias. Use your platform to spread the word and save some monarchs!

#save the monarchs #save the bees #save the pollinators #save the world #monarch butterfly #butterfly’s #climate catastrophe #climate justice #climate crisis #pollinators #reblog #learnsomethingneweveryday #hey everyone #guys look #these boys are so tiny this year :(#make them a small house

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elytrafemme · 2 years

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oh my gosh i saw your positive good morning thingy and i was like!!!!! because my bed is placed where these two pretty but windows are, and i was like oh my gosh ur so right. the joy of having windows like… the sunlight and the birdsongs…

also there’s a stray cat who will come and sit on a little table on the porch (which is near the two windows) and he will sit there and meow at me. im pretty sure he’s a neighbors cat to be fair because he’s very friendly and is “fixed”.

also you reminded me of bee watching. you might be wondering now puzzle what the hell is bee watching and i’ll tell you it’s a grand ol time.

when i was real little i would stay at my grandmas while my mom was at work. well i called her mawmaw but grandma sounds sophisticated.

anyway she lived back in the trees. like not the woods but just lots of nature around and stuff. and she had this old porch that she hung up hummingbird feeders at. so every spring/summer she would sit out there in a chair with me and we would bee watch.

you see her porch was made of wood and there were flowers all around (she really likes to garden, even if she couldn’t everyday cuz of pain. old people stuff ya know) so there were plenty of carpenter bees (we called them wood boring bees) and other bees around. anyway the hummingbird feeders also rarely attracted hummingbirds, but many bees would come and check them out.

so me and my grandma would sit out there till it got too hot or humid and talk about the bees, give them personality’s. and occasionally she would use a tennis racket to kill the carpenter bees but i always ran inside and hid. (i didn’t like seeing the bees hurt even if they were drilling holes in her porch)

so that is like my littol positivity i am handing over, even though it’s not a recent thing. it’s a nice little memory! bees are epic and one time there was a bee crawling on me and i felt loved. like wow this bee chose me. i was also very scared that it would sting me but that moment helped me get over that fear because i realized how gentle bees were when you are gentle to them.

good morning puzzle!! :D <3

the sunlight is AMAZING! the birdsongs are admittedly a bit jarring sometimes but they're only really kicking it up in spring and fall so i'm cool with them :] there are a bunch of crows that hang around nearby though so i do hear them sometimes! but YES YES YES THE SUN... THE BIRDS... THE WORLD <3

oh my goodness cats :D hope that the cat is okay and everything and isnt like always outside and whatnot but that is so so nice getting to see a lil friend every morning!!

bees are so so so so lovely, they always scare me when i see them in person just because i'm bad with any fast moving small things (small dogs, wasps, butterflies, small birds, etc.) but they are SO CUTE when i just look at photos of them. they are just little guys! little fuzzy guys and they have so much personality to them :] thank u for sharing that anecdote that makes me really really happy

#nightmare.ask #sleepy anon ☁️#bug harm tw #<- just in case!

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msclaritea · 20 days

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New nationwide laws limit power of homeowners associations to dictate residents' yards — here's why it's important

"This is the future of environmentally friendly living."

By Leslie Sattler April 11, 2024

"This is the future of environmentally-friendly living."

Across the U.S., a growing legislative trend is empowering homeowners to cultivate native plants in their yards, even when homeowners associations forbid it.

In 2022, 84% of new, single-family homes belonged to an HOA that sets landscaping rules, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But thanks to new state laws, HOAs in some areas can no longer require pristine grass lawns or prohibit native vegetation.

These changes are a win-win for people and the planet. Native plants create vital habitats for local wildlife, like birds and butterflies. They're also often cheaper and easier to maintain than conventional lawns. Yet until now, many HOAs have stymied eco-friendly landscaping, mandating grass and viewing native plants as "messy" weeds.

HOAs across the country have been caught preventing homeowners from making money-saving, eco-friendly updates to their homes. From prohibiting native plant gardens to restricting rooftop solar panels, these rules not only hurt homeowners' wallets but also stall important environmental progress.

For example, when Virginia resident Melinda Soltys grew a haven of native plants in her yard, her HOA told her to rip them out for violating "weed" restrictions. Rather than back down, she partnered with environmental groups to introduce legislation protecting native plants in HOA communities.

Maine and Minnesota have also recently passed laws allowing native plants in HOA-regulated yards and beyond. By making these landscapes more commonplace, the laws aim to shift perceptions and showcase the beauty of native flora.

Many residents are discovering their HOAs welcome the change, especially in drought-prone regions where native plants save water. In one Arkansas community, a local Audubon Society chapter collaborated with the HOA to educate residents and even declare an annual "Native Plant Week."

"When you see the magic, that unlocks everything," said Renee Grebe, Northern Virginia conservation advocate at the nonprofit Nature Forward, who worked with Soltys to shape and promote the Virginia bill. Drawing birds and butterflies right to people's yards is the best way to change minds about native plants, she explained.

"This is the future of environmentally friendly living," said Janet Smith, a Minnesota homeowner. "My native garden is a magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies, and it's saving me time and money."

If your HOA has rules against eco-friendly updates like native plants, rooftop solar, or electric vehicle chargers, you're not alone. We've created a guide to help you work with your HOA to update outdated policies."

#New nationwide laws limit power of homeowners associations to dictate residents' yards — here's why it's important

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