Tumgik
#you gotta queue what you gotta queue
currentlyonstandbi · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
463 notes · View notes
anipgarden · 11 months
Text
Things to Do that Aren't Related to Growing Plants
This is my second post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps! 
Some of us just don’t have much luck when it comes to growing plants. Some of us simply want to aim for other ways to help that don’t involve putting on gardening gloves. Maybe you've already got a garden, but you want to do more. No problem! There’s a couple of options you can look into that’ll help attract wildlife in your area without even having to bring out any shovels!
Provide a Water Source
Tumblr media
Oftentimes when I see ‘add a water source’ in informational articles about improving your backyard for wildlife, it’s almost always followed by an image of a gorgeous backyard pond with a waterfall and rock lining that looks expensive to set up, difficult to maintain, and overall just… not feasible for me. Arguably, not feasible for a lot of people. And that’s okay! There’s still ways to add water in your garden for all kinds of creatures to enjoy!
There’s tons of ways to create watering stations for insects like bees and butterflies. A self refilling dog bowl can work wonders! Add some stones into the receiving tray for insects to land on or use to climb out, and you’ve got a wonderful drinking spot for all kinds of insects! You can also fill a saucer or other dish with small stones and fill it, though it’ll likely need refilling daily or even several times a day during hot times. 
Tumblr media
I've seen people online use all kinds of things to make water features. Some go with terra-cotta pots, pebbles, and a cheap pump to get a small and simple fountain. Others use old tires, clay, and a hole in the ground to create an in-ground mini pond system. If all else fails, even a bucket or watertight box with a few plants in it can do the trick--though do be wary of mosquitoes if the water isn’t moving. In situations like these, a solar-powered fountain pump or bubbler are great for keeping the water moving while still making it a drinking option for wildlife (it not even more appealing for some)--and these items can be obtained fairly cheap online!
Tumblr media
Bird baths are an option as well--a classic way to provide for birds in your area, they can be easy to find online or in a gardening store! The only downside is that a good, quality bird bath can be pricey up-front. However, a nice stone bird bath should last a long time, be easy to clean and refill, and be enjoyed by many birds! I’ve also seen tutorials on how to make your own with quickcrete! Bird baths will be a welcome sight to birds, as they provide a space for them to drink and bathe to regulate the oils in their feathers for flight and insulation. Putting a stone in the middle will also help insects to escape if they fall in, and provide a place to perch so they can get their own drink. You’ll want to change the water and clean the baths regularly--as often as once a week, if you can manage it.
If possible, it’s highly encouraged to fill and refill water features with rainwater instead of tap water. Tap water is often treated, so instead of using hoses or indoor kitchen water, collecting some rainwater is a great alternative. Collecting rainwater can be as simple as leaving cups, bins, or pots outside for awhile.
Butterflies and other creatures will also drink from mud puddles. If you can maintain an area of damp soil mixed with a small amount of salt or wood ash, this can be fantastic for them! Some plants also excel at storing water within their leaves and flowers (bromeliads come to mind), making them an excellent habitat for amphibians as well as a drinking spot for insects and birds.
Bird Feeders and Bird Houses
Tumblr media
Some of the fancy, decorated bird feeders are expensive, but others can be pretty low-cost--I got my bird feeder from Lowe’s for around 10 dollars, and a big bag of birdseed was around another 10 dollars and has lasted several refills! If you don’t mind occasionally buying more birdseed, a single birdfeeder can do a lot to attract and support local birds! If you’re handy, have some spare wood, and have or can borrow some tools, you may even be able to find instructions online to make your own feeder. You may not even need wood to do so! Even hummingbird feeders, I’ve found, are quick to attract them, as long as you keep them stocked up on fresh sugar water in the spring and summer!
An important note with bird feeders is that you have to make sure you can clean them regularly. Otherwise, they may become a vector for disease, and we want to avoid causing harm whenever possible. Also keep an ear out and track if there’s known outbreaks of bird diseases in your area. If local birding societies and scientists are advising you take your birdfeeders down for awhile, by all means, do it!
Tumblr media
Bird houses are naturally paired with bird feeders as biodiversity promoters for backyard spaces, and it makes sense. Having bird houses suited to birds in your area promotes them to breed, raise their young, disperse seeds, and generally engage in your surrounding environment. Setting them up takes careful selection or construction, preparation, and some patience, but sooner or later you might get some little homemakers! Keep in mind, you will need to clean your birdhouses at least once a year (if not once per brood) to make sure they’re ready and safe for birds year after year--you wouldn’t want to promote disease and parasites, after all. But they could be a valuable option for your landscape, whether you purchase one or construct your own! 
Again, do make sure you're putting up the right kind of boxes for the right kinds of birds. Bluebird boxes are some I see sold most commonly, but in my area I believe they're not even all that common--a nesting box for cardinals or chickadees would be far more likely to see success here! And some birds don't even nest in boxes--robins and some other birds are more likely to use a nesting shelf, instead! Research what birds live in your area, take note of any you see around already, and pick a few target species to make homes for!
Solitary Bee Houses
Tumblr media
A bee house or bee hotel is a fantastic way to support the solitary bees in your area! For a few dollars and some annual cleaning, you can buy a solitary bee house from most big box nurseries. Alternatively, you can make one at home, with an array of materials you may already have lying around! You can even make them so that they’ll benefit all kinds of insects, and not necessarily just bees.
Though you don’t even necessarily have to break out the hammer and nails, buy a ton of bricks, or borrow a staple gun. Making homes for tunneling bees can be as simple as drilling holes in a log and erecting it, or drilling holes in stumps and dead trees on your property. You might even attract some woodpeckers by doing this!
Providing Nesting Area
Tumblr media
There are tons of different kinds of bees, and they all make different kinds of homes for themselves. Not all of them make big cavity hives like honey bees, or will utilize a solitary bee house. Bumblebees live in social hives underground, particularly in abandoned holes made by rodents--some others nest in abandoned bird nests, or cavities like hollow logs, spaces between rocks, compost piles, or unoccupied birdhouses. Borer, Ground, and Miner bees dig into bare, dry soil to create their nests. Sparsely-vegetated patches of soil in well-drained areas are great places to find them making their nests, so providing a similar habitat somewhere in the garden can encourage them to come! I do talk later in this document about mulching bare soil in a garden--however, leaving soil in sunny areas and south-facing slopes bare provides optimal ground nesting habitat. Some species prefer to nest at the base of plants, or loose sandy soil, or smooth-packed and flat bare ground. They’ve also been known to take advantage of soil piles, knocked over tree roots, wheel ruts in farm roads, baseball diamonds and golf course sand traps. You can create nesting ground by digging ditches or creating nesting mounds in well-drained, open, sunny areas with sandy or silty soil. However, artificially constructed ground nests may only have limited success. 
Providing Alternative Pollinator Foods
Tumblr media
Nectar and pollen aren’t the only foods sought out by some pollinators! Some species of butterflies are known to flock to overripe fruit or honey water, so setting these out can be an excellent way to provide food to wildlife. You may want to be cautious about how you set these out, otherwise it can help other wildlife, like ants or raccoons. Butterflies may also drop by to visit a sponge in a dish of lightly salted water. 
Bat Houses and Boxes
Tumblr media
Big or small, whether they support five bats or five hundred, making bat boxes and supporting local bats is a great way to boost biodiversity! Not only will they eat mosquitoes and other pest species, but you may also be able to use the guano (bat droppings) as fertilizer! Do be careful if you choose to do that though--I’ve never had the opportunity to, so do some research into how strong it is and use it accordingly.
Provide Passageway Points
Tumblr media
If you want your area to be more accessible for creatures that can’t fly or climb fences, allowing or creating access points can be an excellent way to give them a way in and out. Holes in the bottom of walls or fences can be sheltered with plants to allow animals through. 
In a somewhat similar manner, if you’re adding a water fixture, it’s important to provide animals a way to get into and out of the pond--no way in, and they can’t use the water. No way out, and they may drown. Creating a naturalistic ramp out of wood beams or sticks, or stepped platforms out of bricks, stones, or logs can do the trick. 
Get or Keep Logs and Brush Piles
Tumblr media
I’ve already mentioned logs a good handful of times so far in this post. To be used as access ramps, or as nesting areas for solitary bees. But they have value as much more than that! Logs on the ground provide shelter for all kinds of animals, especially depending on size--anything from mice, reptiles, and amphibians to things like turkey vultures and bears will use fallen logs as shelter. Inside of a decaying log, there’s a lot of humidity, so amphibians are big fans of them--meanwhile, the upper sides of them can be used as sunning platforms by things like lizards. Other animals can also use the insides of logs as nest sites and hiding places from predators too big to fit inside. Fungi, spiders, beetles, termites, ants, grubs, worms, snails, slugs, and likely much more can be found inside rotting logs, using the rotting wood as food sources or nesting places. They can then provide food for mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. They can also be regarded as a landmark or territory marker as wildlife get more familiar with your space.
So how do you get logs for cheap? Try Chip Drop! I talk about them more in a future post, but you can mark saying that you’d like logs in your drop, so they’ll give you any they have! In fact, you may even get a drop faster if you're willing to accept some logs. You may also be able to approach arborists you see working in your area and ask for logs. There may also be local online listings for people selling logs for cheap, or just trying to get rid of them. If there’s land development going on near you, you may be able to snag logs from trees they cut down to make space. Do keep in mind, you don’t need to have huge gigantic logs laying around your property to make an impact--even small logs can help a lot.
Tumblr media
If possible, creating and leaving brush piles on the edge of your property can be a great boost to biodiversity--even if you may not see the wildlife using it. They’ll provide shelter from weather and predators, and lower portions are cool and shady for creatures to avoid the hot sun. The upper layers can be used as perch sites and nest sites for song birds, while lower layers are resting sites for amphibians and reptiles, and escape sites for many mammals. As the material decays, they also attract insects, and as such they’ll attract insect-eating animals too. As more small animals find refuse in your brush pile, their predators will be attracted to them as well. Owls, hawks, foxes, and coyotes are known to visit brush piles to hunt. Making a brush pile can be as simple as piling branches and leaves into a mound, as big or as small as you want. You can even use tree stumps or old fence posts near the base, and keep stacking on plant trimmings and fallen branches. Do note that you don’t want to do this near anything like a fire pit.
Don't forget, with all of these, your mileage may vary for any variation of reasons, so don't worry if you can't take all of even any of these actions! Even just talking about them with other people may inspire someone else to put out a bat box, or leave a few logs out for wildlife!
That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about ways to get seeds and plants as cheaply as possible. For now, I hope this advice helps! Feel free to reply with any questions, success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!
4K notes · View notes
ellies-enrichment · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
the turns have tabled. she’s the dad now
210 notes · View notes
solarpunkani · 8 months
Text
Ok fuck it you know something I've never really quite understood about part of the Leftist vs Liberals debate on voting.
So so so many people act like its either-or. Like you're either dedicating your entire life to voting and promoting politicians and phone banking or whatever, or you're a True Rebel waiting for The Uprising to Come and Solve Everything.
But like. In my experience. Me voting is just me kinda go 'which person seems kinda good? Which one at least sucks the least? ok lemme go vote.' and then its anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour tops of my life. And I still have plenty of time to do Stuff and participate in Conversations about Other Important Things. And also you can admit and acknowledge and understand that the system As Is kinda sorta really sucks ass, but also still admit and acknowledge and understand that at this current point in time we are still living in the suckass system and do something to alleviate the suckass At Least A Little while also working to bolster/create/advocate for Other Systems.
I guess just like. it's not a black or white thing. Between 'top 500 volunteers for a specific politician/voting office/etc' and 'absolutely positively not voting at all' there is a gray area called 'vote and then just do other stuff'.
70 notes · View notes
ssolessurvivor · 3 months
Text
PSA: A Thank You
Guys, I have been very busy this past week and have had this in my head for a few days so I thought I'd let you know. I have easily 40+ drafts...that number is astonishing to me. An OC writer having that many drafts with some amazing writers? I never dreamed I'd have that much to write with my baby, and I have 35 of those in my folder currently that I am trying to add to the queue as quickly as I can whenever I have inspiration.
I cannot express my most humble thank yous to all of you who write with me: those of you that have been with me from the beginning of Logan's journey, those of you who have only recently joined me, and who I have yet to write with. Thank you.
While I know my activity can be incredibly sporadic nowadays, I thank you guys for your patience while I always add things to the queue. Even if they aren't a draft I'm still holding to find inspiration, whether it be a few memes thrown in the queue to spit out while I'm at work in an office now, I thank you for your understanding. I thank you for chatting with me on discord, I thank you for plotting amazing ships that give me such complete happiness each day or each time I see a new idea hurled my way. That excitement is so important for me to recognize and to share with all of you when I can.
I never dreamed Logan would come this far, with so many amazing ships. I never dreamed I would make so many friends here too, who I talk to as often as our busy lives will allow. And having the opportunity recently to try and plot and make friends with some new people who I'm very excited to meet and write with? It's an amazing feeling and brings me great joy and I hope I can offer that to you guys too.
All in all, thank you for everything: patience, plots, ideas, meme spams, ooc screaming, all of it. I plan to have a wonderful year here, even if I can't be here every day, I will be here when I have the energy and am always lurking to add something to the queue when I can.
/ @paramounticebound / @adversitybloomed / @smertzimy / @agoldenlily / @vuulpecula / @unexceptional / @sxrgeantbarnes / @shieldagentnatasharomanoff / @incissam / @inkpromise / @grimmusings / @f1rstresponder / @waehles / @legeandary / @inabcck / @respondedinkind / @mistrdctr / @ghostofwinter / @windfollws / @hcxcd / @aliarssmile / @darehearts / @thelcstunicorn / @goddessrisen / @amarvelousmencgerie / @webheadedhero / @agent-scotch / @goldenboybarracuda / @donebowing /
23 notes · View notes
onlyzhuyilong · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Zhu Yilong’s reactions to OTRF Author Yu Hua (Laoshi) praising his acting, his character, his dedication, and saying he’s a true artist. [X]
40 notes · View notes
revenantghost · 6 months
Text
Welp. Cross your fingers this craft show tomorrow isn't a bust so I can pay my internet bill lmao
18 notes · View notes
rexscanonwife · 2 months
Text
What I love about Scout tf2 is that whichever way you trans his gender it works 😂😂
8 notes · View notes
good-beans · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media
8 notes · View notes
liyazaki · 1 year
Text
my sister & brother-in-law are professional musicians- super helpful for fact checking BLs.
in today’s edition: Mum is factually a wizard.
Tumblr media
updated w/ Extremely Important tags (🙇‍♀️@laowen)
Tumblr media
59 notes · View notes
hoardingsoap · 4 months
Note
how in the WORLD did you get your blog to post once every ten minutes that's incredible
:0 the petrichorvoices aka radiomogai in the flesh!? sending an ask on my hoarding blog!? /pos
anyways, it's because of the queue 2.0 which you can enable in tumblr labs. then you can control the queue a bit more. this is what mine looks like! :D
Tumblr media
you can't do it on the app though, so you'd have to do this on desktop, or in the browser of your phone.
also, happy new years, Radio! :3
5 notes · View notes
currentlyonstandbi · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
bonus (Stephen’s fingers turning black from the Darkhold)
Tumblr media
371 notes · View notes
anipgarden · 1 month
Text
Nothing quite like realizing all your milkweed seeds are from like 2020-2021ish and now you probably need to get More Milkweed Seeds because the germination rate has fuckin PLUMMETED on the current ones you have
11 notes · View notes
springcatalyst · 6 months
Text
WAIT I havent done a poll b4 but I'm curious so my writer homies... . .
as in u write that much and you're like wow! that was pretty successful. in one sitting
6 notes · View notes
truly-quirkless · 3 months
Text
Twenty Day Challenge - Day Eight
Tumblr media
I'm...very exhausted. I did a lot of writing yesterday and today, so...a nice little bit of cuddling with the husband sounds absolutely stunning. I'm gonna--- go hide. I'll hopefully see you lot tomorrow.
3 notes · View notes
sammy8d257 · 8 months
Note
Hiya!
I really love your art, and I can't wait until the Breezy Slide MAP comes out!
Do you have any tips on drawing people? I want to get better at my art, but nothing I try seems to work, so I thought I'd ask you!
Thank you!
Why thank you Anon! I'm also very excited for the MAP to come out!
All the participants are doing such an amazing job on their parts, you guys are in for a real treat once it comes out! 8D
As for any tips with drawing people,
I wanna start off with a disclaimer that this is just the way that I draw and there is no "Right Way" to do art because everyone does art differently! You just gotta find what works best with you!
That being said, one of the biggest things that helped me is understanding that the body is made up of shapes and lines!
Shapes upon shapes all held together by connecting lines
Here's something I drew in like, 10 minutes, but I think it helps illustrate what I'm trying to say
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
I usually draw bodies by their shapes but sometimes if I need help with a specific pose, I'll also use construction lines to help guide everything
Tumblr media
Here's some sketches of art I've done vs their finished product:
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Something else that's helped me a TON is learning how to do gesture drawings
I did them a ton when I was talking drawing classes in University and it really helped me loosen up my art and get a feel for how the body moves
Here's a website if you want to try gesture art for yourself!
https://drawpaintacademy.com/gesture-drawing/
Plus, if you're looking for actual tutorials, I recommend checking out @/art-tutorial-reblog -> [LINK] <-
They have a bunch of tutorials on their blog for anatomy and drawing in general!
And of course, you just gotta practice drawing!
You're not going to be perfect at drawing right from the get go
We all gotta start as beginners
Once you've been doing it for a while of practice, things become a lot easier! Trust me! You got this anon!
I hope I've helped somehow!
14 notes · View notes