#actually yes wasps do pollinate

[rainclover]

Tarantulas are not ticks. Apes are not human.

Thats what you sound like LMAO

Like yeah no duh wasps arent bees 😂😂😂😂 youre comparing two different species 💀💀

Lets not forget that gender is a societal construct! And that in nature animals will regularly swap roles and even change gender to survive and live their lives. But why would you care about real biology 😂

Both your & the original terf’s argument fell apart as soon as it presented itself as biological essentialism.

Male and female humans are both, you guessed it! Human. There is only so much we can vary in terms of differences. An amab person cant get stabbed 10 times while a afab person can only get stabbed 3 💀. You are clearly not educated in the true variations of sex and biology. Signed, someone who is ☺️

This is actually hilarious because:

Wasps are not bees. They are both members of the Hymenoptera order, which also includes ants. You wouldn't say that an ant is a bee just because they're both members of the same order, so why would you argue that a wasp is a bee? Would you argue that a camel and a giraffe are the same species because they also share the same order (Artiodactyla)?

Out of the some 20,000 species of wasp, NONE produce honey. There is a genus called "Brachygasta" including 17 species that keep stores of nectar and honeydew in case of food shortages, but none produce honey. And certainly not from meat.

So yet again, you have a TRA blatantly lying in order to turn something into what it's not. "The wasp is right, and the bee relies on untrue myths to explain itself," is such bullshit.

Sadly, this post got something like 2,000 notes. People will blindly believe what a TRA says, especially if it's a lie constructed to undo a radfem point. So many logical fallacies.

Wasps are not bees. Men are not women.

[thedisablednaturalist]

If you are someone who hates bugs and kills them on sight (except for those that can actually cause considerable harm) please..just..take a second...think before you act. Does that bug need to die? Are you killing it just to feel better?

Yes, phobias are real. I have arachnophobia. And it's taken a long time for me to get to the point I'm at now where i can hold jumping spiders and be sort of near wolf spiders. I still struggle but to be in a field where you're outside a lot, you have to get comfortable with spiders sometimes crawling on you.

The first step is respect. You don't have to like or enjoy bugs. But you need to respect what their role is in the environment. To make it easier, think of animals you DO like and learn about their relationship with bugs. You really like birds? Well guess what a ton of birds eat. Even birds that don't directly eat bugs may eat things that do (ya know the whole food web thing). Bugs also may positively impact their environment through nutrient cycling, eating other, more destructive bugs, eating harmful molds, bacteria, or fungi, pollination, etc.

I used to be skeeved out by a lot of bugs, particularly bug larvae. Guess what I'm studying right now? Invertebrates are so interesting once you get past the initial discomfort.

Many of us believe invertebrates = gross/scary. This needs to stop. Invertebrates are going extinct so fast and because everyone hates them we don't have enough research to even know how many we are losing. Pesticides/herbicides have completely wiped out a significant portion of the invertebrate population, and that's along with other things like pollution, ocean acidification, invasive species, etc.

We are losing spiders. We are losing centipedes. We are losing tiny flies. We are losing worms and beetles and bees and wasps. We are losing butterflies and fireflies. Some invertebrate species only exist in one small pond or cave. Some have never actually been seen and some have only been seen once. And its affecting all of us. Fish are disappearing from streams because there's nothing to eat. Amphibians are disappearing because there's nothing to eat (and bc of chytrid fungus). Bats are disappearing because there's nothing to eat (and bc of white nose syndrome). Pangolins, axolotls, red pandas, armadillos, woodpeckers, monkeys, salamanders, these all have diets that are either partially or only fulfilled by bugs.

I go outside in the summer, and don't even have to use bug spray anymore. I remember getting chased by swarms of nats and mosquitos. Nights glittering with hundreds of fireflies. Now I only worry about mosquitos in the spring by the water. Even then I have maybe 5 bites at most, when before I used to be covered in bites from being outside. Before I was born, windshields used to be COVERED in bugs when you went down the highway.

Please, you don't have to like them, but please make an effort to change your initial reaction. They are earthlings just like us. They don't deserve to die because they aren't cute. We need more funding and research. They are getting wiped out and people think that's a fucking good thing. Stop using bug zappers. Try using bug repellent that doesn't have DEET in it (only use it if absolutely necessary), take the bug out in a cup and piece of paper, use methods other than pesticides to get pests out of your garden. Yes sometimes you need to kill a tick or get the termites or ants out of your house. Sometimes a venomous spider gets in your house and it's not safe to handle them. Sometimes they are killing your plants and you need to get rid of them. But a harmless millipede who's one defense is to literally curl into a little spiral and is completely harmless? Does it really have to die?

[filletedfennysnake]

Arthurian characters as insects I see on a semi-regular basis

Because if I don't do it, who will?

Part 1: The Orkney-Pendragons (and friends)

Arthur: Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus

To be completely honest, I didn't even realize the wordplay aspect here until now. The posterchild butterfly; even people unfamiliar with insects can probably name it. Impressive in terms of mileage (I suppose king arthur's been around for a while. chronologically) and also, under special circumstances, very resistant to death

Guinevere: Western velvety tree ant, Liometopum occidentale

To anyone who thinks guinevere would is a butterfly: you are wrong! ants upon be ye. No but seriously I've been working with this species all summer (images are mine, that's a winged male and a female worker above) and man they're neat! Dominant ant species in the woodland here; they support many other arthropod species via symbiotic relationships and are a major political ecological resource. They're also very pretty as ants go but really really aggressive and bitey. When stressed they release an alarm pheromone that smells very strongly of mint.

Morgan: Arizona mantis, Stagmomantis limbata

Cool. powerful. weird. into sex that humans find freaky. Can be used as a mercenary against flies. Never turns up when or where you expect it. I'm like 58% sure that manteoda consists entirely of fairies anyway and besides that morgan deserves it.

Morgause: Black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens

Very dapper, with an undeniably commanding presence. Looks mean (it has evolved to mimic a wasp) but is actually rather harmless, and has magic powers insanely cool mechanisms that allow it to process yucky polluted waste into useful things like fertilizer and animal feed. The larvae can also produce grease and chitin– economically relevant critters! They remain underrated and probably will stay as such until people recognize the importance of 'uncharismatic' animals (arthurian authors I am begging you write a version Morgause that isn't misogynist or girlbossified pLEASE).

Gawain: Western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica

*points* bitch. No but seriously I can recognize the significance and beauty of these animals while still calling them out as annoying (this is gawaincore. to me). The only thing that stops them from becoming invasive in their OWN NATIVE RANGE is the occasional cold snap and lack of sun in the wintertime. In areas without that they are a serious problem. you want to drink a beverage or eat a burger in peace? No. your food is their food now and they won't hesitate to sting/bite in defense of this divine right. They thirst for carnage but are annoyingly pretty

Gringolet: Western paper wasp, Mischocyttarus flavitarsis

Matching with gawain <3. but seriously seeing one of these babies in person can be a little awe-inspiring if you aren't already expecting them. absolute BEASTS. generalist predators that can and will feed directly on living flesh. Their primary defense strategy is ramming into their opponent at full fucking speed. legends.

Agravaine: Red admiral, Vanessa atalanta

Underrated and pretty butterfly that uses nettles (prickly!) as a host plant. territorial but loses to bigger butterfly species all the time (I've seen it. trust me). Also a bit of a tease, they're notorious for letting people get close to them only to fly away as if personally affronted

Gaheris: Dusky raisin moth, Ephestiodes gilvescentella

not much to say here. It's gaheris. I find these in the pantry all the time, usually because they keep trying to lay eggs in our flour. They're a pain in the ass

Gareth: Western carpenter bee, Xylocopa californica

So very very cute and fuzzy. Not the kind of bee we get honey from, but it could pretend to be and we probably wouldn't mind. Absorbs heat well. Steals nectar from flowers without pollinating them sometimes, the little rascal. Also quite horny; they exhibit a variety of mating behaviors

Mordred: Painted lady, Vanessa cardui

knock off monarch butterfly. lol.

Lot: Torpedo bug, Siphanta acuta

not going to lie this insect is probably too cool looking get assigned to Lot

Kay: Stink beetle, Eleodes sp.

dignified. a bit of a trundler. gets the job done. Mostly harmless, but from a young age we're taught not to provoke them anyways because when threatened they release a truly awful stank

Ywain: Gulf fritillary, Dione vanillae

A gorgeous species that somehow gets overshadowed by the more showy butterflies. just a good-natured guy all round. I like ywain but I don't think he's too complicated :)

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Common Eastern Physocephala - Physocephala tibialis

This post involves descriptions of parasitoid behavior with Bees as this insect's primary host. If you are squeamish regarding Bee parasitism, I recommend clicking on this random link to see another post from the blog. Otherwise, I offer the following information regarding this seemingly innocuously specie of mimicking Fly:

Before following up from an earlier post, here's a small refresher. This insect is a Thick-Headed Fly of the family Conopidae. They rely on mimicry of Potter Wasps and Thread-Waisted Wasps to dissuade predators from eating them, as otherwise they are defenseless flower-loving Flies. While they appear to have a sharp bayonet protruding from their face, this is actually a proboscis which they use to sip nectar. Alongside the nutritional value that flowers can provide, Conopid Flies value flowers for another reason: they attract pollinators which the females need in order to lay their eggs. In an earlier post, I highlighted that it is essential to know the differences between male and female Psychocephala Flies if they appear in your garden in substantial amounts. The male Flies have a blunted abdomen, while female Flies have an abdominal tip structured like a crushing claw. You can see an example of this claw-like structure in Picture 9. This "claw" is a combination of a structure called a theca and an extension to the abdomen's 7th segment. Despite the position along the abdomen, these structures are not used for mating and it cannot fold on itself to crush.

Now since it looks so menacing, what does that "claw" actually do? In a manner similar to a crowbar or prying tool, this Fly specie uses this claw to open a Bee's abdominal exoskeletal plates in order to jab an egg inside the Bee itself. Yes, you read that correctly. Moreover, this process can be done midflight or while a Bee is investigating a flower! If the prying is successful, a Fly larva will begin to parasitize the Bee host as soon as it hatches and develop within its body. If the immune system doesn't neutralize the laid egg, the growing larva can change the behaviors of the Bee for its own benefit for up to 2 weeks. The larva presumably does this using chemical secretions or similar mechanisms (this phenomenon is not well understood and lacks lab documentation). It breaks my heart to type it out, but this behavioral change can all finalize with the parasite directing to host Bee to bury itself in the ground in order to create a secure environment for its pupation. It's not just Bees are afflicted by this form of parasitism. Just as there are many branches in the Conopid Fly family, there are many hosts that can be pried open. While disturbing, this is just the life cycle of one of the many creatures in the circle of life. The best we as humans can do is monitor the Bees and stay vigilant for this parasitic pollinator.

Pictures were taken on July 30 & August 20, 2020 and July 15 & 21, 2021 with a Google Pixel 4.

[specsthespectraldragon]

I've been playing far too much zoombinis, and now I'm thinking of ways to remake the Island Odyssey.

To be clear- not the actual Island Odyssey. That was a nightmare. But the concept of ecological awareness and basics of restoration, yes. Because one of the things Island Odyssey did do really well was explaining that even a little thing like a moth can be a keystone species. If I was going to remake it, I wouldn't use moths and gerbils, though.

Now, moths are pollinators, which is why they're there. Now, I think generally people are vaguely familiar that pollinators are important, but don't really know what a pollinator is besides a bee or a butterfly. I would probably use wasps instead- people have no concept of wasps as part of an ecosystem, much less as important pollinators. It's also important that wasps are omnivores that eat meat as larvae- it's really common for herbivores to be considered more important than predators.

The gerbils, however, are just cute and teach you about punnet squares. Now, this leads to a complicated problem. I would prefer to use ribbed mussels- they're perfect for an island ecosystem and fascinating ecological engineers. Additionally, their genetic diversity is actually an important facet of their ecological engineering, which makes them perfect for the punnet square puzzle. Unfortunately, there's one problem- they're not exactly cute in the conventional sense. Neither are wasps, but onenicebugperday can wax lyrical about how they actually are cute, so I'm not worried there.

Now, there were existing puzzles that cover the concepts of genetics and succession (frankly, the entire play is about successional trajectory), and you can reskin the Hotel Dimensia puzzle to deal with habitat fragmentation. That leaves us with community assembly and disturbances, which I'm a little less sure about how to explain to an elementary audience. The middle school audience would be easier, but I'm not sure what kind of puzzle can handle those concepts on an elementary school level. It might have to be in the lore to some degree.

[silena-laney-laney]

i have gathered you all here today to talk to you about food. more specifically, what’s in it. i have three examples. let’s begin.

1. COFFE GROUNDS

cockroaches enjoy eating newly processed green coffee, but they aren't the biggest lovers of the coffee grounds you use at home. they enter the coffee food chain here, along with other insects.

the FDA states that a certain amount of dirt, mould, and pests (including roaches) can be present in a harvest of green coffee beans. it requires ten percent or less of the total amount in a batch of beans.

that means that, after all processing from farm to table, four to six percent might find its way into our food.

that does not imply that cockroaches are present in everything. but there is always a chance of some bug bits in your cold brew.

2. BREAD

most of us believe that when we purchase bread from the grocery store, we are obtaining a product composed of flour, yeast, water, and a few additional additions. but according to recent investigations, human hair is an unexpected element included in a lot of store-bought bread varieties.

how can hair from humans get into bread? the origin of L-cysteine contains the solution. human hair is one of the most popular natural sources of L-cysteine, while it can also be obtained from hog hair and duck feathers.

yes, you read correctly—you can create bread using the same hair on your head. Although at first this may sound bizarre—even nauseating—it's not as prevalent as you may expect. actually, a lot of food products have components in them that the typical consumer would never believe.

it's crucial to remember that not all breads have L-Cysteine, and those that do might employ an artificial or component originating from animals. but for individuals who would rather abstain from using goods that contain human hair, maybe check if there’s any L-Cysteine on the packaging.

3. FIGS

when figs are pollinated, you need help from everyone’s favourite bug. that’s right, wasps. for this to happen, a female wasp will:

•get to the heart of the fruit, where the flower is hidden. to do this they must crawl through a tiny hole.

•the female wasps will lay several eggs within the fruit if it is male, which makes it inedible but full of pollen.

•after hatching, these mate, and the males eventually burrow out of the fig.

•the females trail behind, carrying some pollen and their eggs to deposit in nearby fig trees.

to be clear, the crunch of figs are not dead wasps, but wasp eggs instead.

[bug-maniac]

Some replies to my wasp post!

@inky-deactivated04122019

Honestly I think even just one positive experience with wasps, bees, or other scary critters can help people. I actually used to be incredibly scared of bees, wasps... anything that wasn't obviously a butterfly. I learned more about them, and that helped my fear in theory, but not really in practice. Then one day, I was on a walk and I found a bee stuck in a spiderweb. I got a stick and got her out of there (the spider wasn't home) and she flew away. And that went a long way to helping me get over my fear. I'm really glad you helped the little gal!

@icantleave

If you have bugs building nests in your house, you need to call a professional to remove them. That's not good for them or you. You should also ask how they've been entering your home and how you can fix it. Wasps (and bees, and ants, and spiders, and mice, and) build nests in your home because it's a safe and sheltered place, and it's generally a better temperature in there than outside. If it's bees, a professional beekeeper should be able to remove the hive from your home; they might be able to do it with wasps too, actually. As for "stinging you for no reason"--no they don't. You've likely trespassed into their territory without realizing it, or one of them has flown under your shirt and gotten startled, or a million other things. Animals don't do things "for no reason."

@dazerla

Of course, people with allergies should always take precautions, and I'm not saying that they shouldn't. If you are afraid of wasps, absolutely leave them alone. As I said before, they might be "more aggressive", but there is always something that will provoke an attack, even if we as humans don't understand what it is.

@stupid-fat-panda

I bet that's your whole personality too, isn't it?

@im-flashtoo

I have no idea what this means but I am desperately hoping you'll explain it, because I am deeply curious.

@santitymustprevail

I'm actually wondering if you are. Wasps do hunt bees, yes, but that's nature. They're predatory. They also eat ticks and other "pest" insects. Wasps are also pollinators, just like hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Their place in the ecosystem is just as important as the "better" pollinators.

[rjalker]

It's so fucking funny and infuriating when people claim wasps are useless and serve no purpose like they legitimately believe that wasps spent the entire history of the universe evolving for the sole purpose of annoying them. It is so clear these people have never interacted with native plants.

Sarcasm: spongebob narrator voice: Ah yes. Ze wasp (of which there is definitely only one species called Evil Stinging Bastard). So useless. Does nothing except plot all day and night to scare people by existing. So evil. So useless. Definitely does not play any ecological role. End sarcasm.

Image description start period a square cropped photo of a black and red Mason wasp perched on an immature yellow passionflower fruit. It is a small wasp with a black body with thick red stripes, and purple and red iridescent wings timer with red antenna fading to black period on the wasps Thorax and wing joints and somr of its head is bright yellow pollen stuck to it. Image description end.]

These little cute red and black Mason wasps are probably the only reason we have any fruit on this yellow passionflower vine. Every time I see the flowers being pollinated it is a black and red mason wasp doing the pollinating.

This one here is a male, not that you can tell in this picture, but the males have weight spots on their faces which I just think is cute.

When I actually get around to uploading the video this is from YouTube I will edit this post and link it here. It's July 19th 2023, so if you're Reading this person like August 2023 refresh the original post and get the link because I should have uploaded it to YouTube by then. And then you'll get to see the carpenter bee pollinating the purple passion flower right next to this plant and also a cool spider and the winger ants (??) It caught and also baby...wheelbugs? I think they're wheelbugs... There's some kind of bug with a capital B. They as adults will stick their proposes into the ripe yellow passion flower and suck out all the juice like it's a juice box. Which I know because I saw one do it last year. And then we get to collect the seeds of the passionfruit lol.

This year though we will be putting some of the fruit in organza bags so that we can actually see what it tastes like.

Update: well. It's November 11th now, lol, here's the video link finally.

[im-an-anthusiast]

OKAY SO

like you've yourself mentioned in the tags! Males can't sting since a stinger is a modified ovipostor. However, some species can't really sting at all (or only very poorly), because their ovipostor is simply not a stinger! A great example would be many species of woodwasps, which, despite their fearsome looks, can't do much stinging-wise with that big ol' thing. And, if you take a look at them, you might actually confuse the ovipostor with the source of their other, lovely namesake: horntail! Now, they use this spine-like structure to drill through bark and wood so that they can insert their ovipositor into the fashioned hole and lay their eggs inside! Fun!

On the other uh. Side we have, well. A wasp that truly needs no introducing, right? The one and only Cazadore, the Orange and Blue Menace, the Tarantula Hawk. Now, as funny as its latin name - Pepsis Grossa is, (I get it dude, you prefer Coca-Cola) this beauty is no thing to laugh at. It is a parasitoid wasp, the likes of which use their sting to paralyse their prey, and then use their ovipositor-stinger to lay their eggs inside of them. (Or of they're less dramaric right next to them but, well, I'm all about the drama queens of the entomological world.) And, judging by its name, I'm sure you can figure out its favoured prey. Yes indeed, they hunt tarantulas, laying their eggs inside of their still-alive, paralysed bodies, before sragging them into their own nests. Many species of parasitoid wasp brood, once they hatch, actually know to devour the vital organs very last, so that the flesh is fresh the longest. Yum.

Some other fun ovipositor weilding wasps are fig wasps, which, if pollinating, enter the fig themselves and die inside too, alongside their brood, while if parasitoid, simply lay their eggs inside using their ovipositor. I will not continue further along their life-cycle and gladly avoid the in-depth explanation of incestuous mating of non-hatched brood and mature individuals, in what is truly a pregnancy any% speedrun.

Another great ovipositor-er is the fariryfly. It's a parasitoid and nothing about that it too special, aside from, I guess, the fact that they can be smaller than the eggs they are parasitoids of. I mean, come on, they can be as small as 100 micrometers!! That is about the average size of a human cell!!!! They're eenie meenie teeny tiny!! They're even considered as a sort of pest removal thanks to the species they parasitoid off of! Imagine that!! An army of tiny wasps to fight the pests!

*stares pointedly at mud dauber wasp* you know what you did. Airplane accidents aside...! Great wasp! They're the kinda parasitoid wasp that lays its eggs merely next to their unmoving-but-alive prey, but they do the fun thing of sealing them inside a mud tube/nest. That's fun!! Seal em inside the catacomb queen!! Really Jigsaw of you.

Anyway I'm sorry if I missed any interesting ones but these are all that immediately came to mind. Love 'em.

mm fulled of eggs

[mass-convergence]

I just want everyone to know that I do not have a like “oh haha I’m so afraid of wasps” fear of wasps.

But like a crippling (yes crippling - as in will like go to great lengths to avoid them to the point that i will literally change daily routines and have basically shut down now that there’s three in my apartment) phobia.

So no, informing me that they’re beneficial critters that are good at hunting down pests and pollinating, will not in fact make me not have a literal fight or flight response to the winged death machines. I respect that they have a place in our ecosystem and I thank them for their service. But good god please don’t roll your eyes at me when I’m having an actual like legitimate stress response - no matter how irrational you may think it is. Yes I’m trying to work on it but no, “they’re more afraid of you than you are of it” is not something that’s going to magically make me snap out of my tunnel vision and literal curling up in a fetal position to get away from the damn thing.

[punkofsunshine]

Insects: the future of protein, pollination, and permaculture

Part I: Introduction and Protein

At every level, insects and (arachnids) are around us, whether it be a fruit fly or those fucking stink bugs that we get in the house every single winter, they’re around us whether we like it or not. Chitinous critters corral themselves into crannies or cowardly fly cross the room when we’re trying to kill them, but what if we used these cool carapaced creatures to our advantage instead of them being a general annoyance, no i’m not talking about beekeeping or honeybees or even those bee hotels that don’t really work, I’m talking farming them, cooking them, seasoning them, dehydrating them, etc. We’ve all heard that insects are the purest form of protein as a joke when someone accidentally swallows a bug, but this little joke is actually true, specifically with crickets. Crickets contain 2-3 times more complete protein than a beef steak on the same weight basis and contain no cholesterol and fat, on top of it all they contain more iron and contain fiber as well. That’s not even including the ecological benefits, such as water usage, waste disposal, carbon emissions, and runoff from improper animal waste disposal.

Part II: Pollination

Like I said above, I don’t condone owning honeybees, not out of a moral stance or anything, they’re ecologically unsafe, they compete with native bees and usually end up winning due to sheer numbers. I’m talking about mason bees and growing habitats for them, yes growing habitats, mason bees use reeds to make their hives, so grow some pop grass (horsetail reed) and watch the magic happen, preferably not too close though. Spending money on those bee houses isn’t a good idea anyhow, they’re a breeding ground for diseases and mostly get occupied by native wasps, which isn’t a bad thing, having natural predators around a certain area is a very good thing, but they’re not pollinators, which is the focus right now.

Part III: Permaculture 

Insects and arachnids are essential members of our ecosystem and play a vital part in keeping it balanced, whether it be a common fly laying eggs on a carrion for decomposition or a butterfly doing its butterfly thing of being pretty and drinking nectar, they all serve a purpose, even the annoying bastards like mosquitoes or those fucking stinkbugs. Some may even serve a culinary purpose in the future, like meal-worms, crickets, and grasshoppers being the most common forms. These little creatures make a significant impact together, just like us.

This has been it for me babes, this has been @punkofsunshine ,I’ll be checking in tomorrow. Have a nice night.

[prof-peach]

Here’s a peachy thought.

If pokemon is all about evolution, and based off of the real world and how we as a planet have developed (evolution ect), then why are the flowers the same size in the Pokémon world?

Ok so hear me out I have a lot of thoughts on this. There’s no known bugs in Pokémon, just bug types, and other pollinating species such as birds and small mammal based Pokémon. In IRL plants have adapted to suit pollinators, and larger flowers tend to be for larger things, such as hummingbirds or even frogs. The majority of them are small though, flies, bees, wasps ect, catering to many plants with smaller flowers. Now if the only pollinators are Pokémon, that are all substantially larger than average real bugs and such, then so too should the Flora be in the Pokémon world. If evolution is how they base their games, then the plants and flowers should be larger, and far more vibrant than that of our actual planet, evolved to suit bigger things such as combee and butterfree.

I like to head cannon that all species have miniatures, Pokémon who are too small and don’t tend to evolve much, that keep the ecosystem going. So tiny poliwags, real life sized yanma, beedrill that are only 4-5cm big at the most, some smaller. They are overlooked as battle options due to their tiny size and lack of power, and are often not discussed when talking about Pokémon as a whole, due to their huge numbers and wide range of varieties and types. Including them in a full dex would become very difficult, so they focus on the typical Pokémon, sized adequately for safe battle and use in daily life. Makes the Pokédex a lot less stressful to 10 year olds too I imagine. I’d like to think the Pokémon board of education does an ultimate dex, one that includes micro-species too, and all their types and behaviours.

Cant stop thinking bout this, trying so hard to work but man, I need more scientific content to the Pokémon world haha! What are some of your thoughts bout this all? Am I just going mad? Chattering to the endless void that is the internet? Probably yes, but I’m having a great time doing it!

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #374

“doctor, doctor, won’t you please prescribe me something?  /  a day in the life of someone else...”

Does someone have a crush on you but you don’t feel the same way? No. Who do you feel most beautiful around? No one. What’s one makeup item you cannot live without? I could live without any makeup. What’s the most expensive thing you own? My snake, I think. Or my laptop, idr. Are you more of a book person or a TV person? Book. Relationship status? Single. What color are most of your clothes? Black. Did you french kiss before you were 16? No, I was 16. Last song you listened to? "The Heretic Anthem" by Slipknot. Would you ever go back to any of your past relationships? Yes. What’s your favorite thing about life? That's a big question. I guess seeing acts of mass love and kindness, reminders that we're all in this together through all hardships. Who pays for the first date? Whoever asked the other person out, imo. Who has always been there for you? My mom. Have you ever written on a wall? No, at least not to my memory. Do you play any computer games, if so, what ones? I think anyone who reads these by now knows, haha. I don't much play anything else. I prefer console games. What would you name a baby boy if you had one? Probably Damien or Victor. What would you name a baby girl if you had one? Alessandra, no questions asked. What lyric means the most to you? I mean there's tons, but the first one that came to mind is "for such a little thing, you sure are in your own way" from "Get Up" by Mother Mother. Like in the big picture, we humans are so so so minuscule, but with brains that are too complicated for our own good. It's my own head that creates so many obstacles for me. Who is the smartest person you know? Probably my friend Girt. Have your parents ever been to jail? No. Do you share a bed with anyone? My cat, haha. Does it flatter you when guys open doors for you? It's flattering if anyone does, not just guys. Do you enjoy taking naps? Yeah. That's like part of my daily routine. If your friend asked you to hold their drugs, would you? Nope. Is there anyone you try to be a good influence for? My nieces and nephew, but I don't feel like I am. I'm a poor example of an adult. Do you own a pair of fishnets? No, but I have a pair of fingerless fishnet gloves. Which do you prefer: french toast, bagels, pancakes, waffles, bacon or cereal? All are great, but french toast. Yes or no: eyebrow piercings? I'd actually have one if I didn't have glasses. I think I'd look weird with one as I look now. When I say "The Beatles," what is the first song that comes to mind? "Hey, Jude." In your opinion, what is the very worst type of weather? Extremely hot and humid. You can only listen to one band for the rest of your life, who do you pick? Ozzy Osbourne, of course. Can you snap with both of your hands? Yeah, but it's harder with my left. What is something that you had to learn the hard way? For some people, promises don't mean shit. If you could re-paint your bedroom, what color would you paint it? Maybe like a light peach. When was the last time you got butterflies? I think not since Sara told me I look really pretty in eyeliner. ;_; <3 When was the last time you felt like your heart was actually breaking? There was this one time I was listening to "The Ghost of You" by MCR a while after finding out about Jason's mom's death and I just like... broke. When’s the last time you were in a line? When I was getting my second COVID shot. Do you trust the media? HA! Fuck no. If you could kill off one species of animal, which would it be? At first I was appalled by this question, but like... do wasps serve a purpose? Of all fauna, they annoy me the most. I mean bees are already endangered enough, and they prey on them. They don't pollinate, so like... why are you here. I may be mistaken and they have a valuable role, in which case I take all this back. Who’d you last say I love you to? My mom. What’s the most overpaid job in your opinion? I have on idea. Most jobs are underpaid. What’s the last thing you wrote down? I was doing some paperwork at the TMS office on my first day there. When’s the last time you heard a gunshot? I don’t know. What are you looking forward to? Now that my tattoo (which looks fucking stunning, by the way) is out of the way, I can focus on other things. I'm particularly looking forward to hopefully seeing the results of TMS manifest (which should take 3-4 weeks). It sounds horrible, but I'm also keenly awaiting this dog we're stuck with to go somewhere... The person who gave her to my sister to give my mom won't take the dog back, and we can't find another option that doesn't risk her being euthanized, which we absolutely do not want. We just don't know what to do, but she's driving Mom and me INSANE. Do you listen to online radio stations? No. Have you ever done something sexual that you regret? No. Have you ever said anything to the last person you kissed that you regret? Multiple things. Have you ever ate so much you puked? Ugh, no. That sounds awful. Do you care about what others think of your physical appearance? Very much, sadly. Would you rather eat cookies or brownies? I gotta say brownies. Which YouTuber have you learned the most from? I mean, this depends on the subject. From Mark, I've learned most about life and how (I think) to be a good person, but there's a lot of pet channels I watch that have taught me loads about proper husbandry. This answer just depends on what knowledge you're talkin' about. Who would you want to be the flower girl at your wedding? Probably a niece. Do you want to be married within the next ten years? It'd be nice. Do you feel like your life is too fast-paced, or do you wish it were busier? Ugh, I wish it was busier. My days are a COMPLETE, routine drag. What are some hobbies which you want to pick up? I want to just be more artsy. I wanna draw and write more, and I'd love love love to be in healthy enough shape to handle going on walks with my camera. There are sometimes I miss editing videos, too. I'm unsure about completely new hobbies. Does anyone encourage you to go after your dreams? My family and a few friends. Oh, and definitely my psychiatrist. What group are you most active in on Facebook? None, really. I mostly just observe. Are you ashamed of anything? A number of things. Primarily not having a job at my age or even being in school. What were your favorite Disney rides as a kid? I loved Splash Mountain, I think it was called. What were your favorite rides at Cedar Point? Never been. What are some places you want to visit that you’ve never been? South Africa, Alaska, Canada, Yellowstone National Park, Bahamas, Venice, Rome... What are some places that you’ve been that you’d like to go to again? Disney World, Chicago, and this one super clear lake I swam in once a few hours away that I don't recall the name of. Have you ever owned a succulent? No. While they're pretty, I've never been much of a plant person. Do you support small businesses? I REALLY want to start doing that more when I have the option to buy my own stuff/have my own income. As someone who wants to be a freelance photographer, I get it. Starting an independent business is hard as hell. If a brand were to sponsor you, which brand(s) would you prefer? Uhhh I dunno. Have you read the entire Bible? No. Do you make bucket lists for each season? No. That does sound kinda fun, though. How old were you when you first dyed your hair? I have no idea. Do you dye your hair regularly? No. :/ I desperately want to, though. It's just not something we can afford to spare cash on. What is the most comfortable type of pants, in your opinion? Pajama pants? haha Do you think you could ever be famous? No. I'm way too boring and don't want to be anyway. What are some jobs you’ve had in the past? Sales associate, cashier, and deli worker. None lasted long whatsoever. What are some jobs you want to or would like to have? List five. FIVE? I don't know. I just know I want to be a photographer. Well, being an artist or poet would be very cool. And a reptile breeder, maybe tarantulas, too, but that makes me kinda nervous with JUST how many babies they have. What are some jobs you have considered? In rough order from youth to now: paleontologist, vet, movie director, game designer, author/poet, artist, music video editor, wildlife biologist, photographer... Maybe there's more that just aren't coming to me. Are you thankful for social media, or do you wish it didn’t exist? Depends on the day for me, but I'm generally thankful for it so I can keep up with the lives of people who are important to me. It's just that it's a breeding ground for self-doubt and rampant comparisons that can easily depress me when I see some people are "further ahead" and more "established" than me. What are some of the best medications you’ve ever had? The combined efforts of Latuda and Lamictal saved my life. What was a video you watched over and over as a kid? There were lots of movies, like The Lion King, a certain Barney one when I was very young, and I watched Finding Nemo like crazy. Do you know a lot of people who were loving, and then turned cold? Jason????????????????? Is that you??????????????????????????????????????????? Do you own anything plaid? Ha, what a coincidence, I'm wearing my red plaid pj pants. Are you good at remembering names? Definitely not. Have the cops ever gotten on to you for anything before? No. What email thingy do you use? (yahoo, gmail, rock) ... Rock? lol anyway my main is Hotmail, but I inevitably have a gmail to have a YouTube account. What game system(s) do you own? PS2, Wii, Nintendo DS Lite, and a GameBoy Advance. Are you any good at Guitar Hero? I used to be; I played most songs on Expert, then some really tough ones on Hard. I was soooooo addicted to those games. I remember when I got the first one for Christmas, I literally played it all day. Have you ever played Call of Duty? Nah, not my jam. What is your favorite/most visited website? YouTube. Is your bed comfortable? Sure. I've definitely had way worse. Do you have a garage? No. Fun fact, I've never lived in a house with one. Should you be doing anything right now? What? There's a number of things I could be doing that are definitely more productive, like finishing decorating my damn room. Do doctors or dentists make you more nervous? Not really. I only ever get nervous to hear my weight at the doctor's. Did you ever think you were about to die before? I don't quite know. When I ODed, it was more like I didn't care if I did. Have you ever really had a near death experience? Was it cool? "Was it cool." Literally fuck off. I guess you could technically consider my OD a "near death experience," especially given how many pills I took, yet I somehow experienced almost no ill symptoms. Maybe because we got to the ER for fluids quickly enough, idk. I'm just glad I didn't die. What is your favorite kind of weather? Snowy! Like a steady snowfall of large flakes with no breeze and total silence. *chef's kiss* Ever tasted beer? Ugh, no. Just the smell makes me sick. It was my dad's drink of choice when he was an alcoholic so I just have a very negative association with it. Have you ever seen a dead body? Yes, at an open-casket wake. Ever poured salt on a slug? As kids, my sisters and I would get our parents to do it because they grossed us out. So, so cruel. I still have this weird but pretty extreme phobia of them, but I wouldn't torture the things like that.

[doctorpandorica]

So I have a headcanon about young Lilith, just based off a combination of those memes about God creating animals and the fact that Michelle Gomez is good at playing delightfully off the wall characters.

So, back when Lilith and Adam were still in the Garden together, perhaps they had a hand in helping God create animals. Adam comes up with cute things and all the things Lilith comes up with are in someway either violent or just fucking weird. 

ANGEL:  So you know how you asked us to talk to Adam and Lilith, to get their contributions to the other creatures in the Garden?

GOD: Yes and?

ANGEL:  It just seems like when ever Adam makes something , Lilith create something that’s only objective is to kill. Some times specifically what ever Adam made

GOD: Like what?

LILITH: Well, first  there’s one that she first described as  the  perfect killing machine. 

GOD:  What .... what is that?

ANGEL: Well,it’s huge like about as big as the trees and it looks a bit like Adam’s Lizards. Except it has sharps rows of teeth, giant claws and runs really really fast on his hind legs. I told her that wasn’t really fair to the other animals and she should take at least one thing out. 

GOD: And did she? (Angel nods a bit hesitantly) Well what’s wrong then?

ANGEL: (sighs) She said to give it really tiny forearms 

GOD: Oh course, she did (sigh) what else?

ANGEL: Well, she made these fuzzy things called Bees and these things called Wasps. They at first seemed like the same thing. But, according to her they are not. Apparently , Bees are small fuzzy and cute insects that make honey and pollinate flowers

GOD: Oh, that’s actually nice

ANGEL: With needles in their butts and if it  stings you can , when they try fly off the stinger is ripped of and it  dies from having apart of it’s butt ripped off

GOD: Oh my ......(sighs) Okay what about the wasp?

ANGEL: So, yeah they don’t do shit except sting the shit out of you as many times as possible. For like no fucking reason and if you that’s well, just wait because it gets worse. Because when Adam made fish , she made something called sharks. They are literally just fish but, huge with a shit ton of sharp teeth.  And then he made ants and Lilith immediately demanded you make something specifically called the “Ant Eater”.   

GOD:  Son of a bitch, maybe we should just limit her to making plants, she likes plants. 

ANGEL: Tried that she made something things called a Venus Fly Trap, Poison Ivy and  Deadly Nightshade....You know not all of the animals she makes are bad I mean, some were pretty cool. Like when she made that Platypus or the Unicorn and then there were the dragons

GOD: The Unicorn was just Adam’s idea about the horse with spike stuck to it’s head. The Platypus was a beaver/duck that laid eggs and the males had a pair of venomous spurs on their hind limbs. And the Dragon was another rip off of Adam’s Lizards but, this thing was gigantic flew around breathing fire and eating everything. I mean it’s almost as bad as when she made those snake things, by taking the legs off Adam’s Lizard and giving it venomous fangs.  

ANGEL: Snake? I thought she called them Danger noodles

GOD: Fuck my life

PART TWO?

[krizaland]

some of zim with a beekeeper s/o? if not it's cool.

Oooh! How interesting!

I’ll bee honest with you, I’ve always had quite the fear of bees (and just bugs and arachnids in general) but ever since I rediscovered my love for Invader Zim, I’ve actually started to notice how insect-like Irkens are.

Like my dad always said that Zim looked like a bug and tbh the more I watched the show, the more I noticed how insect-like Irkens are.

Like they’re obsessed with sugary snacks and whatnot and seem to all worship the Tallest like a hive/brood Queen.

And in most insect the species that have queens (Like: Bees, Ants, wasps ect.) The Queen is almost always bigger than the rest of the hive/brood.

So the fact that Irkens have a height based society is pretty insect-like.

There’s even a real life species of bee called Texas Sweat Bees that are bright green like Irkens.

Anyway, I could go on forever about Irkens being space insects but this long intro is probably bugging you by now.

So onto the fic!

You and Zim have been dating for over a month now! While Zim was a wonderful boyfriend, there was just one problem:

Zim was terrified of bees.

Even just the mere sound of wings buzzing was enough to send him screaming for the hills.

Of course most people are afraid of bees and just bugs in general.

They’re strange, noisy, and even bite and sting!

However, being raised by beekeepers, you never seemed to mind.

You always loved bugs of all shapes and sizes!

You found their big eyes and antennas just so cute!

Your family’s profession aside, Honey bees were always your favorite animal!

They were so fuzzy and friendly! Not to mention their honey and wax is extremely useful!

Honey can be kept fresh for ages and the uses for beeswax were endless

While you couldn’t blame Zim for his fear of bees, you couldn’t help but feel that Zim believed a bunch of nasty misconceptions about your favorite insect.

And thus, you decided to give Zim a tour of your family’s bee colony!

Zim was understandably apprehensive at first but was quickly convinced by your sad puppy dog eyes.

After getting both yourself and Zim suited up in beekeeping suits, you carefully led him to the colony.

BZZ!

Zim jumped a bit as a bee buzzed past his head.

“It’s ok, they won’t sting you as long as you stay calm.” You explained as you gave Zim’s hand a gentle rub.

“R-Right! I knew that!” Zim lies as he adjusted his hat.

“Now here’s our main colony!” You announced as you gestured to a large white box like container.

“You keep the bees in boxes?” Zim asked as he tilted his head.

“No, No! These are our special beehives! Here I’ll show you.” You laughed as you pulled out a small metal can.

“What’s in the can? Is it repellent?” Zim asked as he gestured to the can.

“What? Oh no. This is just smoke from burning pine needles. We spray this when we open the hive to let the bees know we’re coming to take a look.” You explained as you gave the can a few sprays.

And with that, you carefully removed the lid of the hive and quickly sprayed the inside with a light layer of smoke.

Zim jumped back and braced himself for a swarm of bees to pour out of the hive.

However, the swarm never came.

“Zim, you can look now.”

The sound of your playful laugh, brought Zim back to reality.

“Right! I was just um...admiring the trees.” Zim spluttered as hell carefully reproached the hive.

“Are you ready to meet the hive?” You asked with a playful wink.

Zim nodded slowly but still kept his guard up.

“Alrighty, here they are.” You sang softly as you pulled out a large frame covered with hundreds upon hundreds of bees!

Zim let out a startled squeak but slowly calmed down when he realized the bees weren’t attacking him.

The bees seemed perfectly content crawling around the frame.

“This is only a small part of our hive but it’s the most important one.” You explained as you carefully held up the frame.

“Why is it the most import part?” Zim asked as he kept his distance from the frame.

“Because this frame has the Queen bee herself! You’re gonna need to come a bit closer to see her though.” You explained dramatically.

Zim swallowed hard as he took a small step forward.

“Closer....”

Zim took another small step.

“Closer.....”

Zim took another small step.

“C’mon Zim I won’t let them sting you!” You giggled playfully.

And with that, Zim finally came close enough to the frame.

“Yay! Now do you see that really big bee right there?” You asked as you pointed to a very long and chubby bee.

“Yes.”

“That’s the Queen Bee. She lays over thousands of eggs a day!” You explained as the Queen wandered with the rest of the bees.

“Really? Fascinating...” Zim trailed off but his eyes remained glued to the Queen Bee.

The more he watched the Queen, the more she started to remind him of the Almighty Tallest.

She was very large and was clearly royalty!

Zim begun to wonder if the bees had the same height-based society as Irkens did.

“So the tallest bees are the ones in charge, right?” Zim asked as he continued to watch the Queen.

“Well not exactly. The Queen Bee is really the only one that gets that big. All the other bees are the same height.” You explained as you gestured to the other bees.

“I see...So do bees conquer other...hives?” Zim hummed as he stroked his chin.

“What? No. Well, I mean there are some species of insects who do stuff like that but Honeybees  aren’t one of them.” You laughed as you carefully put the frame back into the hive.

“Oh, so what do they do?” Zim asked as he turned his attention back to you.

“What do they do? They do lots of things! They pollinate flowers, make wax and most importantly: they make Honey! Lots and lots of honey!” You explained dramatically.

“Hon-ee? What is this Hon-ee?” Zim’s voice quivered a bit as he spoke.

“You’ve never had honey before?! Honey is a delicious treat made by the bees! Cone on! You have to taste it!” You insisted as you grabbed Zim by the hand and led him to your family’s honey reserves.

You were about to lead Zim inside when-

BZZ!

A bee decided to land on the side of Zim’s head!

Zim was about to scream but you quickly put a finger to your lips.

“Stay calm and still. She doesn’t want to sting you. She’s just saying hi. Just stay calm and she won’t sting.” You whispered.

Sweat poured down Zim’s face as the bee brushed up against his wig.

“This is one strange human.”

A gasp escaped Zim’s throat.

“You didn’t tell me bees could talk!” He whispered as he struggled to remain still.

“Bees don’t talk. I mean they communicate with their antennas but they don’t speak English.” You giggled as you rubbed the back of your head.

“You’re a weird human but I like you!” The bee giggled as she wiggles her antennas.

“So you’re telling me you didn’t just hear that?” Zim whispered.

“Hear what?”

“The bee! You’re telling me you didn’t just hear the bee compliment me?!” Zim hissed as he gestured to the bee crawling on his hat.

“I’m getting thirsty! I’ll see you later!” The bee sang as she flew away.

“I think you’ve been standing in the sun for too long. Come on let’s get you inside.” You giggled as you led Zim inside the honey reserves.

You spent the rest of the day talking all about honey but all Zim could think about was the bee that landed on his head.

Clearly that was no Earth bee! It had to had to have been some kind of alien spy!

After trying (and falling in love with) honey, Zim decided it was time to go home.

When the night fell, Zim scurried back to your family’s bee colony.

“Ok, now to track down that spy-bee- ACK!”  

Zim let out a yelp as the same bee from earlier landed on his head.

“You smell like that weird human from earlier.” The bee giggled.

“I am not human, you pathetic spy-bee!” Zim snapped.

“Huh? Are you upset or something? I can’t understand you.” The bee whimpered with a gentle wiggle of her antennas.

Zim was about to respond when he noticed the bee’s antennas wiggling.

“It appears this spy communicates with her antennas...” Zim hummed as he stroked his chin.

And with that, Zim decided to wiggle his own antennas at her.

“I am not human! I am a MIGHTY Irken warrior! Leave my sweet Y/N alone spy!”

“Spy? I’m not a spy! I just work for my queen. Just like you probably work for yours!” The bee explained as she continued to crawl.

“Eh? Zim has no queen!” Zim replied curtly.

“It’s ok, I know you just want to protect your hive. It seems like your queen, Y/N likes to keep things secure.” The bee giggled.

“What? Y/N is not Zim’s queen. Well..um…Y-You need to leave them alone!” Zim demanded.

“Ok, ok. Will do! No need to shout. I can’t really guarantee we won’t cross paths but I’ll do my best to steer clear!”

And with that, the bee flew back to her hive to report back to her queen.

“That’s right! You better run!” Zim cackled as he put his hands on his hips.

“Zim? Is that really you?”

Zim’s laugh screeched to a halt.

No! That couldn’t have been your voice he just heard!

Zim swallowed hard as he slowly turned around.

Sure enough, his worst fear was confirmed:

He had accidentally exposed himself.

“Y-Y/N! I-It’s not what you think! I just…have pink eye in both eyes!” Zim lied as he gestured to his ruby eyes.

You simply stared at Zim in awe.

“Zim, you don’t have to lie to me. I promise I won’t tell anyone about this!” You insisted.

Zim blinked in shock for a moment.

“Promise?”

“I promise” You confirmed as you put a hand on your chest.

“Alright then, I guess you were bound to find out sooner or later….I suppose I owe you an explanation. But you better keep your promise or I will destroy you, got it?” Zim asked as he shot you a glare.

“I got it!”

“Very well…Y/N, I guess it’s plain to see that Zim is not a normal human worm baby. No, I AM A SUPERIOR LIFE-FORM FROM THE PLANET IRK!” Zim sang dramatically as he threw his arms into the air.

“Wow! That’s…so cool!” You squealed as you clapped your hands.

“I can understand if you are scared-Eh?! Did you just say I was..cool?” Zim spluttered as he rubbed his eyes.

“Yes! You’re so pretty! You look like a sweat bee or a Jewel Wasp!” You gushed as you ran up to him.

“Eh? I’ll take that as a compliment…I guess..” Zim muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Oh my god! Now I know why you heard the bee talk to you earlier! Your antennas probably picked up on her antennas!” You explained as you gestured to his antennas.

“Oh, well…That explains a lot,” Zim hummed for a moment, “So do you think I could communicate with other insects?”

“I don’t know? Wanna go find out?” You squeaked.

“Sure!”

And with that, you and Zim spent the rest of the evening seeing what kind of bugs he could talk to!

From that point forth, Zim decided to help you out at the bee colony when no one else was around.

Thanks to his new found talent, you were able to harvest honey without smoking out the bees as well as see how they were doing.

Zim was a little nervous with you knowing he was an alien but after seeing how wide your smile was, he knew you could be trusted.

[asgardian--angels]

Hi there, pollinator ecologist here! I figured I'd just give my two cents. Firstly, thank you for noticing the underappreciated pollinators! We need to get better PR for flies and wasps especially. Butterflies are not particularly effective pollinators, so I can't comment on the state of research on them, but bees are very well-studied* primarily because they have demonstrated importance to agriculture - specifically honeybees and bumblebees, and a handful of solitary bees. The vast bulk of research focuses on those few species, with 'wild bee' research only taking off in the past 10-15 years. At least within the scientific community though, other pollinators are just as well-loved!

*they're actually not nearly as well-studied as people might think. The vast majority of bee species, even here in the US, if you google them you will get practically nothing. As a scientist who is constantly scouring for identification material, I can't even find photographs of many of our native bees.

Hover flies (Syrphidae) are super charismatic and I wish more people noticed them. Some of them eat aphids as larvae - not all of them - but yes, they are biocontrol on farms (if they're not sprayed) and they do contribute a fair amount to crop pollination as adults. A good proportion of others live in wetlands eating decaying plant matter or in the rot holes of trees eating sap, rotting wood, detritus, etc. Some even live in ant colonies. There are fewer specific actions regular people can do to promote hover flies apart from not destroying wetlands or dead trees on their properties, and not spraying pesticides.

You raise an excellent point about many popular pollinator plants not supporting a lot of other insects! Things like mountain mint aren't very common in the wild where they occur, thus they have fewer caterpillar relationships. Many 'native' pollinator plants are not actually native to the area they're planted (e.g., purple coneflower in the northeastern US), which also means they will be eaten by very few insects. While these plants are fine to have, ideally people should be planting keystone species, which are the native plants in a given region that support the greatest diversity of species, primarily caterpillars - which go on to be the sole or nearly sole food source for almost all songbird chicks.

I can't possibly list them all here, nor could I be geographically inclusive to everyone seeing this post. But there are a LOT of keystone plants that overlap with being excellent plants for bees (particularly specialist bees), syrphids, wasps, etc - to name a few in North America, willows (Salix), blueberries (Vaccinium), asters (Symphyotrichum, Eurybia), and goldenrods (Solidago). Other very important ones include cherries (Prunus), dogwoods (Cornus), red maples (Acer rubrum), and viburnums (Viburnum). We have a lot of resources out there to help people find the keystone plants for their region. Most of this foundational research has been done by Dr. Doug Tallamy and his team. The best sources are his book Bringing Nature Home and his team's academic papers, but there's also a growing directory on his website too. There are others compiling this information, like National Wildlife Federation, Audubon, etc.

If you want to maximize the insect production of your yard space, fill it with keystone plants, which includes a lot of trees and shrubs. This being said, I recommend exercising caution with simply using leaf holes to quantify insect usage; a number of creatures create similar holes, like slugs, and a lot of leaf damage comes from invasive Japanese beetles. With some experience it is possible to tell apart leaf feeding patterns between groups of insects. Additionally many caterpillars and other insect larvae leave very little trace they are there because they are quite small, and may be leaf-rollers, leaf miners, gall-makers, etc that do not feed in an obvious way. We do have published research and many good books that have detailed recommendations by experts for what plants will help pollinators of all kinds the most. If you like wasps, please check out Heather Holm's website and books. For syrphids, there's a great guide for the northeastern US with pretty much everything we know about each species. And if you want to support birds specifically, here's yet another book.

Hope this helps!

I am being driven to madness by the fact that bees and butterflies aren't better studied than other pollinators because they are more important to the ecosystem, they are just better studied because...people like them more?

Seriously

My plants are attracting HUGE amounts of flies, ants, wasps, and moths, and when I identify them and look them up there is no information! Especially flies, wow. They're so diverse, there's SO many different kinds. I'm getting a ton of bee-mimic flies and hover flies.

Wikipedia says hover fly larvae eat aphids while the adults are pollinators. That means they are beneficial in two ways at once! But most of the Wikipedia pages for species are only one sentence, if they exist at all. Likewise here's the wiki page for the most common bee mimic fly where I am. It's one sentence!

If you only pay attention to butterflies and bees, and plant the plants that are the best for butterflies and bees, you would maybe neglect keystone plants that support the largest amount of other insects. And these insects are like, a massive proportion of the bugs in a healthy ecosystem. And birds and mammals need bugs for food! A lot of birds are mostly insectivorous, and anyways, an unbalanced diet of all bird seed can't be healthy even for the omnivorous birds. They need to eat a variety of foods!

Not to mention that larvae are necessary for feeding baby birds!

The back yard is overflowing with birds. There are red-bellied woodpeckers, a gray catbird, a barn swallow, tree swallows, wrens, sparrows, house finches, goldfinches, bluebirds, bluejays, grackles, orioles, cardinals, doves, and a bunch of others I'm forgetting about, and they are constantly singing and making a commotion, and it's louder now than the ugly man-made sounds that are always barging in through the quiet.