#ecological updates

[bonefall]

the "strange place" could be a private wildlife collector? i know the buying and selling of wild animals as pets can be pretty bad in the uk (or at least it is w/ birds of prey? that's abt what i know)

OH that's a good idea, that's going to be one of my top choices for if I DO end up needing to change the "twoleg den" in the upcoming super edition. Private wildlife collectors are a HUGE problem because the laws on simply owning exotic animals (as long as they're not covered by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act) are suuuuper lax in the UK, and the Zoo Licensing Act only applies if you accept general admission.

(and even then, specifically, you can take admission a limited amount of times a year. James Wellington's Animal Welfare Nightmare Extravaganza, beloved winter tradition, £25 each, kiddies of edible height get in free)

Birds in particular are a huuuge issue because there's big oversights in the laws surrounding the keeping of birds of prey. You don't actually need a license to own any birds except ostriches and cassowaries, or one of the five destructive invasive birds. Your pet eagle just needs to be registered so they know you didn't snatch it from the wild. Licenses will only apply if you're breeding, selling, or using it for falconry.

Maybe I could even tie this hypothetical antagonist guy to Sharptooth/One Eye/The God of Summer's previous human incarnation, on some off-chance the series ends up using this villain again. That could be kinda neat.

[greenhorizonblog]

Organic farm visit

Went and visited a local organic farm today to learn about their methods and what they have learned through the years.

Their veg box scheme really blew up during covid and that and they have since branched into growing flowers as well. It was nice to go somewhere and get a real practical look into things. They run a market garden which I won't be doing but it's still good to know what types of veggies grow well in the local climate from someone who has done it for years.

They had also made a few major mistakes that i could learn from. Like not doing proper water management from the start and putting a road in the wrong side of the field and the road was then just being slowly swallowed by nature despite them having spent, get ready, £20,000 on having it done. I almost felt sick ngl, eye watering.

So yeah I won't be doing any of that, also given we won't be doing any daily machine work. I really don't like big machinery, I know way too many people who have been permanently gravely injured and some even lost their life to big agricultural machinery, things can go wrong so easily.

They were also doing a little rewilding and just letting the land heal itself. Overall it was a nice experience and the people were kind and had their heart in the right place. I now also have a foot in the door when it comes to connecting with the other organic growers and coops in the area :)

[mosswolf]

today we're going on a bat walk to a site where ive been told pipistrelle bats roost! they're one of a bunch of species of bat we have in wales, but they're both the smallest and the most common. theyre literally so tiny, between 3.5-4.5cm big.... babies.... and look. doggy!!!!

photo from the bat conservation trust

[mysticfoxdesigns]

Gotta love when TAs add memes

makes me wanna cry less

[dropsofsciencenews]

Between Refuge and Risk: The Avalanche Paradox for Mountain Ungulates

ESP version ITA version In the changing context of mountain environments, climate change manifests with rapid and significant transformations, profoundly influencing sensitive communities and ecological processes. A crucial element in this landscape is represented by the seasonal conditions of snow, which prove to be determinants for the dynamics of mountain ungulate populations. These variations directly affect vital ecological and physiological aspects, such as the energy costs of locomotion, vulnerability to predation, and the availability and quality of forage, both in summer and winter.

A recent study published in Nature explored how mountain goats, adapted to steep terrains to evade predators, paradoxically find themselves at risk due to the frequent instability of these slopes, which can generate avalanches. The research, conducted in southeastern Alaska on 421 goats monitored for 17 years, highlights that avalanches cause between 23% to 65% of annual deaths, primarily affecting the young and small. These steep areas, chosen to mitigate the risk of predation, turn out to be ecological traps due to their high risk of avalanches. This risk is variable, with peaks during the most unstable months for snow, especially at the beginning of winter and during the spring thaw.

The migratory and wintering strategies of ungulates further influence their exposure to the risk of avalanches. For example, mountain goats in Lynn Canal are extremely migratory, moving to low-altitude forested habitats during the winter, while other populations remain at higher altitudes, exposing themselves more to danger.

Climate change exacerbates this dynamic, modifying the frequency and intensity of avalanches, and consequently, the spatial and temporal distribution of these lethal events. Forecasts indicate an increase in wet avalanches compared to those of dry snow, with a potential increase in avalanche mortality rates.

The persistence of this risk in mountain systems, combined with the anticipated rise in the snowline elevation, may reduce the avalanche danger at lower altitudes, but the risk will continue to be a significant component in the ecology of mountain ungulates. However, the demographic influence of avalanches on ungulate populations is likely to persist in the future because both the avalanche danger and the ranges of mountain ungulates are expected to shift upward as the climate warms.

It is essential to emphasize that the growth rates of mountain goat populations are particularly low and can only sustain limited annual removals. Therefore, avalanche mortality, especially among young individuals, can have severe demographic impacts, leading to population decline. These data highlight the need to reconsider conservation and management strategies for these vulnerable populations.

The intensification of climate change and its extreme manifestations, such as avalanches, necessitates a rethinking of conservation policies to protect not only mountain ungulates but also the ecological integrity of mountain environments, which are crucial for global biodiversity.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-024-06073-0

Credits picture: NPS/Diane Renkin

[statecryptids]

A new page from my Field Guide to Saturn WIP.

The book consists of messages exchanged between two explorers, Hyacinth and Jess, as they study the life of the Saturnian system of moons and rings.

This message from Hya talks about her fondness for a flower on the moon Titan that resembles the Earth flower from which she took her new name when she came out as trans.

Here's the full text of her letter:

"To My Brave Explorer,

I found a flower today. Not very surprising, I know. But this flower- well, it feels like it was meant for me. I know that sounds silly. But let me explain.

I don’t think I’ve told you yet how I chose the name Hyacinth. It’s not the name I was given at birth, as you’ve probably guessed. I don’t want to write my birth name. I don’t hate it. I’ve made peace with that name and the time when I had to use it. But that wasn’t me.

I’ve always loved flowers. When I was a kid, I tried to help my mom in the garden, but my dad always pulled me away. “Boys don’t play with flowers,�� he’d say. Soon he wouldn’t even let me get near mom’s garden ‘cause he said it’d make me “soft” (that’s the least nasty of the words he used). I used to cry until I fell asleep.

Eventually I decided I didn’t want to cry anymore, so I made the weeds in our lawn into my garden. My secret garden that dad wouldn’t notice. The dandelions, the white clovers, blue speed-wells, thistles, oxalis. The little tough, pink spurge that grew in the sidewalk cracks. But my favorites were the grape hyacinths. They were tough. Everything in my garden was tough. Even after I mowed the lawn, everything grew right back in just a few days. And everything in my garden was beautiful. But that blue-purple in the hyacinths became my favorite color. It was the color of the evening just after dusk.

 I used to lie on the grass in the morning watching tiny green wasps, striped bees, and fuzz-ball Bombylius flies drink from the tiny violet bells.

When I decided it was time to choose my own name, I knew right away what I wanted. I practiced writing it out for weeks   before I finally had the courage to say it out loud. I thought about using the scientific name at first- Muscaria. Kind of a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Except it means “musk” in Greek, so that wasn’t going to work. So I’m Hyacinth, then.

So why am I talking about my name? Because, Jess, the flowers I found today? They’re my grape hyacinths.

I mean, they’re not really hyacinths. They’re nothing like Earth plants. They don’t photosynthesize. They get their energy from kinetic energy given off by other organisms- that’s an explanation for another letter.

But the little violet bells are there. And when I laid down to watch them, I saw pollinators climbing up into them. I caught a couple for Dr. Salmonson to study. I’ll send you some drawings soon.

I know this’ll sound silly too, but seeing these flowers so much like my Muscaria, it makes me feel, well, please don’t laugh at me, Jess. It feels like Titan is welcoming me. Like it’s saying I belong here.

I don’t know- does that sound stupid? I have to think about this.

                                                      ***

Okay, I’m back. I thought about just throwing out that last part, but it’s a feeling I can’t shake. I know Titan isn’t alive. I just- I’ve never felt at home anywhere on Earth before. I didn’t even understand the idea of “home”.  But since we got to Titan, I’m starting to understand.

And, well, I think I feel the same way about you, Jess.

Love,

Hya"

[britishraptor]

im sorry for the sudden influx of dungeon meshi I am watching the anime and I’m a biology nerd and I fucking love food and also I want to marry that fucking blonde nerd

[quaranmine]

Can definitely confirm as a Canadian that this has been a scary summer for wildfires. I live in southern Ontario, and could barely go outside for a week because the smoke coming in on the wind was so bad, I can’t imagine how scary it is for people living in the affected areas. My cousin lives in BC and I’ve been worried about him.

I'm really sorry you have to deal with that. Whenever I open any wildfire maps or smoke maps, Canada is just covered by it. Depending on the scale the map is zoomed at, it looks like the entire province of BC is covered. It looks so scary. Do y'all typically get fires that bad in Ontario? I know that BC and Alberta have more of the typical fire-supported ecosystems (mountains, conifer forests, etc), although that still doesn't mean the amount/intensity of the fires are normal. I haven't put a lot of research into wildfire in Canada, since I was mostly focusing on the area where my story was set, but I was initially quite surprised at how bad it was in the eastern areas of the country too. I hope your cousin is safe.

This summer has been pretty rough for my family, with my Papa's health taking a steep decline, him being hospitalized and placed on hospice, and then dying last month. (I really wish I could say it was peaceful but it was awful to witness.) My aunt was supposed to go on a camping trip with some friends up in Canada, but had to cancel it because of everything happening here. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise I guess--a really weird thing to call a "blessing" I know-- because her friends who went to Canada had to emergecy evacuate the campground and flee because the wildfires were closing in. They left all their belongings. Fortunately, the fire was stopped right before it reached the campground, but it was scary. I'm glad my aunt was not there and was safely down here. These people were fortunate because they're just tourists and can go home--so many people who actually live in Canada right now are in such a scary situation. Many people are not so fortunate, either by losing their life or their homes or their livelihoods.

[goddamnshinyrock]

it’s that time again! all the birding subreddits are filled with people who kidnapped baby birds and I want to believe you can be better than that, tumblr.

It’s FLEDGLING BIRD SEASON here in North America…

…which means it’s time for an annual reminder not to kidnap baby birds. Fact: most species of birds have almost no sense of smell. Someone probably told you that if you touch a baby bird, the mother will smell you on it and reject her baby. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. If you’ve found a baby bird and you touched it, all is not lost, you can still return it to mom and dad!

Pictured: a young Mourning Dove, after being rescued from the tender mercies of my dog, circa spring 2005. It’s a fledgling! Note how it has most of its feathers, but still looks a bit awkward and scruffy, and, being unable to properly fly, can be caught by an elderly husky or a child. 

Help, I found a baby bird on the ground, what do I do???

Hatchlings/Nestlings: IF it is naked or covered in fluffy down and/or pinfeathers and cannot flutter successfully, it’s a hatchling or nestling, and has fallen from its nest prematurely. Look for the nest- if you find it and can reach it, return baby and then leave and let the parents return. If you can’t find the nest, or if you find it in pieces on the ground, use a small box/yogurt container lined with dried grass and attach as close as possible to where you found the bird or where you think the nest was. If it’s cold, warm it in your hands for a few minutes before putting it back. RETURN BABY!!!! 

Fledglings: If you spot a young bird covered with feathers (may have a few patches of fluff) on the ground, it’s a fledgling (bird tween) who is currently working on flying 101 homework, which is normal and fine. Hanging out on the ground is part of the learning to fly process! If it looks like it’s in immediate danger (i.e. of being run over, stepped on, or eaten by a cat or dog), the best thing you can do for it is to gently scoop it up and place it in the low branches of a nearby tree or shrub, and then LEAVE. The parents are likely nearby watching, and will return once the coast is clear. If it flutter-hops away from you and you can’t catch it, then don’t worry! It just successfully avoided a predator (you), and therefore can probably continue to do so. LEAVE BABY ALONE!!!

DO NOT: Try to feed it, bring it into your house or car, or take it to your local domestic animal vet or shelter. 

IF it IS actually for-real injured (bleeding, broken limb, attacked by cat, struck window), you can catch it, put it in a dark cardboard box (with NO food or water, young birds can aspirate easily) and contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation professional, but keep in mind that they get a LOT of fledgling birds, and those birds have a pretty high mortality rate. They may tell you that there is nothing you or they can do but allow nature to take its course, and that’s hard, but important to hear and respect.

[drsueishaq]

MSE seminar this Friday is posponed - but join us for a social hour from 12:00 - 13:00 EDT!

Events will be hosted January – December, 2024, on the last Friday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom. After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting. Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine…

[wigoutlet]

[sparrowofsong]

Actually fuck it I'm gonna put this in the actual reblog instead of tags bc I see people mentioning it in the notes: FAIRPHONE!

First off, you don't have to be in the EU to get it! I got mine from Clove Technology (here), because it's the only fuckin' reseller who doesn't add a few hundred bucks. If anything, it's a little cheaper than the official price.

(Fair warning, because I didn't know this and it weirded me out - if you live outside the UK, they will ask for ID for a security check, which I think?? can be avoided if you just use PayPal)

FP4 has 5G but no headphone jack, FP3(+) and below is the other way around. I can't speak for the others, but the FP4 with 5G works just fine for me in the USA!

Not only is the FP made to be repairable, but it's also extremely tough, so the chances that you'll even need to repair it are pretty damn low. I have just the normal case on it — nothing fancy, no screen protector — and I have dropped this bad boy so many times without a single crack or scratch!

Oh, and they're guaranteed to get OS support for at least 5 years! Buuuuuttttttt you don't have to put stock android on it. FP also officially supports /e/OS, which is basically de-googled android. I highly recommend it. It's got its quirks, but it makes up for it in my eyes by breaking ads in most apps, lol.

[luncalxartwork]

Trying to make some vintage inspired propoganda posters for a conservation ecology zine I have in the works.

It's the first time in a long time I am going to being using what I spent 50k for from college.

I have the first issue's topic, and there are so many more ideas I have.

[april]

TVs and monitors are separate species with common features, but which features these are have drastically changed over time. the two used to be similar sizes with very similar behaviour, and were differentiated primarily by which connection ports they had.

over time, their courses of evolution brought them closer together in that regard, with both species' survival becoming contingent on how well they could digest HDMI. as their analogue prey, such as VGA and Component, died out, the two display species were faced with the same choice: adapt, or die.

despite this newfound similarity, though, the two species still fill different ecological niches, and the way they adapted to these new environmental situations resulted in further physical distinction in other areas. for example, it is now almost impossible to find a modern TV that is a comparable size to a monitor; while the modern monitor is still limited in dimensions by the desktops where it prefers to nest, the modern TV has an almost unbounded adult size.

another strange new differentiation is that the TV seems to have developed a dependence on internet connectivity and software updates. while this benefits them in the short term, having more selling points than a monitor at first glance, it is working against them in the long-term, with each one's effective lifespan being cut dramatically.

the "dumb TV" that, quite intelligently, does not have any big software features, is nearing extinction, with very few members still producing offspring. and while we may feel sorrow for these displays, it is only natural that they are dying off - they are simply being outcompeted by the once-humble monitor. at the same size, and without the advantage of a wider variety of ports, the dumb TV cannot keep up with the monitor's much more refined adaptations for the same niche.

however, one mystery remains: why did the dumb TV never grow to the same impressive dimensions as its smart siblings? some observations suggests that the larger smart TVs have become overly territorial as a result of their decreased longevity, to the point that they will kill an infant dumb TV if they feel that it could grow to compete with them. it seems cruel to us, but in the wild, it's all a matter of survival. if you win the evolutionary race - you fight to keep first place.

[theglassdragoncollective]

[ID: Art of the toki, their body a kintsugi piece (an artform where cracks and breaks are filled with a gold tinted lacquer for repair) looking to the side at the viewer as they stand in front of a bowl of gold dust with a taiki, a traditional kintsugi burnishing tool, laid across the top. The background is black. Art credit to Chantelle Chapman. End ID]

Two hundred years ago, the wetlands of Japan rustled with pink-tinged feathers. Tall, pale birds stepped carefully through reeds and iris, hunting small fish, crabs, and frogs. 

Nipponia nippon, it would be dubbed by the national ornithological society, a bird emblematic of its country. The Crested Ibis. The Toki. The Peach Flower Bird.

Marshes slowly changed to rice fields, with farmers who resented the toki for ruining crops; to kill the birds was outlawed, so children chased them from the fields, singing warnings.

The doors of the country were pried open. Laws changed. Farmers bought their first guns, their sights set on birds who were no longer protected. The toki, the red-crowned crane, and many others began to suffer. But the worst was yet to come.

Pesticides are indiscriminate killers. The poison sprayed to kill a beetle can travel up the foodchain, toppling a cascade of larger animals, or affecting their ability to reproduce. It was reckless pesticide use that nearly wiped out the Bald Eagle. In the rice fields, the peach-flower-bird had little chance. 

In 1981, Japan’s last five living toki were removed from a wild that had become too dangerous for them.

I tell a lot of sad stories here, about mistakes we’ve made and animals we’ve lost. This isn’t one of those. This is a story about one of those precious times when we were able to fix the things we’d broken. 

A joint effort between Japan & China, and the discovery of seven more birds in that country, led to a successful breeding program, which in 2008 saw the first ibises fly free again in Japan. Today, at least 5000 toki exist in the world.

The last wild-born toki, one of those captured in 1981, lived almost long enough to see her species’ return. Reaching the equivalent age of a centenarian human, she died in 2003—not of old age, but injury after throwing herself against her cage door. 

Her name was ‘Kin’. ‘Gold’. 

Mended things can never be as whole as they once were. There will always be cracks that show, weak spots that remain vulnerable. Yet, like the shining seams of a kintsugi piece, these scars speak an important truth: here is a thing that someone chose to save; handle with care.

The title of this painting is ‘Restoration’. It is gouache on 22x30 inch watercolor paper

[childofthewolvess]

A masterpost digital grimoire a list of all the educational content on deities, witchcraft, and familiars I've posted!

As a key: if the post is about Loki, it is marked in green, if the post is about Aphrodite, it is marked in pink, if it is about Ares, it is marked in red, if it is about Apollo, it is marked in orange. If it is a post about familiars, it is purple. If it is general witchcraft, deities, spellwork, or religion, or advice, it is marked in blue. If it is marked with a ❗, it is a longer and more educational-based post.

This will be updates each time I post!

DEITY POSTS

Devotional day to Aphrodite

Aphrodite's beauty

Shattered and put back together - a devotional story from Aphrodite❗

Aphrodite's altar

Aphrodite's beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Aphrodite and my service dog

Some simple subtle every-day worship I do as an Aphrodite devotee

Aphrodite and my familiars working together

Loki as a god of storytellers

Loki UPG quote about storytelling

Loki and his glowsticks (UPG)

Loki's altar shot glass and a chaotic job change

Personal associations with Loki (ask)

Interpreting Loki as a nature deity❗

Loki and Sigyn: Lessons on Chaos, Laughter, and Loyalty from the Norse Gods (quotes)

Loki's a little bit like moldavite

Loki's altar

Ares moodboard and aesthetic

To find peace in a war deity ❗

Ares is a woman respector send post

Ares as a protector of women and god of strength

Ares and how his energy feels

Ares altar

Ares is a proud dad, I guess?

I am a daughter of Ares

A prayer to Apollo❗

Apollo werewolf cult curiosity

Deity appreciation post

My god squad's energies and how I see them as a poet

Blending/combining different branches of polytheism

Devotee and Deity Trend

My participation in devotee and deity

Deity interactions in my practice

How my relationships with my deities feels ❗

Worship the gods you are drawn to!

My God Squad + Familiar Moodboards

SPIRIT WORK, RELIGION, GENERAL WITCHCRAFT

What is spiritual psychosis, and how do you recognize the signs in pagan spaces?❗

The danger of Divine Masculinity and Femininity in pagan spaces

What is a spirit worker?❗

A unique perspective on godspousing and the afterlife ❗

The Divine Aurora Borealis

Mundane enchantment ideas

Becoming open and loud about being a pagan & witch is scary. But what makes that any different than a Christian being open and loud about their faith? ❗

Custom tincture and balm making/herbalism

Colored flame candles

Healing from spiritual psychosis—a survivor's journey from delusion and depression, to happiness and purpose as a practicing pagan. ❗

Reminders for the disabled and chronically ill pagans/witches

Wolf encounter in Yellowstone as a wolf spirit worker

Learning about spiritual psychosis saves lives (thread) ❗

Litha wreathes with the coven!

Ecology, nature, and accessibility in neo-paganism

Honk if you worship the old gods

Intersectionality and spiritual psychosis ❗

Spiritual psychosis is not a harmless delusion ❗

Familiar Spirits in Eclectic Paganism and Witchcraft ❗

Life as a wolf spirit worker

Familiar appreciation post

How I work with my familiars❗

Familiar spirit readings (OPEN)

Reasons I think every witch/pagan should have a familiar spirit

A lil wisdom from the wolf spirits :)

Resources and readings for research on familiars & familiar spirits

How are familiar spirits found?

Familiar spirit anon Q&A ❗

Can we tell I never shut my mouth?