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A new sword I made.

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A set of ring boxes I made from a fallen walnut branch

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Fun Fact: some “pill bugs” are crustaceans. Others... are not

When I was around 12, a friend of mine told me that “potato bugs” (which is what we called these^ dudes where I grew up) weren’t actually bugs.

“They’re crustaceans,” she said, gleefully handing me a few. “Like crabs.”

This was shocking and delightful to me, and I carefully stored this fun fact away in the part of my brain used for exactly these sorts of fun facts. (I don’t remember where I stored the potato bugs she handed me, but my mom probably made me put them back in the garden).

Later, I learned that, while this is true, it wasn’t the whole story. It was true that some “potato bugs” (aka “pill bugs”) are terrestrial crustaceans. But there was another kind as well, living side-by-side with our funky little crustaceans, looking much the same

The crustacean pill bugs that my friend was talking about are members of the family Armadillidae. The second group are a type of millipede, which we group together into the order Oniscomorpha. Here’s a comparison:

pretty similar, right? Which is why it’s interesting that these guys aren’t closely related at all. (Also, I would like to voice my support of using the word “bug” to mean “terrestrial invertebrate”. Prescriptivist language is silly, and I say that spiders can be called “bugs” because that’s what people often call them. Hemipterans, don’t @ me with your “True Bug” claims 😉).

This is an excellent example of convergent evolution, in which two groups of organisms adapt to similar environments in similar ways, even though they’re not closely related. These two buggos both like to live under things, such as rocks, rotting logs, leaf litter, and paving stones, where they eat decomposing organic matter and generally live their best lives.

Clearly, this design was very well-suited for this way of life! 

(This meme is deeply incorrect, but I thought it was funny. 1. they objectively came to the same design independently, bc evolution doesn’t copy homework (except with horizontal gene transfer but that’s a whole OTHER tangent) 2. I don’t actually know who came first. They both appeared in in Carboniferous period at least 300 million years ago, but that is a RANGE OF TIME, so 🤷‍♂���. )

And it doesn’t stop there! I guess the “armour on back, curl up when spooked” design is pretty popular in the tree of life!

This has been fun fact friday keeping you updated on the latest trends, all the way from the Carboniferous period!!

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Rare footage of the guy that you imagine dodging signs and poles as they run along side the car.

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Can you tell that I stayed up way too late making this camouflage cloak out of blankets?

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Processing some ramps for later in the year. Dried leaves, lacto fermented bulbs, and pesto for freezing.

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A spadroon inspired short sword that I made.

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My wedding band that was made from a juniper trunk.

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My foraging knife I made with a mokume gane bolster and black cherry handle.

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It’s the start of March in NY. While most foragables are dormant you can still collect spruce (picea) resin to make a strong tasting chewing gum.

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In the dead of winter when most wild edibles are gone you can still find some invasive rosehips (rosa multiflora) to make a cup of herbal tea with.

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A sword inspired by the Scottish basket hilted broadsword that I made over the summer.

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American Persimmons (diospyros virginiana) are one of the latest fruiting plants in the Northeast US, known to ripen between September and November. Once they’re bletted they have a delicious fruity/sweet taste.

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In the north east US late summer and fall means that nightshade will bear edible fruit. Ripe American Black Nightshade (solanum nigrum) has a delicious taste reminiscent of tomato and anise. It has a bad reputation for being toxic because of the European nightshade that can kill you.

With its purple flowers, Bittersweet Nightshade (solanum dulcamara) is toxic. It looks more like a tomato, but the taste is so bad you’ll have ample warning of its danger.

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Common in as an urban landscaping tree, Black mulberries are super sweet and delicious. Just make sure you get them in summer before the birds take them all. The unripe berries have also been reported to be slightly halucinagenic provided you eat enough and take some tums.

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Some rough forged knives.

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Once late summer rolls in the mandrakes start to die down to the ground and the mayapples become ripe for gathering. They have a jelly like consistency and a flavor reminiscent of Concord grapes.