#give me bok choy or cabbage

[daringdo]

It bothers me when a meat dish has just one vegetable served with it and it’s green peas.

[succubusted]

I NEED to start cooking again bc I miss when I could taste something and know instantly what would kick it up a notch like I'm eating these sriracha noodles and they are VERY tasty but I KNOW some fatty meat or smth and some green onion would make it even better but I'm at a loss as to what protein

it needs something savory and rich for the spice to hold onto... maybe some chopped and fried chicken thigh? dark meat chicken has good flavor and richness to it... maybe some Spam........

[kiridune]

So, I had my science fiction loving grandfather read Project Hail Mary. And he had some feedback. The point that really resonated with me was there was no reason for the Hail Mary to be a suicide mission. To clarify: mission of no return yes, suicide mission no.

With the technology they have, they should have been able to give the Hail Mary the ability to grow food. Even right now we've been able to grow bok choy, rice, onions, peas, garlic, potatoes, cabbage, and sunflowers in space. The crew should have been able to support themselves.

And I just keep circling around this idea. Of another version of the Hail Mary crew that yes, is never going to see earth again, but does have the potential to live out the rest of their lives in another solar system. They may be lonely and without much healthcare, but they'll be able to study a whole new solar system for the rest of their lives.

I'm not entirely sure what point I'm trying to make. That I think that would be an interesting story? That I like the idea of refusing the worst case scenario? Of giving people the best possible chance? Not sure.

But I like the idea.

[ebonyheartnet]

Okay, so here’s an extremely simple recipe that’s gotten me through the last few low spoon months. It freezes well, and I’m able to get about five or six meals out of it.

The base recipe is naturally gluten free. So long as you customize accordingly, it’s also extremely friendly to most allergies (bc god knows I have damn near all of them).

For those with texture issues, the chicken comes out almost like it’s stewed and the vegetables are very soft without being wet. As for the oats, they’re more of a rice or fresh pasta texture, not mushy or porridge like if you nail the moisture content. Though there is a good bit of browning, especially if you add the baking soda, nothing’s really crunchy. You can add a bit of crunch by putting the portion you want to eat back in the rice cooker for a few minutes on high/cook.

Equipment:

-14 cup rice cooker (mine is by aroma housewares and is about $25 USD on Amazon rn)

-plastic/silicone/wooden spatula or spoon

-Tupperware and/or quart sized freezer bags

Ingredients:

-1 tbs of oil of your choice (ghee, olive oil, etc. you decide what flavor works best with what you want to eat and go for it)

-1/2 lbs of frozen riced cauliflower (you can use whatever small, hardy vegetables you like, this is just what I can eat)

-herbs and spices of your choice

-1/4 tspn of baking soda (optional, but helps with browning)

-roughly 3.5 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs

-2 cups chopped leafy greens (I use either arugula, bok choy or napa cabbage, but literally anything works)

-about 4 cups rolled oats

-salt to taste

-optional pinch of sugar

Instructions:

1.) Turn on rice cooker. If you have one like mine, hold it down to meet the weight requirement and switch to cook.

2.) Add your oil, then add cauliflower and salt + herbs + optional baking soda.

3.) Open and salt chicken, then place in the pot. Stir until everything is covered in cauliflower + herbs, then cover and let sit for 20 minutes. (If using a leafy green with a hard stem, add stems now.)

4.) Stir thoroughly, until browned bits at bottom are evenly distributed and chicken has started shredding. Add your leafy greens, then stir in oats in two batches with an additional pinch of salt. Keep stirring until all oats are damp, adding up to 1/2 cup water if needed.

5.) Cover and let cook for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Stir and serve, or package in Tupperware/ziplock.

Variations I’ve made:

-2 tbs minced ginger + 1/4 cup mint for herbs. I used napa cabbage and bok choy for my greens, and 1/2 a cup of the oats was replaced with homemade cranberry granola.

-1 sprig of rosemary + 5 leaves of fresh sage + 6 sprigs of fresh thyme for herbs. Used some very spicy arugula for my greens and served with cranberry sauce.

Notes:

This recipe is for whoever needs it, and all I have is one request:

Please don’t offer me suggestions.

I’m aware what I’ve done is pretty bland, but there are severe dietary restrictions interfering with what was once a thriving spice cabinet. Tell other folks your ideas, help each other out, etc. just don’t say that I should cook it differently bc that’s a block for my own sake.

On a more positive note, the main reason why this is formatted the way it is is that, honestly, it’s the way I’ve always preferred to cook. Give me my base recipe, a couple fill-in-the-blanks, and then suggestions so that I can start thinking. You can add aromatics, swap out the cauliflower, etc. Do whatever you want, just eat a thing! :D

[liu-lang]

earlier this week I made thunder tea rice / 擂茶饭

it's a hakka chinese dish but strangely google will only give me results for restos in sg - so now i wonder if it's more of a hakka diaspora dish, i haven't been able to find it outside of sg.

the name thunder tea rice comes from the fact that the character and pronunciation of the words 'thunder' 雷 and 'to pound' 擂 are the same.

you pound together green tea leaves with seeds and nuts and herbs (and sometimes anchovies or dried shrimp but i made a vegan version this time) to make a tea paste which you steep and then pour over the rice or eat on the side in separate bowl. it's like a more... flavourful version of ochazuke. there was an ozu retrospective at film forum to commemorate his birth / death and i saw his film 'the flavour of green tea over rice'

from left to right, i steamed different green leafy veg : long napa cabbage, bok choy, choy sum, edamame and watercress. this would go on top of the rice and stir fried veg in the circular black container. i stir fried long beans, carrots and onions and sauteed mini king oyster and shiitake mushrooms. instead of typical white rice, i cooked thai riceberry black rice in a mixture of coconut milk and cold brewed green tea. the dish is very simple and light so i thought the nutty flavour of the rice would complement it well. i also fried firm tofu that was coated in rice flour and shichimi togarashi.

my tea paste consisted of gunpowder green tea leaves, thai basil, mint, sesame seeds and peanuts. i forgot to get fresh coriander and add in a teaspoon of matcha. i also made this dish over 2 days so the tea paste oxydised a bit but that's okay. not pictured, i made a seaweed salad with cucumbers and bean sprouts and lightly pickled shredded jicama and green korean radishes

[mysticdragon3md3]

Seriously.

I loved eating broccoli as a kid, because the florets soaked up all the sauce. My mom let me cut off the more bitter stems and give them to my dad, since they were his favorite part. But i eventually got too lazy for that and started eating the stems myself.

Just expand your cuisine options. There are lots of cultures that have cooked some bitter, healthy veggies for generations, and have centuries of experience in knowing how to make it taste good. Yet so many people only know about steaming, boiling, or slathering veggies in butter or cheese. Or worse, they think the ingredient has to stay plain, because "it's supposed to be 'health food'." No! It's supposed to be food! And taste good too! You can't just steam a vegetable, plain, and expect it to always taste good. Try some stews and stir fries! Anyway, if you develop a taste for healthy ingredients, then you'll automatically eat it more often, and that'll be healthy. And that starts with making it taste good.

Like, I've seen Westerners insist on eating taho/tofu pudding plain because they think It's "diet food". What?!? You're supposed to eat it with caramel sauce! And i know from experience, once you get a taste for it, you need less and less caramel. Though, i think i recently saw taho re-marketed in an American store as "vegan yogurt". And i guess, plain taho is similar to plain yogurt. But just put the caramel sauce on it, you guys. You can candy some ginger in the caramel sauce too.

And I'll never get over the first time i tried broccoli with cheese, just to try how I'd seen/heard everyone else eating it, and it tasted like rubber. Cheese is the American go-to condiment to make everything taste good???? I can't believe I'm American sometimes. But im also Asian, so i know soy sauce is infinitely better for broccoli.

And expand your vegetable options. Broccoli, brustle sprouts, green beans, and spinach get treated like the only green veggies sometimes. Try some chayote, some gai lan, some yam leaves, daikon, kobocha, bamboo shoots, mustard leaves, leeks, etc. And eat more mushrooms, and more types. Same for peas; eat more snow peas. Eat the young versions of veggies. You don't always have to eat the bitter, older versions. Eat the young green beans and the baby bok choy.

And don't shop at those expensive chain grocery stores that make their "international foods section" look fancy. Find an Asian market, where the produce isn't all pretty, but it's still good, and there's a lot of it for cheap. Buy a cheap, fresh, fried fish while you're there. Lots of old countries developed their cuisine under famine and low resources, so there are lots of historically tried and true recipes that use cheap ingredients.

And find out HOW you like your veggies. Not all of them taste best steamed/boiled or sauteed (and everyone has a different preference). Try some eggplant, and don't just roast it. Put it in omelets and stir fries, after roasting. You can't just cook everything in water or chicken stock, and call it a day. Try the tamarind powder or fish stock. Try adding miso or ginger. Try stock made from shrimp shells. Maybe you'll prefer cabbage with tamarind more than soy sauce. I found out i like my cabbage boiled extra soft, with no crunchiness.

Expand your flavor palette, and one day, you'll wake up and realize you're excited to eat bittermelon. And bellpeppers outside of pizza. And avocados as desserts.

[whiskeynovember]

I decided to go all in today. I moved the rest of the herbs out to the front of the patio. the honey melon sage is looking very sad and the soil is still fairly damp from yesterday even though the rest of the seedlings have dried out. I want to give him a chance before I try to rehab it completely by putting it directly in water.

Korean mint doesn't seem to be getting much better or whatever else. I think these may be two that will benefit from drying out periods.

found a few more 🐛 on the basil.

I do believe I've come up with the winter garden idea. I'll need just a little more research, but I think I've got it.

I pulled out the old cucumbers and moved the Asian cucumbers over. moved the beefsteak tomato back to it's original area and moved one of the things Indian eggplants back further.

I now have an area behind the Thai eggplants for 4 bok choi and in front of the Indian eggplants for 5. I have area besides the tomatoes for 6 and cucumbers on opposing ends for 6 more of the Chinese cabbage.

I'm gonna do 3 in each space in between the peppers which should give me about 21 for 7 areas if I've spaced it correctly.

I will put the collard greens in grow bags.

I... may leave the peppers and eggplants to overwinter in their original spot and just keep them covered in hay. reason being, if I even put them in grow bags, what am I going to do with them? put them in the garage? on the patio? what was the endgame with that, honestly? 😂

nah... I will have (1) 10 gallon bag for what looks like 2 cucamelons, and (1) 10 gallon bag for 2 Poha berries and i may just say fuck it and use all (12) 7 gallon bags for the collards...

dad will LOVE that.

it also just makes more sense. also means I'll probably need another bag of soil, but I may be able to bulk them up with leaves, compost, and the Sphagnum moss.

I've already got everything mapped out, gonna do some more research today and do some planting tomorrow.

[edgewaterfarmcsa]

CSA WEEK 12

P i c k l i s t

Bok Choy - Napa Cabbage - Green beans - Shishito Peppers - Cayenne Pepper - Sweet Peppers - 

Cherry Tomatoes - Mint - Carrots - Cilantro

This week at edgewater: 

The cilantro continues to thrive.  I bet over the past few weeks you’ve had a hankerin for some basil… me too.  However, the herbs were flooded with river water back when we considered ark building, and it takes a minute to get the next planting going (yup, We are still seeding and planting over here!).  Also we’ve seen signs of downy mildew around the plants which is kind of like an airborne kiss of death for basil… So this Summer as a result, we continue to celebrate cilantro- who, as it turns out, loves a rain girl summer. I am aware that cilantro is not everyone’s fave herb- so thank goodness for Mrs. T and the mint she picked this week to distract the cilantro haters among us.  A new planting of parsley has started to fluff up and stretch its wings- and to be safe, we planted it in a greenhouse because you just can't trust the skies these days.  Fingers crossed you get dazzled with these bunches over the next few weeks, but until then, cilantro is queen.

Also over the next few weeks, get pumped!  It is officially cherry tomato overwhelm in the fields/ the packshed/ the farmstand/ the co-ops/ your kitchen etc.  Embrace this moment, and make some cherry roasted tomato candy to be eaten on everything all the time (recipe to come, probs next week).  

AND LASTLY FOR NEXT WEEK, we are in the midst of planning our Fall CSA, which is a mini extension of Summer, but sub out tomatoes for winter squash.  STAY TUNED FOR DEETS!

FARMY FOODIE PRO-TIPS: 

First off, bok choy + napa + carrots + hottie pep, HELLO KIMCHI! Cruise back on the Edgewater Farm CSA blog to week 4, for an easy peasy kimchi recipe.  Look for, BAECHU KIMCHI BY MORIHOUSE (@mori.house)

(This is admittedly an extremely New England version of a Thai Salad. It does its best to mimic the heavenly Som Tam papaya salad that you will find all over Thailand, but here we are in the upper Valley with 0 papayas in sight.  Give it a shot, I think you will be delighted with the results)

750g raw french green beans

1 cup baby tomatoes (halved)

2 yellow onions

1 1/2 cups raw peanuts

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup fresh basil leaves

Dressing

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

3 tbsp white sugar

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp fresh birds eye chili, diced

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place raw peanuts on a baking sheet.

Slice onions in thin half-moon rings, and then heat up grapeseed oil on medium heat.

Roast the peanuts in the oven for about 10 minutes until they start to brown.

Cook the onions for 15-20 minutes until they're brown and crispy. Stir every few minutes so they brown evenly.

In the meantime, prepare the rest of the salad. Mince the garlic, birds eye chili, and slice your tomatoes if you haven't already. Clean and cut your green beans into bite sized pieces.

In a large bowl, make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients using a whisk (garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar). Add half of the diced chilis and taste the sauce to see if it's the right level of spice before adding more.

Once your onions have finished cooking, remove and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Remove your roasted peanuts and once cool, lightly chop them.

Add your green beans and tomatoes into the large bowl and toss with the fresh herbs. You can keep this for a few hours in the fridge.

When you're ready to serve, add in the fried onions and roasted peanuts.

Salsa Very Verde

FROM THE cookbook,

That Sounds So Good by Carla Lalli Music (which i highly reccomend getting a copy :)

JENNY’S NOTE: My brilliant friend Claire made this last week, and I had to nab the recipe for ya.  You might need more herbs than what is in the CSA this week, BUT I highly recommend holding onto this recipe, making it with what you have in sight and schmearing on everything.  It’s too damn good. 

2 oil-packed anchovy fillets

Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, finely grated

1 shallot, minced (your red onion from last week is fine)

2 tablespoons capers, drained and finely chopped

1-inch pieces spicy green chile (such as jalapeño or serrano), finely chopped

2 cups thinly sliced tender herbs (such as basil, parsley, tarragon, chervil, chives, cilantro, and/or mint), loosely packed

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

Place anchovies on cutting board and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Finely chop anchovies, then use the edge of your knife to smash them against the cutting board until they become a paste. Scrape into a medium bowl and add red pepper flakes, grated garlic, shallot, capers, and green chile. Add the chopped herbs and olive oil and stir. Once combined, add cider vinegar and taste to adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Charred Shishito Peppers

(THE SECOND* SIMPLEST WAY TO ACHIEVE THE PERFECT BITE)

2 teaspoons grapeseed or olive oil

1 pound shishito peppers

Flaky sea salt

Directions

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the grapeseed oil. Add half of the peppers and cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until charred and tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining oil and peppers.

season with flaky sea salt. Transfer to a platter; eat  ASAP

*FIRST SIMPLE WAY TO ACHIEVE EATING PERFECTION INVOLVES ONE TOMATO AND A DASH OF SALT

[qaraxuanzenith]

I am posting this for accountability, as a reminder to myself.

Growing up, I was a picky eater. It was difficult to cajole me into eating any vegetables, and even when I'd try one, I would say it made me feel sick and then go back to not eating it. So picky!

As an adult, and especially in the past ten years, I've become more adventurous and deliberately more "grown-up" about the foods I try and the foods I like. I've discovered that I actually like a lot of vegetables that I used to turn up my nose at, like broccoli, zucchini, and spinach!

I've also discovered, though, that while there are some foods I'm still just "picky" about (I'm simply not sold on the taste of eggplant, mushrooms, or cauliflower), there are other foods that I actually for real can't eat.

I have known for a while that I'm intolerant to cabbage and anything cabbage-like (bok choy, brussels sprouts), of the "physically incapable of swallowing it" variety.

And the juice of raw tomatoes and bell peppers makes me feel sick, even though I LIKE tomatoes now (I love them in soups, when they've been cooked enough that the juice doesn't affect me).

And, okay, I'm "mildly intolerant" to spinach, meaning if I eat more than an arbitrarily small amount in a sitting I might throw it up or come close, which is a pain because I really like spinach now, especially raw in a salad or cooked in dough like spanakopita or spinach bourekas.

And, all right, recently I've discovered another mild intolerance to "dark greens" - more than an arbitrarily small amount of things like asparagus, or cucumber or zucchini with the peel on, and I'll suddenly experience the "physically unable to swallow" that I know from my cabbage intolerance.

And then today, proud of my new salad eating habits, I told my mom I would try the (lettuce plus dressing) salad she had made, and she served me a big bowlful. I'm not intolerant to lettuce, I thought in my hubris. Then just past halfway through the very delicious salad, I started gagging violently and couldn't eat more.

So anyway, turns out I'm mildly intolerant to ALL green vegetables (plus tomatoes and bell peppers).

I'm probably going to keep up with the "I'm ideologically opposed to eating salad" line because in my experience only people like my fiancee who have a personal experience of niche / weirdly specific allergies or intolerances will believe you when you say "I'm intolerant to basically all vegetables" and, also in my experience, people are a lot more tolerant of someone giving a funny quip acknowledging her picky eating than of a grown adult who can't even admit to just being picky about vegetables. But I'm writing this to remind myself so I'll know, and feel vindicated, that the vast majority of vegetables that I refuse to eat, or only eat in minuscule quantities or only when overcooked, are not because of baseless picky eating but from genuine for real eating intolerance.

[five-rivers]

Cultivar

For @feministhotline

.

Consider Brassica oleracea, wild cabbage, a single species of plant. Once humans got their hands on it, they bred it into useful and radically different cultivars. Cabbage, kale, collard greens, kai-lan, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower, to name a few. Not to mention the cousins of the species, which included turnips, bok choy, rapeseed, and mustard.

If people did this for a moderately tasty plant, it was, therefore, foolish to think that there was only one cultivar of blood blossom, a plant that could affect ghosts in such an intimate way.

The blood blossoms ghost hunters had gotten their hands on had been bred to cause ghosts paralyzing agony when in close proximity. A good idea in theory, but short sighted in the long run. Especially when the cultivar was unable to affect half-ghosts in their human forms.

There were more interesting varieties.

The one commonly known as ghost nip, with its lily-like flowers, compelled ghosts to consume their stamens, which both induced a sense of calm and euphoria in the ghost and caused the ghost to begin producing pollen for the flower, which in turn would be spread to other flowers when the ghost moved on, fertilizing them. Those were valued among some ghosts as a recreational drug and reviled among others.

The ­tattoo rose’s microscopic seeds would take root and spread delicate, glowing vines just under a ghost’s skin, feeding off their ectoplasm. When prepared to reproduce, thumbnail-sized red flowers would burst from beneath the ghost’s skin. The process tended to weaken the host, render them lethargic and hungry, but tattoo roses were also beautiful and, somewhat counterintuitively, had a notable stabilizing effect on the ghosts they inhabited. Many weak ghosts, or ghosts on the verge of dissolution, had been saved by the tattoo rose. It was lucky for everyone else, however, that the tattoo rose was not, like its namesake, permanent, but only lasted through three blooming cycles before fading.

Hanahaki was a very niche cultivar, one that subsisted exclusively on the stresses and emotions associated with unrequited or unconfessed love. It grew primarily in the mouths, throats, and lungs of ghosts unfortunate enough to have them. Although ghosts have no need to breathe, those afflicted often lost the ability to speak. It had been bred in one of the Cherry Kingdoms, as a punishment for one of the Empress’s suitors.

Meanwhile, false poppies – named for their effect more than their appearance – made ghosts drowsy. There were stories of ghost falling asleep in beds of false poppy blood blossoms and waking only when their blooming season was over, roots having grown over their still forms. Less potent false poppies could, if one were careful, be harvested for sedatives.

Witch’s clover was another one that had first been used by humans. Ghosts exposed to it became more suggestible, gullible, pliant, and vulnerable to other forms of control, such as hypnosis. A boon for a group of people who gained power from their dealings with ghosts. Of course, some ghosts had use for it as well.

The saltseed varietal had sparked the myth that ghosts were repelled by salt. In truth, the tiny, cubic white seeds of the plant simply absorbed ectoenergy so quickly and so efficiently that ghosts would recoil from it.

Then, on the opposite end of that spectrum, was the wishing rose, which would give any ghost who touched it a massive boost of ectoenergy—all while injecting them with one of its seed pods. Which would eventually explode to spread their seeds. The explosion typically wasn’t fatal to the ghost, but that didn’t mean it was pleasant.

None of this even touched on the hybrids Sam was developing. It was a tricky proposition. It was difficult to tell exactly what any given hybrid would be like, what traits they would pick up, what new traits might arise from the combination. None of the ones she had tried so far had the combination of effects she wanted.

However, she had a much greater ability to experiment than any other ghost or human. Her father’s power combined with her human immunity to most blood blossom effects guaranteed it.

The hybrid she was currently carrying showed promise in early trials. Now, she was taking it to the real test.

She emerged from the great forest that had grown in the ruins of Amity Park and smiled at the sun on her face. Her dress of petals rustled behind her as her father’s vines shifted behind her.

Ahead of her, on a small hill, stood a dome made of blood blossom vines and scavenged ironwork and glass. Concentric rings of blood blossoms, each containing a different mix of cultivars, surrounded it. She checked the health of the plants as she passed, revitalizing the ones that seemed to be wilting with a thought.

When she reached the dome, she gestured, and the vines peeled back, opening a hidden door as they went. It squealed, announcing her presence.

In another life, she might have thought about oiling the hinges. Now, it didn’t even cross her mind as she entered her greenhouse, her miniature garden, which she had constructed for one person and one person alone.

One person who was, aggravatingly, hiding from her. Again.

She rolled her eyes and surveyed her surroundings as the gate shrieked shut behind her.

It was hot and humid in the dome, the air full of luminous clouds of pollen, thick enough that even a person without allergies might have trouble breathing, might feel drowsy. More practically, it prevented the inhabitant from using a certain sound-based weapon.

The blood blossoms were healthy, for the most part. The ones whose vines comprised the main structure of the dome were thick and strong, their hanging blooms full of color. A version of false poppy, they kept the ghost contained within from destroying the dome in partnership with the saltseed planted around its base. Elsewhere in the dome, the more healing varieties were largely untouched. Although, the ghost nip had been destroyed. Again.

(How stubborn. She had planted them with the hope that he would, for once, relax.)

The fruits and vegetables, some ghostly, others largely human, which had been planted to provide more material sustenance for the garden’s inhabitant, appeared to have been cared for and harvested since Sam’s last visit. Good. She didn’t want to deal with a pointless hunger strike.

The spring at the center of the dome burbled merrily.

“Danny,” called Sam. “I have something for you. Won’t you come out? We haven’t talked for so long.”

She could, of course, give him her gift without being anywhere near him, such were the powers her father gave to her, but she really did want to talk to him.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” said Danny, who was hiding in a tree.

“There’s always something to talk about. My offer still stands. It gets boring without you, Danny.”

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you used everyone else for fertilizer!”

“Well, I can’t exactly take it back,” said Sam. “It was something father decided on.”

Silence.

Danny, scowling, jumped out of the apple tree. He stumbled somewhat on landing. The prolific blood blossoms combined with his sporadic eating habits and the heat had weakened his core. His skin was slick with sweat. Or, perhaps, he had taken a dip in the spring, earlier.

Sam felt a fond smile spread across her lips. It really had been too long.

“What do you want?” asked Danny, leaning against the trunk of the tree. He kept glancing at her but seemed unable to hold her gaze for any length of time.

She walked closer.

“It’s good to see you, Danny. Isn’t it enough for me to want to see a friend?”

“Yes,” said Danny, bluntly. “Why don’t you go see Tucker?”

Sam sighed. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Danny.”

He flinched. “Stop saying my name,” he muttered. “You aren’t her.”

Her smile became more forced. Well. He was back on that, now, was he? No matter.

She flicked her fingers, sending the miniscule seeds she had brought with her to Danny, and waited. Tattoo roses rooted quickly, and so did this hybrid.

She knew the process had started when Danny hissed and started clawing at his skin. She grabbed his hands, stopping him.

“W-what—” he started before Sam shushed him.

This hybrid had a number of useful features, having been developed from tattoo roses, witch’s clover, and false poppy. It was, as was the case with all tattoo roses, impossible to get away from. The mild false poppy effects lowered the ghost’s defenses and provided an analgesic effect that was necessary given the greater size of the cultivar compared to the typical tattoo rose. The contribution of the witch’s clover was pliability, rendering the affected ghost docile and obedient. Finally, as an extra treat, Sam had discovered that the hybrid could last up to ten blooming cycles. Cycles she would use her abilities to draw out for as long as possible.

Danny sunk to his knees, his breathing, already heavy, becoming ragged.

“Hurt-sss,” hissed Danny, shuddering.

Sam cradled his head, noting how feverish he felt, a welcome change from the frigid, hypothermic temperature he’d maintained for the months after Amity Park fell. “Shhh, shhh, it won’t last long.” She traced the slightly raised and vibrantly glowing skin that indicated the presence of a vine. As she did so, she started to feel the leaves unfurl and tiny buds begin to form. “There we are. How does that feel?”

Danny raised his head. His eyes were foggy, unfocused, his pupils blown wide. “Who?” he slurred.

“It’s me, Sam.”

“Hmn, Sam. Id’nfeels’g’d.” He let his head drop back to her lap as small flowers began to force themselves out of the skin of his scalp.

Sam examined the flowers closely, pinching off the ones that seemed ill-formed. She would have to monitor Danny carefully for the next little while, to see how he adapted. He took so much care to cultivate. Truly, a tender, delicate, hothouse flower. But it was worth it.

After all, out of all the plants her father had given her, all the flowers in her garden, blood blossom cultivars included, Danny was surely her most prized.

[docholligay]

Shamash Answers: Other

For other I asked: I’m coming for Shabbat! What are you making? 

THE ANSWERS:

Panic! Pure panic! I've never served a multicourse meal in my life.  And yes, I googled what is normally served at Shabbat to know it's traditionally multicourse.  I'm a one course girl, so Scallop and Mushroom Risotto?  Maybe Za'tar Grilling Cheese and grilled vegetables with couscous?  Oh wait, another website says I'm supposed to do meat.  I don't know...  I can't do my brother's lasagna, because that's pork sasuage and cheese!  So that's a double No can do.  Chicken?!  I would try very hard, but I'd need like a list of do's and don't's to follow, before I could figure out what I'm serving, because I can't remember the ways the ways you and yours, specifically, observe kosher.   -- @uofmdragon 

This was incredibly sweet, particularly with the aspects of worrying about my kosher observance (For when I show up on your doorstep, the easy offhand way I describe it to hosts is: I don’t eat pork at all, or red meat and dairy together) And you don’t have to do meat! The idea is just something SPECIAL, making shabbat special, which in the past was usually meat, since that was an expense. SCALLOPS DEFINITELY RATE. 

Oh heck oh gosh what do i feel confident enough to feed a DOC HOLLIGAY AAAAAAAAA Well there's going to be challah of course, and bread *and* Holligays both demand soup, and it's winter, so a turnip soup should do! A passable starter, at least. Roasted asparagus and eggplant for vegetable sides, because I love both of these ridiculously temperamental vegetables, but I know I won't be judged too hard if they come out poorly, because temperaments. Our main! Salmon!!!!!!!!!! Flavored with some lemon juice and dill, and with a pistachio crust. Served alongside jewel rice, using chopped pistachios to blend the flavors a bit and pomegranate seeds of course, which'll give it some bite. I can be fully confident in putting these together, however stressi I might be. And for a dessert, I like to go experimental, so the tomato chiffon cake from Jaconde Baking- if it's good, it should be a different enough taste from the rest of the food to stand out, and if it's bad, then at least it's a bizarre enough idea to have attempted that we can be amused rather than disappointed by it. Please have enjoyed your meal, and do come back while being drunk and/or Haru enough that I don't have to worry about making my food impressive enough for Food Expert Doc Holligay.  -- @katrani

I have always meant to try that tomato chiffon cake! I’m so curious about it, always, and I love jeweled rice. 

Good news, you’re in Maryland! Hope you like Old Bay seasoning, because we are legally and morally obligated to serve it to you. Sure, there might be ‘proteins’ and ‘carbohydrates’ and ‘literally anything with nutritional content whatsoever’ down there. Probably. Somewhere. None of that is important. Old Bay is important. Join us. We are crabby. -- Regalli 

It will please you to know that I have Old Bay in my cupboard, and so the ways of your people are spreading. 

I could come up with a menu, but the honest answer is "my terror and tears" -- @incorrecttact

There were a number of answers that were basically “ARE YOU KIDDING I CAN’T COOK FOR YOU” but this was the one that made me laugh out loud. 

Grilled cheese with ketchup, enjoy-- it’s poison

This won for the sole fact that when I read the first half, I was like, “ah okay, not much effort,” but then I read the name and HOWL-LAUGHED. Just the mental image of someone flopping a cheese sandwich in front of me and flatly saying. ‘Enjoy”*walks into the kitchen, pops head back out* “It’s poison” I have no idea how I’ll identify you if you get drawn, but. 

Five courses! Which are of course served on a table set with my nice tablecloth and candles and dishware and cutlery.

 Course 1: Chicken ginger soup with wild rice

 Course 2: Cabbage-based salad with fresh herbs and a sesame vinaigrette

 Course 3: Miso-glazed broiled black cod with shiitake and baby bok choy

 Course 4: Braised five-spice lamb shank with soy and ginger, served over rice with broccolini

 Course 5: Roasted buckwheat custard with coffee on the side -- @seolh​

This was a really, really tough one between two of them with really involved course listings, but this one got the edge because I love two things on it INTENSELY: Lamb, and being served coffee with dessert. When a hostess does that, it’s such a touch of class! 

[shwazzberryswriting]

7 Steps to Forgiveness, Step 1: Show Gratitude

Step 1: Show Gratitude

Bian sat on her couch, her legs crossed in front of her with a blindfold on. Yangyang hadn’t specified how long she had to wait for him, but she was certain that five minutes had passed. Sitting back in her seat, she thought about how she agreed to give her boyfriend a second chance. Whatever he had in store was part of his Apology Tour, so she let him take control of how he was to prove himself.

“Babe?” she heard Yangyang’s voice say as she heard the front door opening. She smiled, turning her head in the direction of the sounds. He’d begun calling her babe the day after she told him she was willing to forgive him for hurting her.

“Hey,” she called out, holding up her hand to wave in what she hoped was his direction.

“You can’t see, right?”

“No, and I’ve been sitting here in silence for like, five minutes.”

“OK, I’m almost done,” he said with a rushed tone. She heard rustling noises. She smelt food, scents of a lot of herbs and onions and garlic hitting her nose. She was guessing he’d made her ramen. Her confidence in her guess heightened as she heard dinnerware being set down onto her kitchen table. “Babe, hold your hands out, and I’ll take them. I’ll help you walk over to the kitchen table.”

She did as he instructed, and stood up as she felt Yangyang’s fingers intertwined with hers. Blood rushed up to her face, she knew she was blushing. Whether it was subconscious or intentional, Yangyang as a real boyfriend was extremely affectionate.

She’d never had a boyfriend who kissed her hands and cheek as much as him. Every night for the past week he’d held her in his arms as they watched movies on her couch. And every opportunity he got, he held her hands, often with intertwined fingers. Even a hug came with him taking a few extra seconds to rub her back or a tight squeeze before he let her go.

She’d really come to enjoy him nuzzling his nose against the side of her neck. He could only kiss her cheeks and hand, but he reminded her that she’d forgotten to tell him he couldn’t be affectionate in other ways. It was both cute and annoying, but given how fresh things were, it was mostly cute. If he wanted to hold her close and kiss her cheeks she wasn’t going to reject his affections.

“Ready?” he said when he stopped her walking, and placed his hands onto her shoulders to fine tune how he wanted her to stand.

“It smells good,” she replied, feeling his hands untying the strings to the blindfold.

She blinked a few times before focusing her eyes onto the kitchen table. He’d prepared a hotpot for her. The broth was simmering in the electric burner and the fresh vegetables, cuts of meat, and dry ramen were laid out neatly before the pot of broth and a couple bowls of rice. He’d gone above and beyond a bowl of ramen.

“Wow,” she said as she turned to look at Yangyang. Before she could say another word he spoke up.

“Let me know if the food is good,” he said, pulling her seat out for her.

“You’re really going all out,” she said, smiling. They sat down together. “Did Chenle help you out?” “Renjun and Kun, too,” he said as he began throwing slices of pork belly, beef brisket and bok choy into the broth. “Don’t worry, they’re having their own hot pot at Chenle’s right now. We get to enjoy this alone.”

“The food looks so good,” she said, watching him toss mushrooms and cabbage into the broth. “So, what? A fancy meal once a week for the next month?”

“Fastest way to a person’s heart is through their stomach.”

“The food is amazing,” she said when she’d taken a bite of the meat he’d placed onto her bowl of rice. “You need to eat, too, Yangyang.”

She picked up some mushroom, napa cabbage and a slice of pork belly with her chopsticks and placed them onto his bowl of rice. He ate his food without a word, and she resisted the urge to put her chopsticks down and reach over to kiss the kernel of rice off the corner of his mouth. Instead, she caught his eye and pointed to her mouth to alert him. When they were done eating, he insisted she sit back and relax as he cleaned.

“I miss washing dishes with you,” Yangyang said as he set the cups down beside the sink. “A house full of bros is nothing but dirty dishes all the time. Your place is just your dishes and my dishes.”

“So I see your true motives,” she said, leaning up against the counter to watch him wash the dishes. “You want a lowkey roommate.”

“Hey, if you let me live with you, I’d always wash the dishes.”

“You mean you’ll put the dishes in the dishwasher?” He gave a smile as he began washing the dishes, nodding. She gave a chuckle before walking over to her fridge to grab a frozen popsicle. Unwrapping the pink strawberry flavored popsicle, she rested her back against the counter again as she stood beside Yangyang. “Do you want one?”

“Can I have, like, just a bite of yours?” he replied. He choked out a, “Thanks,” after biting off the tip of the popsicle. His childish tendencies made her smile.

As Yangyang washed the dishes, he talked about a project he had to do for a class, and how his project team turned a night of studying into a drinking game. When she finished the popsicle, Yangyang was focused on scrubbing the big pot they’d used for the hotpot. His tongue stuck out between his lips, and his hair fell over his eyes as he scrubbed at the food stuck to the pot.

“You won’t let me thank you for dinner,” she said, standing up straight, “so,” she stood behind Yangyang as she wrapped her arms around his waist before resting her head against his back.

She shut her eyes, pressing herself closer to him, sighing as she felt the warmth of his body. His familiar cologne blended with the lingering scent of food left on his clothes filled her nose. They listened to the music from his phone as he finished washing the dishes. Her arms held him close and she listened to his heartbeat.

--

To Step 2

[jaybug-jabbers]

Flick’s Complete Bug Guide

Hi, all! Do you feel a wave of disappointment whenever you bring Blathers a bug and he spends all his time berating the poor creatures? Want to learn more about the buggy friends you find in Animal Crossing without all the snide remarks?

Look no further– this is Flick’s Complete Bug Guide! Learn about these amazing creatures from the perspective of a true bug fan!

You’re encouraged to visit every time you capture a new bug so you can learn more about it!

This guide is written in the theoretical universe where you can approach Flick during a day he is visiting and there is a dialogue option “Tell me about this!”

Upon being asked to tell you about a bug, Flick would say:

“Oh my gosh! A <name of bug>! I can hardly even gaze upon its sheer beauty and magnificence!”

“Ahem. I-I mean, um … thank you for bringing this to me!”

He would then tell you about the bug, and finish his speech with the following:

“It has been an honor to spend time in the presence of your  <name of bug>. I hope you enjoyed hearing what wisdom I could share about it!”

Now, onward to the bug guide!

Common Butterfly (Pieris rapae)

The Common Butterfly, also known as the Cabbage Butterfly or the White Butterfly, is a widespread species of butterfly with pretty white wings and black spots. A large reason this species has grown so widespread is because its caterpillars love to eat plants in the cabbage family, including kale, broccoli and bok choy, plants that humans grow plenty of. While these caterpillars are considered serious crop pests, it’s interesting to note that these little grubs will move around a lot when feeding, avoiding damaging any single part of the plant too much. This may be to avoid predators from easily spotting the caterpillars, but they also might be trying to share the crops with us! With that in mind, maybe we can learn to share our crops with the butterflies, too.  

Yellow Butterfly (Colias erate)

Ever wonder about a butterfly’s wing? Such delicate, beautiful structures? Well, the scientific name for the family of butterflies and moths is ‘Lepidoptera,’ which means 'scale wing.’ Butterfly wings are coated in thousands of teeny, tiny scales made of chitin. These scales help insulate a butterfly, as well as allow butterfly wings to get their coloration through pigments or iridescence. The scales also allow for a very neat trick– if a butterfly gets captured in a spider’s web, there’s a good chance some of the scales on their wings will detach, allowing the butterfly to slip away. That’s why if you handle a butterfly, sometimes you hands are covered in a fine powdery substance. That powder is some of the butterfly’s scales rubbing off on you. I have to admit, I envy butterfly scales a little. They seem much more beautiful and functional than my own lizardy scales.

Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon)

This vibrant black-and-blue insect is a type of swallowtail butterfly, and lives in tropical rainforests as well as some drier, subtropical environments. Like most butterflies, they feed on flower nectar, but Bluebottles are also commonly seen drinking from mud puddles. This helps them take in salts and minerals from the ground. In search of nutrients, Bluebottles may even occasionally feed from animal droppings or dead animals! Although this may change your image of butterflies as sweet, lovely insects, it’s actually a really smart move for the butterflies. Good things can come even from wastes!

Tiger Butterfly (Papilio machaon)

The Tiger Butterfly is named for its dramatic yellow and black-striped coloration. It’s also sometimes called a Yellow Swallowtail, because of the long tails on its hindwings that resemble the tails of swallows. When Tiger Butterflies are caterpillars, they are covered in brown, white and black spots– ingeniously camouflaged as bird droppings! As the caterpillars get older, their colors change to a lovely green with black and orange markings. They also gain a new defense against predators, called the osmeterium. This is a forked, retractable organ that the caterpillar can inflate when feeling threatened. The osmeterium releases a foul odor, warding off ants and other predatory insects. As you can see, caterpillars have all sorts of tricks to avoid being eaten– which is a good thing, because that means more beautiful butterflies!

Agrias Butterfly(Agrias claudina)

This superb little butterfly is considered one of the most beautiful species to exist, and with its iridescent pink and violet set on a black background, I find it hard to argue. The glorious colors you’re witnessing are thanks to the teeny, tiny scales that coat the butterflies’ wings. Male Agrias Butterflies also have small yellow patches of scales on their hindwings, and these patches are special. They’re actually made of something called androconial scales. These scales help release pheromones for attracting a mate. Butterflies communicate with each other through these pheromones, as well as those colorful, glittering wings. Of course, with such eye-catching looks, these butterflies may gain the unwanted attention of predators, too, but they’re in luck: Agrias Butterflies are incredibly swift and agile fliers. It takes a lot to get ahold of one of these little gems!

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae)

Oh, wow! You caught a Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing? Those are rare– they’re an endangered species! They live in rainforests, but habitat destruction from oil palm plantations has really damaged their populations. (It didn’t help that a volcano erupted around the 50s, destroying much of their habitat as well.) These days, it’s illegal to trade this species worldwide. Hopefully, with habitat protection and captive breeding programs, the species will make a comeback. It’s a really special species– did you know it’s the largest butterfly in the world? Its wingspan can reach up to 9 inches or larger! The females are the larger of the species, while males are smaller but more brightly colored. They love to fly quite high up, and have few natural predators due to their size. That fact gives me hope! I want to see these birdwings thrive once more.

Emperor Butterfly (Morpho menelaus)

The charismatic Emperor Butterfly– also commonly known as the Blue Morpho– is a wonderful example of iridescence. The shimmering cerulean shades of this species do not come from pigment but instead from wing scales that have a special microstructure, reflecting the light in a special way to produce the color. As the butterfly flies, you get flashes of bright blue, and other times see the dark wing undersides. It makes for quite the dazzling display. This butterfly’s wings don’t only look lovely, but also are able to repel water. As a result, it’s one of the few butterflies that will fly in the rain! Because of its beauty, the Emperor is popular with collectors, but over collection and habitat destruction threatens this species. It’s essential that we protect and preserve nature and its incredible insects, so future generations can enjoy them as well!

Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana)

The regal Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing is the national butterfly of Malaysia, and it’s easy to see why. This butterfly makes for an impressive sight; it has a wingspan over 7 inches long and has shimmering, electric-green and black wings. It dwells on rainforested islands where it feeds from flowers such as orchid trees. Interestingly, the males love to gather at hot mineral springs to sip the water, while the drabber-colored females are seen far less often, living a more mysterious life in the trees. The caterpillars of this species are white and brown, covered in defensive spines called tubercles. These larvae feed on the poisonous leaves of vines, storing the poison in their bodies so they are toxic to predators that try to eat them. Laws have been made to protect this popular species, attempting to limit the trade and export of these butterflies. Unfortunately, people sometimes still try to smuggle this species to sell to collectors. It’s an important reminder that we need to protect and respect these beautiful creatures, and not let collecting get out of hand.

Great Purple Emperor (Sasakia charonda)

The Great Purple Emperor is Japan’s proud national butterfly, due to their refined beauty and their wide distribution across Japan. They are black or brown butterflies speckled in white and yellow, with the males covered in a gorgeous purple sheen. They like to dwell in the upper canopy of trees but will come down to feed, sipping up tree sap and occasionally seeking minerals from animal droppings or animal carcasses. They are quick, strong flyers and are said to look like birds when they fly. The caterpillars of this species are adorable green larvae with a pair of horns that I think makes them look absolutely charming. These caterpillars enjoy the leaves of hackberry trees, and when winter comes, the fellows will turn a brown color and crawl to the ground and hide among the roots and fallen leaves. When spring arrives, they immerge from hiding and continue to feed until they are ready to pupate and become adults in the summer. Then they take flight with their strong wing beats– truly the kings of the summer forest!

Paper Kite Butterfly (Idea leuconoe)

The Paper Kite Butterfly is known for its slow, graceful flight, looking much like a handkerchief drifting in the breeze. With their silvery white wings, decorated in dramatic black stripes and spots, it only adds to the loveliness of the picture. However, it’s important to note this species is not simply beautiful; it’s also highly poisonous. The caterpillars of Paper Kites feed on a number of toxic vines, and store the poisons in their bodies as they eat. This poison remains when they transform into adults, so any birds that happen by and try to eat this butterfly are in for a nasty surprise. The bird usually survives these encounters but learns a valuable lesson– avoid snacking on these elegant creatures!

Peacock Butterfly (Papilio bianor)

The Peacock Butterfly is a type of swallowtail butterfly, which means its hindwings have extensions that look very much like the tails of swallows. These colorful 'tails’ are actually great defensive mechanisms. If a bird tries to attack the Peacock Butterfly, it may focus instead on the eye-catching tail. This may end up with a bird grabbing a chunk of wing, but the butterfly’s vital body parts are still intact, and it can escape. Next time you’re admiring the gorgeous sparkling tails of the Peacock Butterfly, you can appreciate they aren’t simply for show but can also help protect these insects!

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

This particular butterfly is well-known for its epic migrations. Because Monarchs do not tolerate the cold, each year when winter begins to approach, they migrate en masse southward to Mexico, where they overwinter. They do this by taking advantage of air currents and thermals, traveling amazing distances in the process– sometimes up to 3,000 miles! During this migration, when the butterflies are resting, they gather together in large groups to roost on trees, huddled for warmth. A group of migrating monarchs is a truly incredible sight to behold; the air thick with fluttering wings, the trees absolutely covered in bright black and orange. Once winter has passed, the monarchs begin a return migration, but this one is different, as it spans multiple generations. The butterflies that eventually return northward in the spring are the grandchildren of the ones that left in the winter– in fact, it takes 3-4 generations for the monarchs to return to their northern territories again! Their journeys are truly inspiring.

Moth (Order Lepidoptera)

Time for a little lesson! Want to know the difference between butterflies and moths? A lot of people might think the difference is that moths are nocturnal and rather duly-colored, while butterflies are colorful and active during the day. But the truth is, there are actually a lot of daytime-flying moths, and many of those species are extremely colorful! A better way to tell them apart is to look at their antenna; generally, butterfly antenna are thin with 'clubs’ at the end, while moth antenna are fuzzy or feathery and lack clubs. Also, you can look at their wings when they’re at rest: butterflies usually like to hold their wings closed when they rest, while moths usually hold their wings flat. However, these are just rules of thumb, and there are exceptions. Ultimately, they’re both very closely related insects in the order Lepidoptera, and both equally enjoyable creatures.

Madagascan Sunset Moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus)

It is positively euphoric to gaze upon the Madagascan Sunset Moth, with its wide wingspan of 3 to 3 and a half inches, its eye-catching tails, and its glittering kaleidoscopic colors of red, green, blue and black. This day-flying moth species sips nectar and flits about the forests of Madagascar. Their caterpillars, white larvae clad in black spots and stripes, like to feed upon highly toxic shrubs, and then store the poison in their bodies. When they metamorphose into adults, they retain their toxicity, so predators quickly learn to avoid these dazzling insects. This species is considered one of the most beautiful moth or butterfly species in the world, prized among collectors and sometimes used in the making of jewelry. Of course, I feel the best way of appreciating this moth is the same way you appreciate a sunset; just be present for the moment you’re living in. Thank you for sharing this moment with us, Sunset moth.

Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas)

What a beautiful creature! The Atlas moth is one of the largest moths in the world. Do you see how its wings are massive compared to its little body? And here, the tips of its wings have these large extensions that look like the head of a snake! When potential predators disturb this moth, it flaps its wings and uses these false snake heads to try and spook animals away. It’s a clever tactic, because the Atlas moth must be careful about conserving its energy– it cannot afford to fly great distances. Why? Because it has no mouth. Adult moths simply never eat and live off of the fat reserves they built up when they were feeding as caterpillars. Like the bloom of a flower, the life of the Atlas Moth does not last long, but our worlds are all the richer for having them in it.

Rice Grasshopper (Oxya japonica)

The Rice Grasshopper is considered by people to be an agricultural pest, because it loves to eat crops, especially rice crops. However, the Rice Grasshopper is also considered by people to be, um … a very tasty snack. I have a sad story about Rice Grasshoppers. I was a pretty young hatchling at the time, and I was playing outside. I had been chasing a grasshopper for over an hour. When I finally captured it, I was so excited and proud! It was a beautiful Rice Grasshopper, probably a female, since it was quite large. I brought it back home to show my father. I … I gave it to him so he could look at it, and . . . he ate it in one gulp… . I cried a long time after that. He hadn’t realized I wanted to keep it. But, um … yeah. We don’t always get along so well. I can’t possibly imagine wanting to eat such beautiful, amazing creatures.

Long Locust (Acrida cinerea)

This fantastic-looking grasshopper has an incredibly long, triangular head, with two long antenna on top. They also have amazingly long hind legs, which they use to bound away from predators. They feed upon various grasses and especially have a taste for rice plants. The females of the Long Locust are much larger than the males, and can often be mistaken as a separate species. In Japan, these grasshoppers are known as Shouryou-batta, or “Spirit Grasshopper.” Because the grasshoppers appear in summer and autumn, around the time of the Bon Festival, and the grasshoppers’ bodies are boat-shaped, they remind people of the boats used during the festival to carry the souls of the departed. Quite an honorable reputation for this little locust!

Grasshopper (Infraorder Acrididea)

Grasshoppers come from a family of insects that have ancient roots, all the way back to the Triassic period. They have been chomping away on grasses and other plants for a very long time! They have powerful hind legs they use to spring into the air in order to evade predators. In the moment they leap, they may also flash their brightly-colored wings to startle their enemies. Since you’ve captured this grasshopper, I’m sure you know how surprisingly far and fast they can jump. Actually, if you and I could jump as well as a grasshopper, we could leap the length of a football field! Grasshoppers are also known for their chirping, which they produce by rubbing their powerful hind legs against their wings. Those impressive legs are thus useful for a variety of purposes. To be honest, our legs are pretty boring in comparison.

Migratory Locust (Locusta migratoria)

Locusts are a type of grasshopper that can engage in an absolutely fascinating event: locust swarms. Normally, locusts live a solitary, humble life; green insects that slowly creep about, calmly feeding on grasses and generally avoiding fellow locusts. However, if locust populations start to become too crowded, especially due to high rainfall increasing the food supply, then locusts change rapidly. Their appearances change and they gain bright, colorful markings; also, their behavior switches to being highly gregarious, which means they are drawn to each other in large crowds and they start to act as a single group. They begin to reproduce rapidly and eat voraciously, and will travel over long distances, stripping the land of vegetation. These swarms are sometimes called locust plagues, because they can devastate farmer’s crops and even cause famine! There is some consolation, though … locusts are a good, protein-packed food for people to eat.

Cricket (Family Gryllidae)

The soothing, relaxing song of crickets is produced when crickets rub their textured wings together– this is called stridulation. They sing to attract mates and to mark their territories, and some crickets even have a specific tune they sing after a successful mating. These musical insects are also affected by temperatures; most crickets chirp faster as the temperature increases, and they can be so reliable that if you count the number of chirps, you can estimate the temperature. The language of crickets is actually quite complex and compelling! Crickets hear each other through ears located on their front legs, just below their 'knees.’ Cricket hearing is very sophisticated, actually, and may even rival our own hearing. The next time you hear that gentle chirping in the night, you should stop to really listen to it. Who knows what secrets they could be whispering to you!

Bell Cricket (Homoeogryllus japonicus)

Like most insects, the Bell Cricket has two pairs of wings; the hindwings are membranous and meant for flight, while the front wings are leathery and protective. Bell Crickets make a beautiful chirp by rubbing their front wings together, and many people liken the sound to the chiming of bells. These crickets can change the sound of their songs by vibrating their bodies as they chirp, making the sound of each cricket unique. These lovely musicians are popular pets, traditionally kept in bamboo cages. What’s more, there’s actually a Buddhist temple that raises thousands of Bell Crickets each year, so that people can go there to meditate to the melodious sound of Bell Cricket chirps. It sounds divine to me!

Mole Cricket (Family Gryllotalpidae)

Mole crickets are remarkable little critters, adapted perfectly to a life underground. They use their powerful shovel-like front legs to dig rapidly in the dirt, excavating tunnels in search of food such as roots, grasses and worms. The males will construct horn-shaped tunnels and then chirp inside them, so the tunnels resonate the sound of the chirping. This means while you may never have seen a mole cricket before, you’ve likely heard one without realizing! Mole crickets do occasionally leave the earth, however, and can fly or even swim, if needed. Generally they come to the surface at night, so if you’re particularly lucky, you may get to see one!

Mantis (Order Mantodea)

The mantis is a mighty ambush predator, stalking their prey before seizing them with their spiked, raptorial forelegs, using lightning-speed reflexes. They have huge compound eyes, and their heads can turn 180 degrees as they survey the world for food. They feed upon many insects, and can even take down hummingbirds and rodents! Their hunger will sometimes even extend to eating their own kind; it’s not unheard of for female mantises to consume the heads of the males after mating. This is perhaps not as terrible as it sounds; the male’s sacrifice helps provide nourishment for his future offspring. Still, I must admit, if I am to be reborn as a mantis in the next life, I’d probably prefer to be born a female mantis.

Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus)

This resplendent mantis is perfectly disguised as a white and pink flower, down to the very petal shape itself! The camouflage helps protect it from predators as well as draw in potential prey. The mantis lies in wait among the bushes and flowers for an unsuspecting butterfly or other insect to wander by, and then snatches it up. Such deadly beauty– a clever mistress of blossoms! These mantises are so skilled at disguise, they can even gradually change color to reflect their environment. To be honest, I feel a certain kinship with the orchid mantis’ camouflaging ways. Perhaps someday I will master the art of flower mimicry, just as they have!

Honey Bee (Genus Apis)

The humble honeybee, a hard-working partner of ours for thousands of years. Cave paintings up to 10,000 years old show people eating honey, and beekeeping in clay pots began around 9,000 years ago in Africa. Because of this long-term relationship, we know quite a lot about our buzzing friends. For example, bees communicate with each other through the medium of dance! When a worker bee finds a great patch of flowers and wishes to tell her sisters about it, she returns to the hive and performs a waggle dance. The dance tells the bees the direction of the flower patch and its distance from the hive. As an artist, I can empathize with the bees. Words often pale in comparison with other methods of expression. Truly, the bees are not only diligent workers but brilliant performance artists.

Wasp (Polistes rothneyi)

Wasps! One of the most misunderstood and amazing families of insects to exist! Did you know there are over 30,000 species of wasps? They come in all shapes and sizes, from the fairy wasps that are around the size of an amoeba to the massive asian giant hornets that are almost two inches long. While some are well-known for constructing papery or mud nests and living in hives, many other species are solitary and live in single, tiny burrows. As a whole, wasps tend to be predatory, preying on a wide range of insects, including many species considered harmful to crops. Wasps also dine upon nectar, however, and can be important plant pollinators. It’s difficult to try and summarize the sheer variety and glory of wasps, but know that they play vital roles in the ecosystem and are truly wondrous creatures!

Robust Cicada (Hyalessa maculaticollis)

Aaaah, the sweet, sonorous cicada. Nothing quite says “summer” like the hypnotic sound of cicadas singing. Cicadas are well-known for their loud, rhythmic songs, but how do they make these sounds? The answer is the tymbals– drum-like organs in the abdomen that males flex back and forth. The sound then reverberates throughout the cicada’s abdomen, magnifying the sound. Robust Cicadas in particular are known for their especially loud chirps. I find these musicians to be deeply inspiring, and it’s always a transcending experience to hold witness to one of their performances!

Gaint Cicada (Cryptotympana holsti)

Did you know that cicadas are seen as symbols of rebirth and immortality in Chinese lore? Just as the cicada lives underground for many, many years and then rises, reborn from the dirt, we hope to emulate such glory. Cicadas were also seen as creatures of high status, as they subsist on dew and perch upon their thrones in the treetops. Because of this symbolism, Chinese royalty has borrowed fashion ideas from the great cicada. Even their crowns were decorated with the image of a cicada, eyes shining bright! A fitting homage to this noble bug.

Brown Cicada (Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata)

While most cicadas have transparent wings, the Brown Cicada sports opaque, brown wings, so it’s pretty easy to recognize. Another recognizable trait is their cry, which is often compared to the sound of hot oil sizzling. These bugs are fond of sipping the sap of trees, including fruit trees. As a result, some people consider the Brown Cicada a pest. Hah! Imagine having the audacity to call these little marvels a pest! The cicadas are only doing what comes natural to any of us– eating to survive. I’ll gladly share the fruit trees with my insect brethren for that.

Evening Cicada (Tanna japonensis)

The males of Evening Cicadas sing a mournful song in the mornings, at dusk, or when the weather turns cool or cloudy. Among the many different cicadas, the sorrowful song of the Evening Cicada is possibly my favorite. But why do cicadas sing? Are they expressing some deep-felt sentiment? Actually, yes. They are expressing perhaps one of the most deep-felt sentiments there can be; loneliness. Evening Cicadas, as well as their cicada relatives, are calling for a mate. Males usually pack into rather large groups and call together, creating quite a large collective sound. Females can hear these calls from around a mile away! It’s a nice thought that because of their mournful cries, the Evening Cicadas are able to happily unite with each other.

Walker Cicada (Meimuna opalifera)

While some cicadas are associated with summer, the song of the Walker Cicada traditionally marks the end of summer and the start of autumn. It has a very characteristic cry, which in Japan is heard as “Tsukutsuku … boushi!” However, the song of this species actually differs depending on the region it is in. That’s right– insects have dialects! Speaking of dialects, the Walker Cicada is actually native to China, but it’s believed it hitched a ride on wooden brooms and was imported to Japan. Now it’s widespread in both countries, in addition to Korea and Taiwan. I wonder what a Walker Cicada would sound like with an Australian dialect? Or an Indian one?

Cicada Shell

This is truly a treasure– a perfectly intact cicada shell! These shells are proof of a wondrous transformation that cicadas undergo. You see, it all begins when a female deposits an egg in a little groove on a tree. The young feed on the fluids of the tree for a while before dropping to the ground and digging their way to safety. They then spend years underground, exploring the depths and dining on roots. Eventually, the young rise from the soil, finally seeing daylight once more, and climb the trunk of a tree. There, they shed their skins, emerging as glorious, winged adults! This shell represents their touching life journey. I hope that it might inspire you, as it does for me.

Darner Dragonfly (Anax parthenope)

Dragonflies are one of my favorite species! Did you know dragonflies were some of the very first winged insects to evolve and have been around for millions of years? Ancient dragonflies had wingspans of up to two feet long! The Darner Dragonfly isn’t that large, of course, but it’s still an impressive creature. They’re powerful predators, capturing their prey mid-flight, kind of making them the hawks of the insect world. Their flying skills are fantastic, and they can fly in all directions, hover, and even fly backwards, so they have unparalleled agility. Because they hunt by sight, they also have amazing eyes, among the best in the insect kingdom; they have up to 30,000 lenses in those enormous compound eyes pointing in all directions, and can detect light in color spectrums well beyond what we can see. If you want to have some fun, just sit back and watch the dragonflies hunt for a while!

Red Dragonfly (Sympetrum frequens)

Ever wonder why dragonflies are usually found near water? They love to hunt in these environments, snatching up and devouring midges, mosquitoes, moths and many others. But dragonflies are also fond of ponds and lakes because those are their breeding grounds. You see, dragonfly larvae are aquatic. The female lays her eggs on plants near the water or will skim the surface of the water with her abdomen, dropping eggs into the water. The nymphs that hatch are active, hungry hunters, devouring mosquito larvae, other aquatic insects or worms, and even tadpoles and small fish. The nymphs enjoy their aquatic lifestyle for a long time, up to five years, occasionally climbing onto a reed to shed their old skins and grow, before eventually molting one last time into a winged adult. Because of their reliance on these ecosystems, dragonflies are great indicators of the health of our wetlands!

Banded Dragonfly (Anotogaster sieboldii)

There has been a very wide range of associations with dragonflies among different cultures. European cultures have historically viewed dragonflies in a very negative light; some have called them “devil’s darning needles” and folklore casts them in villainous roles. Fortunately, other cultures view dragonflies in a very positive way. They are celebrated in some Native American crafts and may symbolize pure water or swiftness; in Japan, dragonflies are strong symbols of courage, luck and happiness, as well as signs of autumn’s arrival. Dragonflies have been used in traditional medicine as well as for food, so some cultures simply associate them with a meal. It’s actually really hard to summarize the many different ways people view dragonflies. Personally, I admire dragonflies’ incredible flying and hunting talents, their sheer beauty, and their tenacious spirits. What do dragonflies mean to you?

Damselfly(Ischnura senegalensis)

The Damselfly is a close relative to the dragonfly, but damselflies tend to be smaller, thinner, and hold their wings along their body at rest. You can also tell by looking at their eyes; damselfly eyes are always separated while most dragonfly eyes are touching. Like the dragonfly, damselflies are talented predators, nabbing flies, mosquitoes, moths and others right out of the air or plucking them off of plants. Males display elaborate courtship dances to impress females. If the male is successful, the damselflies will mate in a complex shape called a mating heart or mating wheel– which is the shape their abdomens make when they curl around each other. The female then lays eggs along the stems of underwater plants. The young that hatch live under water, breathing through feathery gills on their abdomens and feeding on aquatic insects, sometimes molting so they can grow larger. When they’re ready, they immerge from the water and cast off their old skin to immerge as graceful, lithe adults. The coloration of dragonflies and damselflies can range from just about every color of the rainbow, and they often shimmer beautifully in the sun. The next time you’re by a pond or marsh, keep an eye out for these quick, flittering gems!

Firefly (Family Lampyridae)

Fireflies are appealing little beetles with an extraordinary ability: a beautiful bioluminescence located on their backsides. The lights that fireflies produce are chemical reactions that take place inside their transparent abdomens. This light is cool to the touch and is yellow-green in color. Fireflies control their luminescence at will, and will flicker their lights in rhythmic patterns that are unique to each species. This helps males and females locate each other for mating. While many fireflies feed on pollen and nectar, some are carnivorous. Sometimes, females of these carnivorous fireflies will use light signals to their advantage, mimicking the patterns of particular firefly species simply to lure them in so they can eat them. These are femme fatale fireflies, so males need to be careful of them– the mesmerizing displays of fireflies can be a complicated language!

Pondskater (Family Gerridae)

This graceful bug skates effortlessly across the surface of the water, a magnificent feat that us silly vertebrates can only dream of. The pondskater’s body is carefully built to transfer their weight perfectly across their long, slender legs, which are lined with hairs that help repel water. The insects will row across the water with their middle legs and steer with their back legs. Their front legs are shorter and have claws, to help them seize insects that have fallen into the water. They pierce their prey with a proboscis to feed– all while staying on the surface of the water! Pondskaters do pretty much everything on top of the water, even mating. They communicate with other pondskaters by creating ripples in the water; some ripple frequencies are threatening signals while others are mating signals. They are truly masters of their craft. I’d prefer to watch the pondskaters’ dances rather than an ice skater any time!

Giant Water Bug (Family Belostomatidae)

The Giant Water Bug is indeed very large– the largest true bug, which can grow to be around four inches long! They have flattened, oval bodies, with oarlike back legs for swimming and raptorial front legs that are designed for seizing prey. They also have tubes on their abdomen that they breathe through, much like a snorkel. Water Bugs stalk and capture a wide variety of prey, including fish, frogs, and insects, and may even grab turtles and snakes! Once they capture something, they inject it with venomous saliva, then wait for their food to digest before sucking up the liquefied remains. Although these bugs are efficient and aggressive predators, they’re also caring parents; in some species, the female will lay her eggs on the back of the male, and the father will carry them about until they hatch! It’s nice to see father insects taking an active role in parenting as well.

Diving Beetle (Family Dytiscidae)

Diving Beetles are sleek, flat beetles that cruise through the water with ease, using their powerful, hairy back legs to paddle.  Although they’re aquatic they still need to breathe air, and actually store air bubbles under their wing cases before diving, breathing the air through tubes in their abdomens. The Diving Beetle is an active predator, hunting a wide variety of prey including insects, tadpoles and fish. The young of Diving Beetles are also carnivorous predators, and are sometimes called Water Tigers. When the larvae are ready, they bury themselves in the mud to pupate, and immerge as adults. Adult Diving Beetles are surprisingly very capable fliers, and will take off at night in search of new watery habitats. They search for the bright reflection of moonlight bouncing off of bodies of water to help guide them. If you ever find Diving Beetles in a small pond or puddle and wonder how they got there, that’s how!

Stink Bug (Family Pentatomidae)

Aww, a Stink Bug! I love these fellahs. Stink Bugs are a great example of true bugs. Technically speaking, a lot of things we call bugs aren’t really bugs. All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs! So what makes a true bug? Well, true bugs like Stink Bugs have beaklike mouthparts called proboscises. They use them to pierce plants (or animals!) and suck up their food. Unlike butterfly or honeybee mouthparts, true bugs can’t roll up their proboscises. True bugs also often produce a pungent defensive spray, like Stink Bugs! People argue over what stink bug spray actually smells like– some say it’s very earthy, others call it woody or oily, and some say it’s bitter and fruity. Although it’s designed to ward off predators, I have to admit I’ve grown quite fond of the smell.

Man-Faced Stink Bug (Catacanthus incarnatus)

The markings of the Man-Faced Stink Bug are bright and colorful, and some people think these markings look like a face. With such an appealing, dramatic appearance, you’d expect these bugs to be popular pets, but actually, people have had a little difficulty raising them in captivity. The challenge is in raising the nymphs. What exactly are nymphs? Well, some insects undergo what’s called complete metamorphosis– for example, butterflies first hatch as caterpillars, then transform into pupae before immerging as adults. Other insects, such as stink bugs, undergo incomplete metamorphosis. Their young are not grubs, but instead are nymphs, which are basically miniature versions of the adults. Our hope is to eventually raise these baby Man-Faced Stink Bugs to full adulthood. If we succeed, we can share the joy of stink bugs with more people!

Ladybug (Family Coccinellidae)

These bright red little beetles actually come in a variety of colors with a variety of spots or stripes. Many cultures consider the ladybug a symbol of good luck, and if one lands upon you, good fortune is sure to find you. Part of the reason they are seen as lucky may be because of their voracious appetites for aphids. You see, aphids are tiny little bugs that love to eat people’s crops, but ladybugs eat aphids by the hundreds and help keep crops safe. Thus, some cultures consider ladybugs to be a divine gift. Next time a ladybug lands upon you, try making a wish. Whether you get the wish or not, you’ll be blessed by the presence of this charming little friend!

Tiger Beetle (Subfamily Cicindelinae)

Tiger Beetles are named because they are powerful predators of the beetle world. But it might be more accurate to call them Cheetah Beetles! The fastest Tiger Beetle can run 5 miles per hour, or 120 body lengths per second. A Cheetah, in comparison, can only run 16 body lengths per second– so when you really think about it, Tiger Beetles are the clear winners. In fact, Tiger Beetles move so fast they have to stop in the middle of running several times to reorient their vision before running again. Even when stopping in the middle of a chase, the beetles have no problem capturing their prey!

Citrus Long-Horned Beetle (Anoplophora chinensis)

The Citrus Long-Horned Beetle has a glossy black body with white spots, and has an impressively long pair of antenna. You’re likely to find it hanging out among the trees, as it’s fond of dining upon the leaves, stems and bark of a wide range of tree species, including citrus and hardwood trees. The females will drill little holes into the bark of a tree to carefully deposit her eggs, one at a time. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will dig into the tree, feeding on the nutritious inner bark. To be truthful, the Citrus Long-Horned Beetle is not very popular among a lot of people, because it’s capable of killing many healthy trees when it feeds and reproduces. Of course, there are natural enemies of these beetles that can help keep populations in check, such as parasites, ants and fungi. Nature does try to keep things in balance!

Violin Beetle (Mormolyce phyllodes)

This elegant beetle has a very narrow neck and head, a wide, flat body and marvelously curved wings, looking very much like a tiny violin. In truth, it is probably not imitating a violin but a brown leaf, which helps it blend in with its environment and avoid predators. Its flat body also helps it slip in between layers of mushrooms and tree bark, where it actively hunts for other insects, especially larvae. If startled, this beetle can release toxic fluid as a defense. This is likely to deter anything that tries to stuff it into their mouths! The Violin Beetle lives in tropical rainforests in Malaysia and other islands, and is threatened by the destruction of its habitat. We must strive to preserve our rainforests so precious creatures such as the Violin Beetle can thrive.

Jewel Beetle (Chrysochroa fulgidissima)

This dazzling little beetle is named after the splendid jewel-like shine to its exoskeleton. This coloration is known as iridescence, and the colors shift depending on how you look at them. Like little drops of sunlight, Jewel Beetles are so prized among people that their shells have been used in jewelry and other crafts. There is also an expression in Japan, tamamushi-iro, that refers to the ever-shifting colors of the Jewel Beetle, and the term can also refer to language that can be interpreted in multiple ways. Personally, I draw a great amount of artistic inspiration from the Jewel Beetle, and from my efforts to capture their ever-changing rainbows of power and vitality!

Rosalia Batesi Beetle (Rosalia batesi)

This enchanting long-horned beetle is a beautiful shade of blue, is covered in black polka dots and sports an impressive pair of antenna that can be almost twice as long as its body. Its entire body is also covered in a velvety, fine hair, including cute little tufts of hair on the antenna. The adults enjoy eating pollen, fruits and sap, while the larvae rely on dead wood for food. While Rosalia Batesi bothers some people because it may feed on crops, many people adore this beetle for its attractive appearance, and it’s commonly featured on stamps and other designs. I think if we all learn to share the land and its bounties, then we can be very happy to share the world with this sprightly spirit of the forest.

Blue Weevil Beetle (Genus Eupholus)

The Blue Weevil Beetle comes in many stunning shades of blue and green, and are so bright and beautiful that some people will use them for jewelry. But beware! These sparkling hues are actually warning signals! The Blue Weevil uses its long beak to bore into leaves, and builds up toxins in its body as it feeds. Anyone who’s hoping to chow down on these effervescent insects will end up getting poisoned. It’s far better to respect and admire the Blue Weevil than to eat it!

Dung Beetle (Familes Geotrupidae, Scarabaeidae)

Dung Beetles come from a number of insect groups, including the earth-boring dung beetles, the scarab beetles, and the small dung beetles. What they all have in common is that they feed upon dung!  This is an incredibly important job, believe it or not. Without dung beetles and other feces-feeding insects, we might be buried up to our necks in animal droppings! The Dung Beetles break down these wastes and return nutrients back to the earth, recycling these materials. Many of them do this by shaping dung into a carefully compacted ball, balancing on top of it, and rolling it away to a safe place so they can feed. Dung Beetles like to roll in straight lines with their balls, and they use the sun and moon to help them navigate– and even the bright stripe of the Milky Way! It’s no wonder many cultures respect and even revere this talented beetle.

Earth-Boring Dung Beetle (Family Geotrupidae)

Like some of their scarab brethren, the Earth-Boring Dung Beetle has a glittering, jewel-like luster to its exoskeleton. This is a very special kind of color! Unlike most colors in the animal kingdom, called pigments, the shells of Earth-Boring Dung Beetles are colored by iridescence, or teeny, tiny structures that bounce light in a particular pattern. The result is stunning to gaze upon! As these beetles spend much time burrowing into the soil, spotting them is truly like finding buried treasure.

Scarab Beetle (Family Scarabaeidae)  

The sacred scarab! Truly, you are fortunate to have come upon one of these little deities. You see, scarab beetles were revered by the ancient Egyptians. When the scarabs rolled balls of dung for their precious young to feast upon, the Egyptians saw them as symbolically pushing the orb of the sun across the sky. In fact, the Egyptian sun God, Ra, was believed to have taken the form of a scarab beetle, named Khepri, and pushed the sun across the sky just like a ball of dung. The Egyptians even placed amulets shaped like scarab beetles over the hearts of mummies to protect them in the afterlife. Scarabs are protectors, bringers of light and of life itself!  

Drone Beetle (Pseudotorynorrhina japonica)

These handsome creatures are a type of scarab beetle, a powerful group of beetles revered by the ancient Egyptians as sacred. The antennae of scarabs are special, and can be folded out gracefully like a fan to better detect odors, or folded back up into a club shape to serve as a weapon! We can only dream of possessing appendages so adaptable and so magnificent in design!

Goliath Beetle (Genus Goliathus)

This mighty beetle is named after the legendary giant Goliath, and it’s easy to see why. This beetle can grow over four inches long, making it one of the largest beetles in the world! It also can weigh over three ounces when it’s a larva, although the adults are only around half that weight. The reason for the difference is because the larvae gorge themselves on decayed leaves, wood and proteins, preparing for their metamorphosis. As adults, they enjoy a lighter diet of tree sap, fruit juices and other sugary substances. To help with foraging, each of this beetle’s legs ends in a pair of hooked claws that are great for climbing and clinging to trees. If one of these beetles happens to attach itself to you with these feet, you’ll need to gently guide them off. If you just grab and pull, the claws might remain attached, and we don’t want their little feetsies to get hurt!

Horned Elephant (Megasoma elephas)

This hefty beast is absolutely gigantic when compared to most beetles– in fact, it’s one of the heaviest beetles in the world. Males have big horns on their heads, which they use mainly to battle with other males for mating privileges. Another feature you might have missed is that their bodies are covered in fine, delicate hairs, making the beetles appear yellow in color. Sometimes, when I’m feeling anxious, I, uh … I pet the Horned Elephant beetles. It’s very soothing. You should try it sometime!

Horned Dynastid (Allomyrina dichotoma)

These proud warriors have heads shaped like a samurai helmet, and make good use of those horns for battle and for digging. While embroiled in territory disputes, a male Dynastid can actually launch its competitor straight into the air! When they aren’t fighting, they can be found calmly hanging out on trees, sipping sap or drinking from ripe fruits. Their young live underground, eat rotting wood, and take a long time to mature– around a year. Then they immerge, as a fresh new batch of warriors of the woods!

Horned Atlas (Chalcosoma atlas)

The Atlas Beetle is named after a titan from Greek Mythology who held up the heavens on his shoulders. The comparison to a Greek God is appropriate, as the Horned Atlas can reach sizes of up to five inches long and can carry hundreds of times its own weight. That makes it one of the strongest animals on the planet, for its size! Personally, it would not surprise me if we found out that a great celestial Atlas Beetle has been holding up the skies all of this time.

Horned Hercules (Dynastes hercules)

The Hercules beetle is named in honor of the roman god Hercules, famed for his great strength and heroic feats. I can think of no greater name for this heroic beetle. The Horned Hercules can carry up to 850 times its own weight, and can grow to be 7 inches in length, making it the longest species of beetle in the whole world. A lot of that length is in its massive horn, which males use to challenge each other to win the affections of female beetles. Once they have mated, these massive beetles produce, as you could guess, massive babies. In fact, the young of Hercules beetles are probably the largest larvae in the world!

Rainbow Stag (Phalacrognathus muelleri)

Oh! My eyes have been blessed, to be allowed to gaze upon the splendor of the Rainbow Stag. This beetle appears to change color depending on the angle you view it, shifting from emerald greens to ruby reds to glittering gold, all with a luscious metallic sheen. This magnificent color fades when the beetle dies, just as a rainbow will fade in the sky. I like to think the Rainbow Stag reminds us of the ephemeral nature of beauty and life, and teaches us to value things while we can.

Golden Stag (Allotopus rosenbergi)

The Golden Stag’s exoskeleton is a breathtaking, metallic gold, making it highly prized by bug lovers and collectors. The shimmering beetles live in tropical jungles at high altitudes, using their short, sturdy mandibles to dig into wood and dine upon tree sap. Collectors have struggled to breed this stag in captivity, as it’s sensitive to temperatures and the young have strict dietary requirements. However, in recent times, there has been more success with captive breeding. Personally, I derive deep joy and satisfaction simply basking in this creature’s presence, regardless of how long it lasts. Come. Let us enjoy this golden moment together.

Cyclommatus Stag (Genus Cyclommatus)

The mandibles of this stag beetle are staggering, often as long as their body. These amazing jaws are used to mine tree sap as well as fight other stag beetles for the right to mate. In fact, males will often throw each other off of trees in their competitions! However, do not be too intimidated by the Cyclommatus Stag; it can be tender as well. They chew through decaying wood to lovingly craft a home for their young. I’ve actually been considering taking inspiration from this stag and adding more rotting wood to my bedroom. I think it would give it a cozy touch.

Miyama Stag (Lucanus maculifemoratus)

This handsome stag has a thick, bumpy exoskeleton and powerful-looking mandibles. However, despite its tough appearance, the Miyama is a gentle beast. In truth, you can easily injure one if you mishandle it, so care should be taken when interacting with this delicate soul. Miyamas are popular with children, and are widespread in their native lands, in both mountainous places as well as plains. Actually, one of my very first friends was a Miyama Stag. They helped me learn the deep and mysterious art of communication with insectkind. Thus, I will always have a soft spot for these gentle giants.

Saw Stag (Prosopocoilus inclinatus)

Saw Stags are popular pets in their homeland, and it’s easy to see why. Those handsome reddish brown shells, those magnificent saw-like mandibles, those curious little eyes, those hook-like claws! As they grow, that pair of jaws grows along with them, gaining more teeth and a larger curve. You needn’t fear, though; this beetle is unlikely to bite you unless you stick your finger directly into its mouth. In fact, when this beetle feels vibrations, it may freeze and feign death as a defense mechanism. They clearly prefer to avoid a fight unless it’s necessary. The Saw Stags that I take care of certainly will never have a reason to fight– I spoil them rotten with all the bananas and beetle jelly they could possibly want!

Giant Stag (Dorcus Hopei Binodulosus)

The Giant Stag is probably the most popular stag to keep as a pet! They’re very large, docile, easy to breed, and live quite long for a stag beetle, up to five years! People also find their mandibles to be very appealing, which have a single tooth on either side. They will rarely use these jaws to bite, unless you go out of your way to bother them. In fact, these are shy beetles, and they will spend a lot of their time just hiding away in holes inside of trees. They will peacefully sip tree saps and fruits, and prefer to be active at night. In the wild, Giant Stag populations have decreased due to over collection, although fortunately people are turning more and more to breeding in order to keep wild populations safe. This serves as an important reminder– bugs need to be treated with care and respect, even when we’re acting out of love!

*Giaraffe Stag

Walking Stick (Order Phasmatodea)

Walking Sticks are excellent examples of the art of camouflage in its purest form. Not only do they mimic twigs and branches, all the way down to the very knots in the wood, but as they walk, they mimic the sway of branches in the breeze. They have truly become one with their environment. I hope to achieve this level of focus in my own life someday, as I surround myself with all that is arthropod.

Walking Leaf (Family Phylliidae)

These incredible insects have taken camouflage to the next level. Their bodies so closely resemble leaves that they include the veins and even nibble-marks on leaves, and they can even fool leaf-eating insects! As they walk, they sway back and forth, imitating a leaf blowing in the breeze. They enjoy munching on leaves, because the Walking Leaf not only disguises itself as leaves, but eats them as well. They are truly immersed in leafhood.

Bagworm (Family Psychidae)

Bagworms are not really worms, but are the caterpillars of a special kind of moth. These charming little larvae construct themselves beautiful 'bags’ made out of silk and bits of things they find in the environment– twigs, leaves, lichens, sand, and even bits of plastic! They wear these protective bags as disguises as they crawl about and feed on leaves or lichens. When they’re ready to pupate, the bags serve as the perfect cocoon! Males will immerge from the case and spread their wings and fly away. Females, however, are a different story. Bagworm females often are wingless, and may spend the rest of their lives inside their childhood casings. Males will visit the females in their bags to breed. Imagine being so attached to your mobile home that you never leave! Considering how artistic some of these bags are, I guess I can’t blame them.

Ant (Family Formicidae)

The extraordinary ant, a species that has existed for millions of years and currently lives in all corners of the globe. These creatures form complex colonies, often made up of hundreds or thousands of individuals, and have a division of labor: worker ants, soldier ants, fertile male drones, and an egg-laying queen ant. It would be erroneous to think of ants in individual terms, as really, individual ants come together to form a super-organism, the ant colony. They always cooperate for the wellbeing of the colony as a whole. Individual ants are marvelously talented in the ways of chemical communication, and they produce all kinds of scents to help communicate with their sisters; signals to signify food, warnings signals for enemies, and so forth. This is how ants are able to act together as a group. With this kind of communal power, ants can accomplish amazing things. They’ve been known to build bridges with their own bodies for their sisters to cross; some species will create and tend to underground fungus gardens; other species will herd and tend to honeydew-producing aphids as if they were tending cattle! Ants teach is something very important– the power of cooperation.

Hermit Crab (Superfamily Paguroidea)

O-oh! It’s a Hermit Crab! These aren’t insects, but they are arthropods. What defines an arthropod is that they are invertebrates with segmented bodies and jointed limbs, as well as a chitinous exoskeleton. That means Hermit Crabs and insects are relatives! And they’re very charming relatives, too. Hermit Crabs have ten legs, inquisitive stalk eyes, and soft bodies protected by a shell. But these crabs don’t grow their own shells! Instead, they borrow empty shells they happens to find, which are often sea snail shells. As this type of crab ages and grows larger, it must find new, larger shells to borrow. Sometimes, when a Hermit Crab is looking for a new shell, and finds one that’s too large, it will sit and wait by the large shell. Other hermit crabs will pass by and join the first, waiting in an orderly line. Then, when a Hermit Crab passes by that is a perfect fit for the shell, all the crabs will quickly exchange shells in sequence! All that shell-trading may be a lot of work, but in the end, it’s worth it for such a cozy home.

Fly (Musca domestica)

Aah, the common house fly. While this species of insect is rarely adored by people, the fly still has plenty of things to admire. This little scavenger plays an important role in breaking down wastes and organic matter, returning them to the earth. But the fly feeds on liquids, so how does it eat feces, carrion and rotting fruits or vegetation? Well, it regurgitates saliva from its stomach, which helps dissolve the food, and then sucks it up! You might also have observed that flies like to wander around a piece of food quite a bit before feeding. They’re likely tasting the food with their feet! This is also why you can often see flies carefully cleaning their feet. They need to stay tidy so their taste and tactile receptors work well. True, the fly can transfer diseases to human food by landing on something contaminated and then landing on human food. Yet there’s no denying they still play an important role in waste disposal– not to mention a vital role in the food web, as they’re food for many, many animals!

Mosquito (Family Culicidae)

Little mosquito, oh how your reputation precedes you. This tiny fly is known for being a blood-sucker, but did you know only the females suck blood? The males feed upon nectar. The females seek a blood meal so they can produce eggs. Female mosquitoes are able to narrow in on a person or animal by detecting body heat and the carbon dioxide of their breath. The mosquito then lands, inserts her long proboscis, and injects saliva into her target to help with blood flow, and feeds until she’s all filled up. The itchy bite that she leaves behind is actually because of the mosquito’s saliva. Now, mosquitoes can transmit some bad diseases when they bite people, there’s no denying. But mosquitoes are also very useful to scientists, who study the germs that can live inside mosquitoes. By studying them, we can learn to better control the diseases that they can cause.

Flea (Order Siphonaptera)

Fleas are teeny, tiny parasites that hunger for a blood meal. They have smooth, flattened bodies that help them move through fur or feathers with ease, hooked claws to help them cling to their hosts, and extremely powerful hind legs for jumping. A flea’s jump is incredible, and they can propel themselves around 200 times their own body length, making them one of the best jumpers in the world. While many flea species are very picky about their hosts, some fleas are generalists and may feed upon a variety of animals. Females will lay their eggs on the skin or the bedding of their host animals, and they will produce hundreds to thousands of eggs in their lifetime. The eggs hatch into little wiggling larvae that feed upon organic matter and their parents’ feces. When they mature into adults and take a blood meal, they can mate and begin the cycle anew. I can understand why people wouldn’t be terribly fond of fleas feeding on them, but luckily for me, fleas don’t care for reptile blood.

Snail (Phylum Mollusca, Class Gastropoda)

Our slithering, slime-coated companions are not actually insects! Instead, snails are mollusks, close relatives of clams, oysters and other shellfish. They have soft, mucous-coated bodies– the underside of the snail is actually one big 'foot’ of sorts that pulses rhythmically to propel the snail forward. The slime that coats a snail helps it glide efficiently along the ground, and also stick to surfaces. Additionally, this slime helps protect snails from a number of hazards, such as harsh sunlight, sharp objects, and even bacteria! I’m actually a little jealous. Being coated in slime has an awful lot of benefits, as it turns out!

Pill Bug (Order Isopoda, family Armadillidiidae)

Oh yes, the Pill Bug is something special! They’re actually not bugs at all but land-dwelling crustaceans– related to crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. They still retain their fondness for damp environments, so you’ll often see them under rocks or in tree stumps. In these wonderfully wet and dark places, they go about their business, eating decaying plant material and playing a vital role in decomposition and returning nutrients to our great earth. If you try to pick one up, it’s likely to roll into a ball– its plated armor allows it to curl into this protective posture. Wait a little while, and the Pill Bug may stop feeling shy and uncurl again, and you might get the chance to feel its many little legs walking in a gentle rhythm. It kind of tickles!

Wharf Roach(Ligia exotica)

Wharf Roaches are not actually cockroaches– they’re not even insects, but instead are isopods, relatives of crabs and lobsters. They love to wander along rocky coastlines and harbor walls, and scavenge organic debris and algaes, acting as little beach cleaners. You might already be familiar with a close cousin of the Wharf Roach, the Pill Bug. There are some quick and easy ways to tell them apart, though. The Wharf Roach doesn’t roll into a ball, and the Wharf Roach has large, bulging eyes and lovely, long antenna. Another fun fact about Wharf Roaches is that often, the females will carry around their eggs, holding onto them with specialized egg-carrying appendages. If you have appendages custom-made for parental care, you know you’re gonna be good with children!

Centipede (Scolopendra subspinipes)

My multilegged little marcher! The name 'centipede’ means '100 legs,’ but a centipede doesn’t actually have exactly 100 legs. Instead, it has anywhere from 30 to 354 legs, with one pair of legs per body segment. But because they always have an odd number of leg pairs, they never reach 100 exactly. Centipedes also have a pair of modified legs on their heads called forcipules, which inject venom into their prey. Be careful when interacting with centipedes, though! The centipede may bite more than just prey– it can bite anyone that it feels may be threatening them. This bite isn’t usually fatal, just painful, but it does mean you should respect the centipede’s boundaries, as with any creature. While centipedes can be aggressive, they can also be very kind; a large number of centipedes are very attentive mothers, wrapping their bodies around their eggs and remaining until they hatch. That tender, maternal embrace … those baby centipedes are very lucky to grow up so loved!

Spider (Order Araneae)

The bewitching arachnid! With their eight legs and eight eyes, their fang-tipped chelicerae and their wriggling pedipalps, how could you not fall in love? Spiders can produce silk, an amazing substance that’s flexible yet strong, and very versatile– they often use it to weave wondrous webs they wander like wizards, detecting the faintest vibrations when an insect has been captured. Other spiders are ambush predators, and can chase prey down at great speeds. Whatever method a spider chooses, they are truly masters of the hunt.

Scorpion (Order Scorpiones)

Behold, the scorpion! This dapper predator is an arachnid, which means it has eight legs and two body segments. Scorpions also have pinchers for grabbing prey and tails with venomous stingers. Fear not, however! Of the 2,000 or so scorpion species, while all are venomous, only a handful of about 25 or so have venom that is any real danger to humans. Even with those species, if you treat them with care, you should be safe and sound. The truth is, scorpions simply want to go about their lives, roaming around at night and finding insects to eat. They’re excellent hunters, and also excellent eaters! They can eat a great deal in one sitting and store food, so they can survive for long periods without food if needed. Scorpions are also caring parents. The females give live birth, carefully cradle their newborns, and then carry their babies on their backs. It’s honestly adorable.

Tarantula (Family Theraphosidae)

I’m told that a lot of people fear this sublime arachnid, due to its imposing size and its many legs. But tarantulas are actually very gentle, easygoing spiders, overall. While they do have venomous bites, those bites usually aren’t any worse than a bee sting. In fact, you should be more careful about their urticating hairs– that is, itchy hairs on their abdomens that they will fling at predators that frighten them. If you don’t give the tarantula a reason to fear, though, then they will leave you alone too. Actually, quite a few people keep tarantulas as pets. They like to dine upon insects, although they’ll occasionally eat larger things, like frogs, mice and even birds. Tarantulas are very good at sneaking up on their prey because each of their legs are tipped with furry, adorable little paws, which help them climb and sense their prey. Eight little fluffy paws! That’s four times the adorableness that cats and dogs have!

This is a repost on a new blog. The original post was on Aug 13, 2020.

[copycaat]

It is my apartment. I will perform surgery wherever I please.

     @icecurse

     Privately, Hatake Kakashi takes a moment to himself to wonder if this sort of thing is why civilians are so sick of shinobi bullshit. The woman that is peering at the bok choy next to them lets out a nearly silent, scandalized gasp, and he pegs her as both new in town and not likely to last long from that alone-- if she can’t handle this sort of thing, it will only get worse from here. 

     He hums neutrally, reaching out to pick up the celery and then putting it back. He picks up a finger of ginger and then puts it back. He picks up a ball of horseradish, and then puts it back. Hatake Kakashi is fondling vegetables while he discusses the finer points of apartment courtesy with Yuki Haku. This is an average Sunday morning in the Leaf.

     “I’m not saying you can’t have any fun, Haku. But your neighbors were complaining about the noise-- yelling and screaming is generally considered disturbing to other people, you know? Especially so late at night.” His voice is butter-mild, faintly amused, and the young woman is now edging away from them slowly even as she eavesdrops. Can’t look away from disaster, and all that. Kakashi glances at her out of the corner of his eye and very helpfully says, “Oh no ma’am, you don’t want to pick up that cabbage-- it’s off.” She does not seem very grateful for his contribution to her shopping efforts, so he sighs softly and turns back to Haku.

     “Anyway, I don’t really give a shit what you’re doing in there. Ritual sacrifice, orgies; whatever helps you relieve stress. But for some reason it’s been decided that I’m responsible for you, so when your neighbors complain to your super and your super complains to our bosses, our bosses ask me to talk to you about it. It’s very annoying, I got a lecture and everything.” All delivered matter-of-factly, and now he picks up a rather large zucchini, a little bit ugly, but he keeps this one. Their fly on the wall has now fled completely, which is a shame-- she misses his closing statement. 

     “So the next time you want to play Operation with my students, try to keep the volume down? Or perhaps bring the game to the roof.” 

[humming-bird10]

GARDEN PICS!!

I wanted to do a show of my garden for a while, cuz I'm just so proud of my plantbabies! But I wanted to wait until everything was a bit established so I wouldn't just be showing patches of dirt lol.

Starting of with the left corner.

This is a bit of a rummage corner. But I like that. This has my snapdragons, parsley in the blue laundry hamper, two oaks that were dropped in our garden by magpies and we decided to keep. They are Annie Oakley 1 and 2. There's some cat grass and the seedlings in the bucket are snapdragons grown from the seed of my own ones. I'm gonna gift them as a housewarming present to friends who have just bough a new house.

Next up is my herb planter. This thing just exploded! From left to right there are chives, sage, dill, cilantro and basil. In the right corner you can see a pot full of mint and the pots in front are zucchinis that will be going to friends soon.

Here we have my long planter. This year I am trying to see if the garlic likes this better than my garden beds, cuz it didn't really do so well there. I have four bags with red potatoes in front. The two on the left were planted two weeks earlier and are sprouting well, the two on the right were planted this morning. The four little potd in front are romanesco cauliflower. I have never succesfully grown cabbages but it's always very popular with the local cabbage whites. So this year I am growing these purely for the cabbage whites. I see less and less of them each year so they're getting a bit of help from me this year.

On the right side of the garden we have some thyme, rosemary and lavender. The rhodondendron is almost bloomed out and underneath it the nasturtium I planted is sprouting.

Up against the right fence I have three long planters. This one has radishes on the right and red beets on the left. In the middle I've got spring onions that I regrew from the bottom bits.

The middle ppanter has more regrown veggies. The two in the left are bok choi and the one on the right is chinese cabbage. In the back I sewed a row of sugarsnap peas to see if they like it as much in a planter as they usually do in the beds.

The left one has soybeans in the back that I want to harvest for edamame and three cellery plants regrown from their butts as well :P the two soybeans in pots are going to friends and the one in the purple pot is a wisteria cutting I hope will take so I can plant it somewhere in my garden. I love wisteria.

Now the garden beds!

The first "square" is framed all around by various kinds of sunflowers. I purposely put all different kinds of sizes and colours together cuz I hope to be able to breed a really really weird one. Last year I sowed too late for the flowers to form but this year I was early and it looks like they are really loving it!

I have three rows of carrots. I don't think I'm going to thin them, I'm jist going to let them grow and pull the bigger one out to give the smaller ones room. This way I hope to extend the harvest. The two rows in between the carrots have marigolds in them. To drive away pests and because I think they're pretty. :)

The left bed has two pumpkins. Though I am starting to doubt whether this was the best place for them. I think the apple tree is taking away too much sun, especially for the one on the right. I'm going to see how they do, if they fail I might try a fall crop that doesn't need a lot of sun there instead.

Next to the beds I have two zucchinis in pots. I like putting them in pots so I can get around them easier. It makes finding the zucchinis much easier.

And that's it! As far as the veggies are concerned anyway. I have some bushes and a little wild area where I sowed a bunch of bee and butterfly attracting flowers. Those are coming up nicely.

I'm pretty proud of my garden. Everything is doing really well and I really feel like I am optimizing the space I have to grow as much as possible. We are already getting so much from our little herb planter that we are eating way more herbs than we did before haha.

[ambivalent-auguries]

intimacy+34 // yu/seb/uge

34      cooking together 

@stylesofh2o 

    Long violin notes fill the apartment, the instrument lamenting in a language unknown to two thirds of its occupants. Sebastian gives a hum under his breath as he nods towards Yu who is carrying some chopped onions towards a sizzling pan on the stove. 

     “See if Uge wants to join, hm?” he makes as his attention is turned back to the bok choi he is currently washing, before the brunet stirs the onions in the pan some and moves past him with a kiss placed against Sebastian’s cheek. A chuckle leaves him as his eyes trail Yu towards the room, where he coaxes Ugetsu out of, before quickly wrapping his arms around him. The two make their way towards the kitchen, Yu hanging onto Ugetsu from the back, his chin resting on his shoulder as laughter vibrates in the performer’s chest. 

     “We’re making chow mein, I thought you’d like to like taste test everything as you do,” Sebastian comments, a smirk playing on his lips, before he silences any ripostes the brunet might have with a short kiss. Yu returns to his spot by the stove, now folding in the bok choi and the shrimp, before having to scold Ugetsu on his attempt to steal a piece of carrot before the vegetables are all dropped into the pan. Ugetsu tries his luck instead with Sebastian who gives in with a sigh as he feels the man’s palms against his shoulders. 

     “You’re so persistent, my god,” Sebastian chuckles, before letting Ugetsu have some of the cabbage Sebastian is chopping now. “And you’re going to ruin your appetite,” he makes, receiving words of approval from Yu. “Don’t you agree with me, don’t make me start on those,” Sebastian makes, pointing with the blade of the knife towards the god damn sandals that are attached to Yu’s feet. “Nuh-uh, I don’t want to hear it,” the student makes as Yu opens his mouth to say something before the other two men dissolve into laughter around Sebastian. “Am I the only one who cares about the sandals?” Indignation and amusement both colour Sebastian’s voice as he turns around with an incredulous expression, before the two men approach him. Ugetsu is quick to whisper something that makes Sebastian’s expression soften, a chuckle resonating in his chest, while Yu places an almost apologetic kiss against his jaw. 

     “Fine, I’ll let it slide,” he sighs, returning to his cabbage which at last gets chopped and dropped into the pan. More small talk is shared about their day and loving touches and kisses are deposited against cheeks, lips, shoulders, the three fully immersed in their little corner of the world. As Sebastian watches Yu plate their food, holding Ugetsu in his arms, he can’t help but think that three portions is the perfect amount of food to cook. 

      “I love you both so much,” he chuckles, before Ugetsu’s arms wrap around him tighter and Yu turns around with a gentle, warm expression. “Come here,” he makes with a grin, receiving Yu in his embrace, feeling his chest expand with affection for the two.