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Cladonia sp. lichen

(July 2025)

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3 Aug 2025

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Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/kill-it-with-fire-on-wildlife-scapegoats/

If you've ever seen a photo of a spider and responded "KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!!", or responded to a picture of a snake (even someone's pet snake) with "a well-aimed shotgun will fix that"--do you even hear yourself? Do you just kneejerk respond to the very existence of an animal with a desire to end its life?

Let's skip the whataboutism: I'm not talking about food here, or humane euthanasia (to include of invasive species). I'm also not talking about legitimate phobias of certain animals. Nor is this about animals that are actively causing harm that cannot be otherwise mitigated, cases of self-defense, or habituated mammals that are becoming increasingly aggressive and don't respond to hazing. I'm talking specifically about the seemingly unexamined violent and hateful response so many people have to certain animals, not because they are an active threat, but simply because they are there. I've seen it applied to not just snakes and spiders, but also coyotes, bears, wolves, foxes, moles, voles, hawks, and all sorts of other native species that have been a part of various American ecosystems for millennia.

The justification always seems to be "Well, it could hurt someone/kill livestock/damage my lawn" and so forth. Except--is it? Is that animal currently causing a problem? Or do you just feel entitled to preemptively end its existence, instead of taking steps to exclude it or otherwise protect people and property? And how important is what you're supposedly protecting anyway? I can't fathom the idea that a perfectly smooth, boring grass lawn is more important than the vital ecological roles moles play in keeping subterranean insects in check and enhancing the soil microbiome through their digging. (After all, pocket gophers aren't the only fossorial species that make a difference to soil health!)

Never mind that we have lots of non-lethal options for co-existing with various animals. There are tons of fencing designs that will exclude whatever potential predator you worry about getting in with your livestock. Most bugs can be captured with a drinking glass and a postcard and released safely outside. You can get inexpensive but effective snake tongs and hooks for relocating snakes. Sure, it takes a little more effort than just squashing the bug or beating the snake to death with a shovel, but is your laziness worth the life of another being?

I know, I know. The sorts of people who say this sort of thing are usually the sorts who crow back with "well, we're top of the food chain!" Never mind, of course, that our understanding of ecology has moved on from the hierarchical image of the food chain, and replaced it with more accurate imagery of a food web in which nutrients are constantly cycling among many living beings, all of which are equally important to the process. Western society has at this point spent millennia convincing ourselves that humans are not animals, that we're better than other animals, that nature is here for us to use and abuse as we see fit. Convenient how we've written all these myths justifying our actions, isn't it?

But science says that isn't the case. We are animals--Homo sapiens sapiens--and while our adaptations include upright walking, opposable thumbs, and great big brains, or ancestral lineage is no longer or more successful than that of any other species alive today. And our arrogance in presuming that we have the right to decide whether entire species and ecosystems deserve to exist has led us to a point where the life support systems of our planet are in critical danger. We'll happily blast a rattlesnake into oblivion just for the sin of basking out in the open because it might, possibly, someday could maybe bite someone in self-defense, but we ignore and excuse and glorify the danger that we ourselves pose not just to other people but to the entire Earth.

Easier to scapegoat one animal than to look in the mirror, isn't it?

Did you enjoy this post? Consider ordering my book The Everyday Naturalist, taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, or checking out my other articles! You can even buy me a coffee here!

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Parachute mushrooms growing out of an old oak leaf

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Hey, we've got another public comment period with a rapidly approaching deadline here in the United States! Short version is that the Department of Agriculture, which manages the U.S. Forest Service, has severely curtailed its obligation to public outreach and comment on its activities, to include timber sales and environmental impact reports. The foundation of a democracy is in the power of the voices of the people, and this decision circumvents our ability to give feedback on Forest Service decisions.

That means that it will be easier for the Forest Service to clearcut old-growth forests regardless of the ecological impact, and make it easier for profiteers to exploit the natural resources of these publicly owned lands. This decision was made to benefit the few, not the many, and it's blatantly obvious.

The deadline to make a public comment on this disastrous decision is August 4. Please get the word out!

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Been on some really nice walks lately. My partner and I saw fireflies down by the creek.

July 2025

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Common Emerald Moth [•]

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It’s Tell a Friend Friday! Please enjoy these photos of a fireweed clearwing moth (Albuna pyramidalis) on tansy ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) flowers. Then tell someone you know about my work–you can reblog this post, or send my website, RebeccaLexa.com, to someone you think may be interested in my natural history writing, classes, and tours, as well as my book, The Everyday Naturalist: How to Identify Animals, Plants, and Fungi Wherever You Go. 

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New Bone Windchime @autumnpurpledoor

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Bulletin trimestriel de la Société mycologique de France - 1921- via Gallica

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nosy anons let's go

0: Height

1: Age

2: Shoe size

3: Do you smoke?

4: Do you drink?

5: Do you take drugs?

6: Age you get mistaken for

7: Have tattoos?

8: Want any tattoos?

9: Got any piercings?

10: Want any piercings?

11: Best friend?

12: Relationship status

13: Biggest turn ons

14: Biggest turn offs

15: Favorite movie

16: I’ll love you if…

17: Someone you miss

18: Most traumatic experience

19: A fact about your personality

20: What I hate most about myself

21: What I love most about myself

22: What I want to be when I get older

23: My relationship with my sibling(s)

24: My relationship with my parent(s)

25: My idea of a perfect date

26: My biggest pet peeves

27: A description of the girl/boy I like

28: A description of the person I dislike the most

29: A reason I’ve lied to a friend

30: What I hate the most about work/school

31: What my last text message says

32: What words upset me the most

33: What words make me feel the best about myself

34: What I find attractive in women

35: What I find attractive in men

36: Where I would like to live

37: One of my insecurities

38: My childhood career choice

39: My favorite ice cream flavor

40: Who I wish I could be

41: Where I want to be right now

42: The last thing I ate

43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately

44: A random fact about anything

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This morning I was just minding my business on a hike only to look over and see a ton of flaccid stinkhorns (Mutinus ravenelii) adorning a sandstone cliff face.

(July 2025)

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Moss & Carnelian Agate

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the smallest and largest snails i saw while walking my dog tonight.

9 July 2025

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Found this fox (I'm pretty sure?) while exploring, I'm planning on getting it later and to clean the skeleton, it will be my first time actually cleaning bones (I have only collected pretty much naturally cleaned small bones before) so it will be interesting :) advice on cleaning bones is welcome <3

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:3

Lichens!

Frosty saucer 》 Ochrolechia africana and Perforated ruffle 》 Parmotrema perforatum

This was a long and at times arduous process but I'm happy with how it turned out.

9 July 2025