Previous Entries: Grill Food<\/a> | Lake Fish<\/a> | Guitars<\/a> | Herons<\/a> | Haunted House<\/a> | Ghost<\/a> | Crabs<\/a> | Original<\/a><\/p> Poison Dart Frogs<\/strong><\/p> Wanted to pick a reptile, because without being a Reptile Guy, I love these cold-blooded little ornaments. We\u2019re probably around the corner from a theocracy here in the U.S., and I grew up fighting with my idiot Youth Pastor about how evolution is real, so I don\u2019t wanna make intelligent design jokes. HOWEVER, it rules that these adorable little hoppers evolved protection from predators that also involved really sick aesthetics. What a mutually beneficial evolutionary development! There is beauty all around you if you care to look for it. Look with your eyes, though. <\/p> Plankton<\/strong><\/p> The immediate association with plankton is \u201cwhat whales eat.\u201d Turns out, plankton is a little more complex than a humpback\u2019s breakfast. There\u2019s zooplankton, phytoplankton, microplankton, mesoplankton\u2014probably more if I could remember The Death and Life Of The Great Lakes<\/a><\/em> or the Field Museum\u2019s Deep Oceans exhibit better. That Field Museum exhibit (which I\u2019ll write about soon) is where I learned that plankton are often larvae of bigger fish. That\u2019s one of them \u201caw hell I shoulda figured that\u201d facts. Hey, speaking of stuff I should\u2019ve known earlier:<\/p> Pumpkin Plants<\/strong><\/p> Where did I think pumpkins come from? The ground, at least. I had no idea<\/em> how big their plants got. Look at that thing! That\u2019s like 1\/6th of my porch. And being honest? It rules<\/em>. City living is the best, but I wanna sorta feel like I\u2019m at risk of being overrun but plants if possible. Pumpkin plants on the porch do that. They also have beautiful flowers that only live for one day. Great reminder to appreciate every nice-weather day\u2014tomorrow, the pumpkin flower won\u2019t be there. <\/p> Cross your fingers for us that this actually grows a pumpkin. <\/p> Hey, speaking of houseplants:<\/p> Snake Plants In The Wild<\/strong><\/p> The Instagram algo\u2014one of the most destructive forces in contemporary society\u2014served me a great collage recently of house plants in the wild. They were beautiful! Amazing to see in a different context. We\u2019ve got a lot of house plants, which is a way of saying Mallory has put plants in our house and takes care of them while I hoot and holler and shout about what a good mood they put me in. One of my favorites, which I didn\u2019t really appreciate until recently, is the snake plant. Got a bummer after that lede though. Turns out, it\u2019s really difficult to find a picture of Sansevieria trifasciata in the wild that conveys exactly how I felt looking an Instagram post on Wikimedia Commons, but I thought one where the plant that\u2019s normally next to the end table is sprouting fruit would be thought-provoking. Someone decided just one or two of those would look nice in a pot on the porch, and what a genius they were. <\/p> Centipedes<\/strong><\/p> These guys are wonderful! They may look like a thousand and one nightmares, but they are eating the spiders and roaches that would otherwise infest your house. Love a centipede! Say thank you next time you see one. Name it<\/a>, even.<\/p> Sorry you got an email, <\/p> Chris<\/p>![\"File:Poison](\"https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/d1b20cc5-a482-4b67-abb8-7490b9030bc5_694x600.jpeg\")
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<\/figure>![\"File:Snake](\"https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/d8de83bb-6317-4f37-8568-119648b24299_800x450.jpeg\")
<\/figure>![\"File:Lithobius](\"https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/7c36f351-cd5b-4c5b-9137-feeb59496d16_800x533.jpeg\")
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