Just to clarify, things for the folks in Australia, we have a sandwich spread here in the United States that is made out of peanuts. As opposed to Australia, where it is made out of burnt rubber tires.
Just to clarify, things for the folks in Australia, we have a sandwich spread here in the United States that is made out of peanuts. As opposed to Australia, where it is made out of burnt rubber tires.
Just to clarify, things for the folks in Australia, we have a sandwich spread here in the United States that is made out of peanuts. As opposed to Australia, where it is made out of burnt rubber tires.
Mere peanut butter?? Hah! Cashew spread - yum! Macadamia spread - more yum! And yes, every child here is brought up on that spread of brewers yeast
(Not my photo. That's in keeping, of course. Most of the images in this blog were not taken by me. 'Taken' is the wrong word. Of course they were taken. From wherever they took my fancy. Just like the one below!)
It's thought to be Rhipicera reichei - a member of Cicada-Parasite Beetles (Family Rhipiceridae
A bug by any other name is still a bug! Squish it, or — preferred action —run like hell in the opposite direction! But then, I speak as a person who grew up in a Brooklyn, New York apartment house during the Great Depression, and we didn’t need another mouth to feed!
I recall mowing down multiple cicada relatives, driving across Kansas— the windshield wipers couldn’t keep up with the onslaught of the buggers! Stop at a light? Forgetaboutit!
I remember the same masses of windshield bugs when driving through the central valley in California back in the day (1960s-70s). A couple of summers ago, driving through Indiana/Ohio/Pennsylvania, past plenty of farm fields, very few bugs at all. Unless there's an explanation based on type of crop or time of year, this seems like a bad sign to me. Hopefully someday soon we'll come to realize that in most cases (infected mosquitoes being an exception), what's good for the bugs is probably good for us too.
And, amazing intricate bug, marksierra! What a looker.
(sorry, did i violate the premise of the Inconsequential thread?)
I remember the same masses of windshield bugs when driving through the central valley in California back in the day (1960s-70s). A couple of summers ago, driving through Indiana/Ohio/Pennsylvania, past plenty of farm fields, very few bugs at all. Unless there's an explanation based on type of crop or time of year, this seems like a bad sign to me. Hopefully someday soon we'll come to realize that in most cases (infected mosquitoes being an exception), what's good for the bugs is probably good for us too.
The decrease in windscreen-collected (my term) insects has been noted.
Insects are the most numerous and widespread class in the animal kingdom, accounting for up to 90% of all animal species. In the 2010s, reports emerged about the widespread decline in insect populations across multiple insect orders. The reported severity shocked many observers, even though there had been earlier findings of pollinator decline. There has also been anecdotal reports of greater insect abundance earlier in the 20th century. Many car drivers know this anecdotal evidence through the windscreen phenomenon, for example. Causes for the decline in insect population are similar to those driving other biodiversity loss. They include habitat destruction, such as intensive agriculture, the use of pesticides (particularly insecticides), introduced species, and – to a lesser degree and only for some regions – the effects of climate change.
An (The) analysis, published in the journal Biological Conservation, says intensive agriculture is the main driver of the declines, particularly the heavy use of pesticides. Urbanisation and climate change are also significant factors.
I recognise that most of us, having been brought up in an urban environment, were originally taught that the only good bug was a dead bug, but I would like to hope that this attitude is changing - infecting mosquitoes being an exception, of course - and that we should try to find natural ways of controlling insects.
We/humanity/the world needs insects in order for (us) to survive as a species.
A little more reading (or listening) on the subject:
This is fun. (Well, except for the ads, sorry about them)
A lot of people don’t realise how much really popular music is Australian - the performers, the songwriters, the performers who reinterpreted the songs and made them into bigger hits for another generation…
This American YouTuber, Ryan Wuz, has produced his daily Aussie spot listening to hits of the ‘80s and being stunned at who’s Aussie (or Kiwi). Country music lovers note that Slim Dusty is worthy searching out; viewers of Aussie tv dramas might recognise Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue from Neighbours; Kylie’s just done a residency at Las Vegas.
Over rated