Dandelion Isopods

21/05/2024

Love the bees and so grateful for their pollination 🐝

28/04/2024

27/04/2024

Did you know ball pythons enjoy climbing? If you give them the opportunity for climbing, they very often will!

Here’s Calypso & Slith showing off their Toad Ranch enclosures, mainly Calypso showing off her jungle gym area. When we upgrade Slith in the future, he’ll be getting a better climbing space than what he has now. Young hardwood tree sapling trunks are great for this!

26/04/2024

This is a honey bee. The pollen on her legs is from dandelions. Her tongue is sticking out due to what killed her that was on the dandelions.
It’s spring, dandelions are the bees first food. This bee is dead from w**d killer spread on what we see as w**ds, but what nature sees as food. Please don’t spray for w**ds until you see the blackberries blooming.
In this area, w**ds, flowers and fruit trees are bees only source of food until middle of June. There are FAR more w**ds than flowers or fruit trees, so it's their only food source. No bees, no food crops for us and we all starve?!
VidaHacks

26/04/2024

I love that!

26/04/2024

Before we take up countless acres of land with solar panels put them on every car park, library, school, supermarket, office block, warehouse and home.

So many places to put panels instead of our green spaces.

25/04/2024

Whether you eat animals or not, animal agriculture is important for restoring soil and ecosystem health, when using regenerative methods.

The soil on the left in the photo is the result of regenerative agricultural practises being implemented and holds significantly more organic, biological and carbon matter.

Sheep and cattle were carefully managed and rotated on the land. They ate the grass, deposited their urine and dung and were then moved away to let the area rest and revive itself.

The cycle is then repeated at a later date depending on season variability and vegetation recovery. This allows the pulling of carbon into the soil. It is darker because a larger amount of carbon from the atmosphere is now in the soil making it more nutrient rich and dense.

The soil on the right is from a commercial farm that uses animals on a set stocking rate on the land.

The dark colour is not an indication for all healthy soil types, however generally speaking the darker the soil the healthier it is.

The soil with more carbon holds a lot more water (roughly 150,000 liters of water per hectare for every 1% of carbon that’s added) and is full of microbes.

Animals play a crucial role in regenerating the land and getting carbon into the soil when properly managed.

These ‘regenerative’ practises also can be applied to crop management through the careful integration of livestock.

Photo From Gateway Research Organization

25/04/2024

The Dutch, famed for their pragmatic problem-solving, are at it again.

Walking through Amsterdam's Vondelpark, at first I didn't know what to make of this unusual garbage can — which appears to have a built-in beverage caddy.

But then, it dawned on me: This ingenious trashcan solves multiple problems at once.

The Netherlands has a new-ish deposit system for bottles and cans: €0.15 is added to the cost when you buy a drink, which you can reclaim later by returning the vessel. This system, in place in many European countries (and US states), is designed to reduce waste and encourage recycling.

The problem is, not everyone is willing to carry around an empty bottle until they reach a deposit-reclaim point. It seems wasteful to trash these, and doubly so when you're essentially throwing real cash into the garbage along with it.

These "donation rings" (doneerringen) make it much easier for people in need to gather these unwanted items and collect the deposit. You don't have to carry around an unwanted bottle; the bottle is more likely to actually get recycled; and someone who could really use the money gets to pocket it.

These days, societies struggle for a win. In Amsterdam, this simple invention has created a win-win-win. To me, this simple sight illustrates how, in a highly functioning society, a good idea, smartly executed, can creatively chip away at problems...both small and big.

25/04/2024

Just another reminder to those in the Northern Hemisphere that Dandelions are a key source of early nectar to Pollinators, flowering normally begins in a few weeks time but we're already getting reports of Dandelions appearing across the hemisphere, so consider leaving a few plants to flower if you are mowing 🐝

Dandelion (genus Taraxacum) are flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions native to Eurasia and to North America, but the two commonplace species in the wider world, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, were also introduced from Europe and now propagate as wildflowers in those regions including North America where they are considered introduced. Both species are edible in their entirety. The common name dandelion comes from French "dent-de-lion", meaning "lion's tooth". Like other members of the family Asteraceae, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head. Each single flower in a head is called a floret. In part due to their abundance along with being a generalist species, dandelions are one of the most vital early spring nectar sources for a wide host of pollinators that themselves are critical to pollination of later flowering plants. Although they are appearing earlier, May-June is a peak blooming time critical for Pollinators.

25/04/2024

Happy Earth Day!

25/04/2024

Use caution with compost. Compost is often used to enrich soil in flower and garden beds. Be mindful of what you put in your compost. Unintentional toxicities can be present when adding items like garlic, onion, or grape waste products. In some compost piles, certain kinds of mold (called ‘tremorgenic mycotoxins’) can be present. If pets ingest this mycotoxin, they can be at risk for neurological signs such as tremors and seizures. It’s best to keep any compost area enclosed and monitor pets carefully while outside. Once the compost is well-rotted, has finished its breakdown cycle, and is being added to your garden, it's considered "safe" for your pets to be around.

25/04/2024

“Oh, hello thththere” - Slithicus Rexus Maximus 🐍

22/04/2024

Eastern box turtle! Such wonderful creatures 🐢💚

A surprise visitor for the Native Plant Nursery opening, Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) on the Penn's Woods Trail.

22/04/2024

22/04/2024

🌱 Visit https://aquariumcoop.com/ to buy aquarium plants, lights, fish food, and more from Aquarium Co-Op🐟 Buy fish at https://geni.us/LiveFish from our pr...

21/04/2024

After realizing that Sadie had ingested a very large amount of ibuprofen, her owner rushed her to the ER at our Levittown, PA, hospital. Our Levittown team shared, "It was determined that Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE)/Plasmapheresis was recommended to help with this level of toxicity."

Dogs with toxicity may have problematic components in their blood plasma. Plasmapheresis involves removing and replacing these problematic plasma components with healthy ones. Nolan Chalifoux, DVM, DACVECC, and our team performed the lifesaving treatment and Sadie was able to head home with her owner to recover comfortably. Her sweet smile says it all! 💙

(Photo credit: )

21/04/2024

One of the few chelonians actually sociable with others!

Did you know Unlike some other tortoise species, red-footed tortoises are relatively sociable and may be found in small groups or pairs in the wild. They often engage in social behaviors such as basking together in the sun or foraging for food in close proximity to one another. ☀️🌿

𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑲 𝑩𝑬𝑳𝑶𝑾 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆



https://www.zillarules.com/information/care-sheets/red-footed-tortoise

21/04/2024

21/04/2024

Clown Loaches sold at pet stores are small and absolutely adorable, but beware - these fish are hyperactive, reach a foot in length, must be kept in groups, and need very large aquariums!

12/12/2023

We now have a small colony of Cubaris s. Rubber Ducky assorted!

One thing to know about Rubber Duckies before purchasing some of your own is that they like a little bit of a tighter space when first starting out, as well as extra damp

09/12/2023

Our springtails reproduce so quickly, I swear we’re splitting them into more colonies on a weekly basis.

Dandelion Isopods offer springtail colonies and more!

08/12/2023

Time to play ‘spot the isopod’! Today’s entry is set to easy mode. Comment below when you find them!

11/07/2022

We’re working on some hornworm cultures to add them to our list of available feeders for purchase! Keep an eye out for more updates! 😎🐛🐢