The CryptoNaturalist @cryptonature - Tumblr Blog

If you imagine that hairy legs are flowers, then every spider is just a venomous bouquet!

Nice. Now I can stop telling all the June bugs I see on my back porch that they’re early.

#june 2026

Sunday Seeds #1

This is my first effort at a weekly post! I plan to include three core segments: wonder, whimsy, and a writing prompt. Short and sweet. (Plus a bonus poem or bit of prose for supporters. Often, the bonus will be my quick response to the prompt I offer.)

Wonder

My publisher just sent me a preview of the illustrations for my new book about dandelions (coming spring 2027), so I have dandelions on the brain. Did you know that dandelions have no practical need for pollinators? The common dandelion reproduces asexually, so there’s no need to exchange pollen. And yet… they feed pollinators anyway. I think there is something wonderfully sweet about that, abundance and generosity eclipsing practicality.

Whimsy

Yesterday, I rescued a jumping spider from my kitchen sink and she just sat on the back of my hand and seemed uninterested in climbing off. So, I walked her around my backyard and explained all my current gardening projects to her. She was very patient and politely attentive. She eventually hopped off into the soft jungle of my asparagus patch. I assume she’ll tell the other invertebrates about my upcoming plans for the backyard.

Writing Prompt

Contemplate a time when you were perceived (seen, heard, felt) by a non-human lifeform. Did you make eye contact with a mourning dove? Did you watch an ant use her antennae to explore the fine hairs on your arm? Maybe you called back to a hooting owl? There’s a concept called “observer effect” that basically states that observing a phenomenon necessarily changes it. So… how were you changed by being observed?

PS (Dad Joke): I usually know if someone is a ghost as soon as they walk through the door.

[Bonus portion unlocked via my Substack or Patreon]

#writing prompt #nature #whimsical #naturalist #newsletter

grifff17

I finished reading Strange Animals by @cryptonature. I really enjoyed it, I want to relisten to the entire Cryptonaturalist podcast now. As I was reading the book I was thinking about how the timeline didn't line up with the podcast, and the ending of the book totally confirmed that thought. Highly suggest anyone reading this picks up a copy of the book.

I’ve seen people ask, “which came first, the chair or the table?”

And yet… what is a chair if not a butt-table? 🤔

#philosophy #furniture

If you can’t handle me at my squonk you don’t deserve me at my flatwoods monster.

#cryptid posts #cryptid #cryptozoology

The most powerful world figure living today pales in comparison to moss. Pick a criteria. Legacy. Longevity. Fame. Impact. Moss wins.

#moss

Just planted all of the sprouting potatoes I had in the basement that I harvested from the garden last year and didn’t end up eating over the winter. The circle is complete. Thanks for visiting potatoes. Back to the garden you go.

#gardening

Poets Only:

Which is worse, all the respect or all the money?

#poetry corner #poetry #poetsofinstagram

"Okay, explain it again, but this time like you're talking to a person who is usually daydreaming about tiny magic people living in moss-villages and who is hanging onto reality by the thinnest of threads."

#whimsical #whimsicore