I live in Baltimore, MD...I love to take pics...recently I've turned into some type of insect paparazzi...Some are great quality, some are blurred and horrible! I also will prolly be posting other randomness...things that either inspire me...make me laugh...things I create...things that are pretty/creepy/ugly/whatever...Enjoy!!
hey there! you can call me monster or Ray (ey/em or they/them)
this is a journal of sorts where i talk about my sprickets! theyre greenhouse camel crickets (Tachycines asynamorus), an invasive east asian species thats a very common household visitor where i live (new york, USA). i caught these dudes in my apartment, ahaha. i started keeping them on 12/6/2022
i mostly keep this blog for myself, but id love to bring other folks happiness with the antics of these lil guys. im very new to invert husbandry of any sort (my only real area of expertise is cats, ahaha), so if youve got any tips id be super grateful if youd share. theres so little info out there about T. asynamorus irt care.
I'll introduce my lil guys and chat about them below!
Crouton ♀️
(caught: 12/6/22)
crouton is the first spricket i caught, and shes my special little girl. 💚 she was still very young when i first caught her, but shes grown into an absolutely massive adult! i initially thought she was a male until i noticed a teeny tiny ovipositor developing about a month after first catching her.
she used to be very shy, but shes gotten much more confident as shes grown (she still hauls ass at the first sign of my presence though, ahaha). shes often the first spricket to spring into action the moment the lights go out, with her super long antennae wiggling about. her favorite food is carrot!
shes very agile! i swear, crouton doesnt know how to walk; only how to run. she has no issue getting where she wants to go with a well-placed hop either! ...even if that place is sometimes the ceiling...
she lives in the adult tank with her roomie and best bud, Breadcrumb! they get along really well, from what i can tell. they definitely have their lil slap fights here and there, and crouton sometimes gets Stompy if breadcrumb gets near her when shes in The Carrot Zone, but they seem to spend a lot of time just vibing side by side!
on 5/28/23, one of her eggs hatched, making her a mommy (and Breadcrumb an auntie)!
Breadcrumb (Knight Jeremiathalus The First) ♀️
(caught: 1/31/23)
Breadcrumb may be a bit shy, but she stands tall in the face of danger (for a spricket anyway) like the valiant knight she is! shes more tolerant of my presence than most, having more of a freeze response than flight. shes also an absolute fiend for freeze dried blood worms.
she lives in the adult tank with her best buddy, Crouton! she seems to have some level of trust towards crouton, letting her put her front legs on her while she lays eggs (or just vibes) without protest, and just spending a lot of time hanging out near her, especially in the dirt dish. shes got immaculate vibes in general, really.
shes about 2 months younger than Crouton, id say. she was about the same size that Crouton was when i found her (in the exact same spot, no less), only two months later, so i feel like thats a fair estimate.
shes got a weird little mutation where shes got a little opening below the base of her ovipositor. sometimes eggs get stuck there, but she manages to pass them eventually, and seems to lay eggs regularly just fine. im hoping she'll live a long and happy life regardless!
Poppyseed
(hatched: 5/28/23
mother: Crouton; father: Biscuit)
this little darling is the first spricket ive ever hatched in captivity! shes far too young to determine her sex yet, but i seem to be calling her "she" for now.
i was holding off on naming her until she got a little bigger, just in case any other babies hatch and im unable to distinguish her from the others, but the name Poppyseed came to me and it just seems to be sticking. she really is a teeny tiny poppyseed, after all, and im so excited to watch her bloom into a pretty little flower :)
Hi! No need for any emojis. I just want to say i appreciate the effort you put into this blog :)
Thank you for the kind words! And even if you don't want a moodboard I'll give you an odd essay of blog lore. I do all of this because I'm hyperfixated in emojis, and I know the interest of my origin in the topic comes from something other than emoji.
Back when I was a little kid my parents had Aol 9, and they set me up an email so I could send clipart to grandma. On this first online experience of mine there were two things that I feel reflects my current emoji interest. The first was a series of smiles intended for AIM, but I didn't use aim so just used them in the aforementioned grandma emails
Basically it was about a dozen emoji expressions over countless themes, and I think you chose. I would be lying if I said the emoji fusions didn't remind me of these bad boys.
The other thing was the customizable favorites icons
Basically you could assign an emoji-esque symbol to each of your website bookmarks and it would all go on a bookmarks bar built into the browser hud
And those two things set the seeds for what I do today, so everyone thank those things
Ok update, I found another Early emoji equivalent over the internet archive, and this one is very interesting to me.
Cartoon Network Calendar Maker from 2004, still working and up to date on Internet Archive
This game would let you assign different symbols to different calendar dates, and print it out. I remember playing around with it on the old cartoon network flash site as a kid, just transfixed with the little virtual stickers. The part that's really interesting to me, is that each one of these images have at least partly corresponding emoji in the current Unicode emoji database. Probably a coincidence but it's interesting.
[ID: an art piece of a light green coffee pot robot shaped like a frog. The legs and arms are mechanized such that the whole machine appears able to hop like a frog. The coffee pot is brown and makes up the belly of the frog, and lights on the top of the machine resemble eyes. /End ID]
🍃 Red Raspberry Leaf:
-reduces premenstral tension
-reduces painful bleeding
🍃Red Clover Blossom:
-balances hormones
-PMS relief
-helps correct irregular periods
-rids the body of toxins/cleanses blood
*blood thinning properties- do NOT use if your periods are heavy*
🍃Nettle Leaf:
-packed with vitamins & minerals (including protein)
-restores healthy adrenal function (balances hormones)
-eases cramp discomfort
*diuretic- this will make you pee*
🍃Lemon Balm:
-calms nervous system
-helps your body rest and repair
Cinnamon can induce your period or shorten it if it falls on a date that is inconvenient to your schedule such as vacation or a pool party. Put powdered cinnamon in a clean coffee filter and brew it as if it were coffee grounds, sweeten with honey as it has similar properties. Can also work as a plan B before your first missed period if you suspect yourself to be pregnant.
Note: Red Clover, Raspberry leaves and Nettle all change hormone levels or create hormone-like chemicals. This is part of why they help ease cramps. BUT if you have health problems, specifically cancer or hormone level issues, please consult a doctor before using these herbs. Especially if you are on medications that alter hormone levels (like myself).
All of these herbs are great and I love them but if you have health issues you have to be hyper vigilant when it comes to herbal remedies
Protect your local crows, ravens, magpies, jays, and more from harm!
🖤 Materials 🖤
▪️a poppet or taglock to represent your local corvid birds (if this consists of a feather, talon, bones, etc. pls remember to be respectful when gathering)
▪️bay leaves
▪️black salt
▪️a candle (whatever color you associate with protection works)((also this is optional))
▪️a clear quartz amulet
🖤Instructions🖤
1. grind your bay leaves into you black salt
2. programm your clear quartz amulet to protect from harm and bad intentions
3. light your candle
4. put the amulet around, on, or very close to the poppet
5. surround your poppet and amulet with a black salt/bay leaves circle
6. envision the local corvid population being protected by a barrier, force field, guardian or whatever you choose to envision.
7. you can choose to leave this setup or not. But end your spell and go about you day being kind to not only the corvids but all creatures.
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