Slab City's Lizard Tree Library

Off-grid squatted library serving the Slab City Community in the Sonoran Desert near the Salton Sea. Blog sporadically updated by part-time Librarian Pumpkin. linktr.ee/slabcitylibrary

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Folks who live in Slab City have all seen this lil lady, the bloodsucking Bomber. An XL size (1"+) local population of tabanus punctifer, these massive tabanidae flies have a reputation for being aggressive, sometimes hunting people for miles. What many people don't know is that when you kill them they leave a hormonal scent marker behind that attracts more bombers to avenge their fallen sister. Bombers mostly feed on nectar from plants. The females do require a blood meal to accumulate adequate protein for reproduction. It takes her 6 days to digest this unusual meal, so she spends a lot more of her time digesting than drinking blood. Her bite, however, is painful & can spread bloodbourne diseases, as well as causing potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. In Libraria we have a contract with the bombers: we don't kill them, they don't bite us. When they land on us or buzz around our heads, we gently brush them away, taking care not to hurt them. Neither library residents nor libraria's various spaces smell like their dead relatives. As a result, the bombers in Libraria tend to be very chill. Almost always, they quickly settle down and do their favorite thing: sit in a shady corner and have a little bath: like a cat! They do get a bit flustered when they get tangled in shade cloth, but don't we all.

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Amazon Wishlist for Library Occupants & Mutual Aid Distro

Monetary donations can be sent as gifts to the Head Librarian Zoë Aurora Grimes:

Venmo is a digital wallet that lets you make and share payments with friends. You can easily split the bill, cab fare, or much more. Downloa

Instantly exchange money for free on Cash App

Go to paypal.me/slabcitylibrary and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.

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Slab City's Lizard Tree Library - Operated by Head Librarian Zoë Aurora Grimes

The Lizard Tree Library operates a year-round Free Table with clothes, food & other essentials for the community!