So many rocks, so little time

A place for nature stuff, rocks, plants critters, etc. I'm just an amateur who loves to know things, so if you see something I've posted has an inaccurate or incomplete description, please feel free to message me! I do my best to identify and tag things but Google can only take me so far :) my main is @pseudospectre, which is for weird and or spooky shit, so if you see likes and stuff from there but not here that's why :) I love asks and talking to people but I'm also exceedingly bad at maintaining conversations or being a normal human

[dsudis]

Maybe... can have shit in Detroit?

Historic wild rice restoration underway in the Detroit River: ‘Living tribute to the First Nations'

Historic wild rice restoration begins in Detroit River as tribal partners work to bring back sacred grain that disappeared from ancestral wa

[notmusa]

went hunting 4 tree pearls today. look at that big honker

[notmusa]

OPE were skinning her. my beautiful not-tuber

behold: the surface of jupiter; potato in appearance & size

[slugandthorn]

Interpreting

[weird-dirt-creature]

These things are my FAVORITE, do you have any tips to find them? I have a few, but never seen to find any that aren't very tiny or partially dead so they don't have that all-over whorls anymore. I only know where one of mine is right at this second but it's probably my favorite anyway. I've had it a very long time.

[weird-dirt-creature]

Come look out my window for a little bit while the birds sing

[byjove]

in good news regarding the intense cold snap in the south: it has allowed people to collect and dispatch hundreds and hundreds of invasive iguanas in Florida after they became cold stunned and fell from trees. some are being eaten. some are being used as fertilizer. some are going to be used in lizard skin accessories. there are some animal rights weirdos who are not happy about this and are completely unable to comprehend the incredible damage iguanas have done to Florida’s ecosystems and the threat they post to native species but I am very happy for all iguana hunters out there. being killed while they are already stunned and then being used to nourish other beings is a fairly painless and honorable fate for invasive iguanas.

[wachinyeya]

Bison Return to Illinois Prairie to the Sounds of Drumming After 200 Years of Absence

Bison Return to Illinois Prairie to the Sounds of Drumming After 200 Years of Absence

The 6 animals were released from a large trailer into a cattle enclosure to allow them to get used to the idea of the frozen prairie again.

A herd of 6 American bison—3 males and 3 females—have been released onto native Illinois prairie. There, to the sound of drumming, songs, and cheers, they began to acclimate to their new surroundings—surroundings that had missed them for 200 years. A large crowd of Santee Sioux, herded together in their woven blankets and synthetic down jackets, had arrived at sunrise on Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve in Kane County, 60 miles northwest of Chicago, to witness something of a homecoming. “It’s different when you’re welcoming them back home. That’s their home, not mine,” tribal elder Robert Wapahi told CBS News Chicago. The 6 animals were released from a large trailer into a cattle enclosure to allow them to get used to the idea of the frozen prairie again, and come the spring, they’ll be moved onto a larger area, still fenced, where it’s anticipated they will improve native grasslands. “It’s really important and awesome to see another herd that is hitting the ground in a good way,” one man said at the event, where drummers sang a song as the trailer arrived. The American Indian Center, the oldest urban Native American cultural establishment in the United States, will look after the animals in partnership with Kane County Forests Persevere staff, and a designated herd manager. The reduction in bison from 35 million to several thousand had a profound effect on the North American prairie even without the conversion of so much of it to farmland. Bison engineer grassland ecosystems with much the same impact as beavers on a stream. The millions of hooves stamped the grasslands flat, preventing any one species from over colonizing an area. Their wooly coats acted as an excellent seed dispersal vehicle. Their dung helped fertilized the plains and their digging of wallowing pits increased the landscape’s ability to resist drought and retain water. In bits and pieces, fits and starts, bison are being reintroduced to native prairie when it can be found, and though 6 is a far cry from 35 million, all good things have to start somewhere. Judging by the smiles and the cheers of the Santee Sioux—when the shaggy beasts rumbled out of the trailer—this is a very, very good thing.

By Andy Corbley -Jan 26, 2026

[nymika-arts]

at the museum in the rocks and minerals exhibit eating all their rocks and minerals

[nymika-arts]

they try to pull me away (to stop me from eating the rocks and minerals) but i'm too heavy to move (because of the rocks and minerals that i ate)

[probablybadrpgideas]

Help Our Friend Name Their Sexy Troll (Discworld)

What's the sexiest rock?

Basalt

Chalk

Marble

Coal

Granite

Obsidian

Flint

Quartz

Limestone

Slate

Magnetite

Obviously it's...

Voting ended onJan 13

[just-evo-now]

trolls would fucking hate obsidian. Calling a troll obsidian is probably a horrible insult in their culture. Tumblr needs to be better

[weird-dirt-creature]

I don't have any opinions one way or another but I immediately thought of this upon seeing the words "sexy troll"

[teaboot]

You see I too often sat in school classes and thought “when am I ever going to need this, I’m never going to be an engineer, I’m never gonna be a scientist, I’m never gonna be a linguist” and then I grew up and it turns out a lot of bigots and cults and scams and grifts hinge their entire business model on you just. Not knowing what a protein is or some shit

[myboyrozanovv]

If people knew what a fucking atom is and how molecules are defined, at least a quarter of all health related cults like movements and scams wouldn't work.

"Ohh it's a different sugar than refined sugar" it's the same molecule.

"Ohhh my water filtering apparatus making beauty water and cleaning water and alkaline water" Water is H20. What you're doing is reverse osmosis, and if it's alkaline then there is a substance that's not water in there to make it alkaline. You can't purify water to a pH of 12, because pure water molecules have, by definition of how the pH system works and several phyics rules, a pH of exactly 7.

"Ooohh it has ~different~ sodium atoms." That's called an isotope and sodium isotopes aren't created by magic woowoo, and the magical ability of most isotopes is radioactivity.

"Low toxin" what toxin. Tell me their names. What are they doing. "They are endocrine disruptors" what part of the endocrine system? How? Do you have a source that doesn't try to sell you something?

"Just mix vinegar and baking soda to cleanse all the toxins of your fruits" you just created water molecules and CO2, and some calcium and acetate which don't have much chemical property. That's a science fair vulcano. And doesn't have acidic or alkaline properties to chemically influence anything. Just use tap water at this point. "My wood cutting board soaked in an alkaline solution from baking soda to clear out the toxins leaves a nasty looking soup" yeah because you were dissolving the wood with an alkaline solution. Congratulations.

"There is effective microorganisms in this ceramic bead and it can cleanse your laundry and dishes and prevent mold in your fridge and it works for years" what microorganisms exactly? How did you discover them? What are they eating? Are they resistant to 60 degrees and steam? Do they procreate in the fridge? Are they spreading out on all surfaces to prevent the mold or is it an air filtration system that works without airflow or is it just magic? "Put them in your flowers, they can reverse cavities, put them in your walls" what are they eating in my walls? What kind of microorganisms are they? Did you test the safety of those things in human bodies? Are they native to my biotope? How do they survive in those fucking ceramic beads?

"Just use vinegar it's magic" it's a mild acid. Like, cool, sure, it works for several things, but it doesn't have magic properties. It's just a mild acid. Lemon juice is too. And once again, if you mix it with baking soda, they neutralise each other and you get water. Which cleans a lot of things but you dont need to do *all that* to get your hands on some plain water.

[zinjanthropusboisei]

Museum of the Earth faces extinction under “imminent” threat of foreclosure - The Ithaca Voice

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Museum of the Earth, one of the last natural history museums in Upstate New York, faces an imminent threat of foreclosure

If you have ever been tempted by a Paleozoic Pal, like a a stuffed trilobite or a full size eurypterid body pillow, now's the time to buy one, before they and a really lovely little museum are gone for good 😭😭😭

Plush

Paleozoic Pals™ Paleozoic Pals™ are the Paleontological Research Institution’s line of plush fossils. The Paleozoic is the era before dinosa

[zinjanthropusboisei]

🎉🎉🎉🎉 Happy New Year!!

PRI's Wonderful Life — Paleontological Research Institution

By Dr. Warren Allmon , Director of the Paleontological Research Institution December 30, 2025 The holidays are a time for “Christmas mo

[followthebluebell]

"A Chicago dog tested positive for rabies by direct fluorescent antibody testing on December 19 at the IDPH Chicago Lab. The test was repeated and the repeat test was also positive. This is the first rabid dog in the state since 1994 and the first rabid dog in Cook County since 1964. This dog was younger than a year old and was adopted by a Chicago household from a Chicago rescue. The dog was from a litter of puppies from a Florida rescue group in May 2025.

The dog had behavioral issues throughout its life which got worse on December 16. Behaviors included growling, snapping, increased barking and anxiety. The dog was rabies vaccinated and rabies was not suspected. Due to the dog's behavior, it was euthanized on December 18. Because the dog had bitten someone on December 11 and per state law, it must be held for 10 days or tested for rabies. It was tested for rabies and found to be rabies positive.

Currently the source of rabies for the dog is under investigation. Strain typing to determine whether the strain is fox, bat, or raccoon strain is being conducted. This will help direct efforts in determining a source. The Illinois owners reported no known exposure to wild animals, including bats, while the dog was living with them. Currently bats are the reservoir for animal rabies in the state. The last skunk positive for rabies in Illinois was in 1998 and the last raccoon positive for rabies was in 1983.

The dog was vaccinated for rabies in June 2025. Because the exposure hasn't been identified, it's possible the dog was exposed prior to rabies vaccination.

Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are evaluating any people in contact with the dog to determine if post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) should be recommended for any of them. In addition, Cook County Animal And Rabies Control (CCARC) are following-up with the owners of littermates and to dogs that this rabid dog might have been in contact with including at doggy day care. Any dog that is up to date on rabies vaccination and was in contact with the infected dog should get a booster rabies vaccination and be held at home quarantine for 45 days with close monitoring for any symptoms suggestive of rabies.

The incubation period for rabies is typically from 20 to 60 days but can be up to one year. Symptoms of rabies in animals include aggression, restlessness, hypersensitivity, excessive slobbering, lethargy, weakness, inability to raise their head or make sounds and hydrophobia.

The situation provides a reminder that pre-exposure rabies vaccination in veterinarians and their staff helps protect them against unknown rabies exposures and reduces the number of vaccines needed for post-exposure treatment. It is also a reminder of the importance of keeping pet rabies vaccinations up to date to reduce the risk of rabies."

Additional source here.

God, this is horrifying. This dog was vaccinated a while ago AND was at a day care. The day care isn't named here but I did some digging and it was Bow Wow Lounge in Ravenswood (source).

[ferrousferrule]

@copperbadge not something I'd normally tag you in but important to know in your area. Let your irl friends know.

[copperbadge]

Yep, heads up to local friends, I mentioned this to some of you already. Rabies is a truly terrifying disease.

[moosekleenex]

add yours!

[sweetfirebird]

Hey the US government is proposing to get rid of the Endangered Species Act. Please go comment.

(yes this entirely for corporate profit)

Cut and paste the docket number to put in your response if you remember. You can comment anonymously if you want.

The Oregon Zoo has some sample arguments you can make.

We have until December 22nd!

[hubblespacemission]

i used a mixture of the oregon zoo's arguments and my own! it's very easy to reblog and take no action, i am well aware, but please take the time (even just five minutes, if using oregon zoo's arguments!) to help conserve the beautiful and critical nature of the united states

the bald eagle, the national bird, was saved by the ESA and it could save so many other species 💙

-- a biologist

[rebeccathenaturalist]

I chuckled when I first saw this comic by Jim Benton. It's the right amount of unexpected punchline and visual humor. However, I got to thinking about the reality behind the joke (my neurodiversity makes me something of an overthinker).

In the birdwatching classes I teach, I include some photos of common birds my students may expect to see in their neighborhood. One of these photos features a Cooper's hawk with a fresh kill in someone's back yard. I always use this opportunity to remind folks that when you put bird feeders out, you may end up feeding birds you weren't expecting--to include opportunistic Accipiters.

I follow a lot of groups and communities for birdwatchers and other nature-lovers, and I've lost track of how many times I've seen people bemoan the loss of their beloved songbirds to hawks and other predators. Just this past weekend I bit my tongue over a comment thread where multiple people were talking about deliberately chasing hawks away from their yard (in one case, while also deliberately feeding opossums!)

I've written before about having as much compassion for the coyote as the rabbit. But this reminds me of how sheltered some people are from the realities of nature, and how an ecosystem relies on all its members, not just the ones we think are cute and cuddly. Predatory animals play an incredibly important role by keeping other species in check and removing weaker, sicker, or otherwise less fit individuals from the gene pool.

And this isn't a new strategy. Ever since the first unicellular being figured out it could just engulf another cell instead of gathering its own molecules of sustenance, there have been countless beings whose evolutionary niche involves eating other beings. Predators don't just include the meat-eaters, either. A deer is a predator of the tree it browses on; bison prey upon grass. Unless you're capable of creating your own food through photosynthesis, you are a predator of one sort or another.

We may chase the deer from our gardens, but that's not because we think our plants are cute and cuddly. It's because the plants are something we feel ownership over and we don't want wild animals destroying what we've put together. And yet, the people who chase hawks away often speak of the songbirds as "their birds", thinking to possess them as much as they possess the roses they planted.

This is a great example of how we erase the boundaries between wild species and our own, trying to treat them like domesticated pets instead of seeing them as their own beings. In that, we do them a great disservice. Wildlife do much better overall when we respect their wildness and the boundaries between us. It may be argued that we're already blurring the lines by putting feeders out, but that's a debate for another time.

For now, I ask: Why is a hawk less deserving of a meal than a robin? Ecologically speaking, it's not for us to say, and a hawk shouldn't go hungry because of our sentiments and biases.

[snailifier]

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[soychronicprocrastinator]

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[thatsbelievable]

[thinkingimages]

Alicja Kwade

[mountainbaby25]

Always fascinated by basalt columns looming overhead.