if you ever get a rash in the shape of the target logo, especially up to a month after going hiking, camping, a stroll in a park or forest, or being near plants with any skin exposed, you need immediate medical care. a bullseye rash is a sign you have been bitten by a tick that causes a progressive autoimmune disease called lyme. not all people who get bit develop rashes. rashes can take weeks to develop after being bitten.
the longer you wait for treatment, the more likely you are to have permanent damage, need a pacemaker, or die. if you find a tick attached to you, carefully remove it, place it in a plastic bag, and seek medical attention. early treatment is essential.
going off of the number of ticks i’ve pulled off of stray animals lately, this spring and summer are going to be Extremely Bad.
Keep your pets up to date on tick prevention meds
Check your pets carefully after they come indoors. Ticks tend to prefer the areas behind the ears, under the neck, around the nose, genitals, and anus.
Wear long pants with the cuffs tucked into your socks. Basically, try to reduce the amount of skin that’s exposed while you’re walking in long grass.
Use bug repellent with DEET
Check your body carefully when you get inside. Ticks are especially fond of areas where your skin is very thin, but will bite whatever they can reach. Pay particular attention to your legs, under your arms, back of your neck, scalp, and genital area.
When removing a tick, DO NOT SQUEEZE IT. This can cause the tick to just… spurt everything it’s consumed right back into you, which is Very Bad. You can use tweezers, if you’re careful, but I prefer using a specific tool for it. The tick twister works wonderfully and is very cheap. It comes in a two pack, with two separate sizes for different ticks. It’s very important that you remove the head of the tick.
Lyme disease isn’t the only tick borne disease. Hereis a list from the CDC, along with areas of concern.
Once a tick is removed, the site will probably be pretty itchy. Try not to scratch it. You can use cortisone cream to reduce itching.
For Lyme disease in particular, a tick has to be attached to you for at least 36 hours. Other diseases can be transmitted more quickly.
Once you’ve removed the tick, take a clear photograph of it. You can dispose of the tick in alcohol to drown it or place it in a plastic baggie. It’s important to keep either the tick or the picture in case you develop symptoms.
They don’t tell you this much, but life will be gross sometimes and that’s okay.
It’s okay when you discover that you aren’t immune to it all, because no one else is either.
At some point you will likely have to deal with some kind of infestation like mice or bedbugs or termites or roaches or rats or ants or ladybugs or wasps. At some point you will have smelly, gross medical problems or you will have to help someone else who does. At some point there will probably be mold in your fridge and you will have to clean it up. You may encounter carpet that smells and can’t quite be cleaned the whole way. Or damp walls that grow weird fungus or black mold, and you might have to move apartments or rebuild part of your house to fix it. If you have pets or children, or if you find old people or disabled people close to you at some point in your life, or even just become old or disabled yourself, you will have to deal with cleaning up poop and urine from clothes and beds and floors and anything else. There will be vomit in your life, and clogged drains, and pet hair, and infections. You may have to learn how to get blood stains out of a sofa or a sweater or a floor. You may have to deal with dead animals. You may have to buy some rubber gloves.
These things can be disheartening. But the important thing is to remember that this is basic evidence of being alive. Alive people clean up. Alive people try again. Alive people see a mess and make it better. Alive people make order out of chaos. Alive people engage in ultimately doomed but still necessary battle against entropy. You’re alive. That’s enough. You’ve got this and you’ll be okay. I believe in you.
I’ve put EVEN MORE of Reginald Cocroft’s amplified treehopper courtship call recordings with pictures of the bugs making the sound. Fans of little weird sounds, your day has come again
I put together some of Reginald Cocroft’s treehopper courtship call recordings with photos of the genera that make the noise. Platycentrus makes the best animal sound ever I think
I was wondering how these wild springtails and my pet Pheidole ants would interact; would they startle each other, etc., but it turns out the springtails just politely move out of the ants’ way like little pigeons
It’s nearly time, Tumblr. Friday is World Snake Day. We mention this only because, apparently, you really love snakes. (Except for those of you who really don’t, and to you, we say look away now or proceed with caution.) Today, we (celeb)rate all manner of snake and snake-adjacent friends who are longer than they are wide (yes, even worms).
Unsurprisingly,@omg-snakes is a blog exclusively dedicated to—get this—snakes. This baby can fit so much pizazz under those tiny pink scales. Hats off to you, sir, and your magnificent petal bed. Snakescore: 10/10.
@worm-of-the-day gets 10/10 for blog content and concept. You really nailed it. This specimen’s existential dread and thousand-yard stare get 3/10—and only because giving them some points might save us all from whatever void they’re traveling. Maybe. Just seems like the right thing to do.
@onenicebugperday is another excellent blog for curated content, this time, it’s all about the bugs. For example, this fella you see below: Are they longer than they are wide? Yes. Snakelike? Not really. Cute? You bet. 7/10.
Of course, we consulted @lowpolyanimals on the subject, and so here is a worm that may or may not be cursed. 4/10 for snakiness. 10/10 for terror.
@fimbry is another blog dedicated to the keeping and loving (and breeding—for real, check out their eggs!) of snakes. Here is one that once came from one of those eggs. His name is Trident, and he has good stripes. 10/10 and a little kiss on his shiny head.
@pencilbrony is a cryptid artist who often seems preoccupied with the nature of snakedom and what snakes would be like if they were, well, less like snakes. Here is an artistic rendering of the movement of a snake if it were shaped like a donut. Fascinating! 8/10!
@sweet-slither-friend lives with many well-dressed snakes, but Simon is the best of them. 10/10 for Simon and his tiny crown. You win, Simon. All snakes win, but you win the most.
