Solutions Therapy

08/22/2026

Say it out loud once. A glittering of hummingbirds. The old bird lists offer a few names for them, a shimmer, a hover, a tune, but glittering is the one that sticks, because that's exactly what a feeder full of them does to the morning light.

Here's the part that earns the name. Those wings are tracing a figure eight, not a flap, about fifty times a second. That little sideways eight is the same shape mathematicians use for infinity, and it's the trick that lets a hummingbird hover in place, slide straight up, and fly backwards out of a flower. No other bird on earth can truly do that.

So the next time one backs out of the bee balm like a tiny green tow truck in reverse, watch close. You're seeing the only reverse gear ever issued to a bird, parked right there in your yard. 🌺

08/22/2026

☺️

02/28/2026

Most people hear “seed treatment” and picture something minor — a little coating, a little protection, nothing dramatic. But these coatings can carry neonicotinoid insecticides, and when they’re used at scale, they don’t just affect crop pests. They can move through the wider landscape, exposing pollinators and other wildlife far beyond the field edge. That’s why Vermont’s new law matters so much: in 2024, the state enacted Act 182, which restricts several neonicotinoid uses and sets a future ban (with conditions and exemptions in the law) on many neonic-treated field crop seeds, including common uses on soybeans and cereal grains. Under the act, some outdoor neonic restrictions took effect in 2025, while the treated-seed provisions are scheduled for 2029 and are tied to New York’s corresponding law timing.

What makes this story powerful is that it’s not just about “one chemical” or “one state.” It’s about finally treating habitat loss and pesticide exposure as connected problems. Birds don’t only need nesting space — they need insects to feed their chicks. Pollinators don’t only need flowers — they need those flowers, soils, and field margins to be safe enough to survive. Vermont’s move is part of a bigger shift in how states are thinking about agriculture and conservation: not as enemies, but as systems that have to work together if we want healthy farms and living landscapes. New York had already passed its Birds and Bees Protection Act, including limits on certain neonic-treated seeds, and Vermont’s law builds on that momentum rather than starting from scratch.

So the real headline isn’t just “a ban.” It’s this: lawmakers are starting to respond to the science that says tiny, routine choices — like what a seed is coated with before it ever hits the ground — can ripple outward into pollinators, birds, and entire food webs. It’s a policy story, yes. But it’s also a backyard story. A bird with fewer insects to feed its chicks. A pollinator on a bloom at the edge of a field. A farming system that can be redesigned, not abandoned. That’s why this feels bigger than one state line. It’s what change looks like when we stop treating wildlife decline as inevitable and start changing the inputs at the source.

02/28/2026

Stop spraying now!

My head rotates 270 degrees. I'm the only insect with 3D vision. I can judge distance the way you do. And I've been sitting on your tomato cage watching you for 20 minutes.

I'm a Praying Mantis. And I just ate the spotted lanternfly that was heading for your maple tree.

🦗 The speed

When a pest lands within range, my forelegs fire in about 50 milliseconds. That's roughly 5 times faster than a human blink. Both arms are lined with spines. One strike is all it takes.

Between strikes, I don't move. I don't chase. I sit on a branch or a stem and wait. For hours. Motionless. Invisible.

You've walked past me a hundred times without seeing me.

🎯 The menu

Spotted lanternflies get the headlines, but I'm a generalist. I eat whatever shows up within reach.

Brown marmorated stink bugs — the ones invading your house every fall. Japanese beetles working through your roses and grape vines. Aphids on your tomatoes. Mosquitoes, grasshoppers, moths, flies. I don't specialize. I eliminate whatever lands near me.

👁️ The vision

I'm the only insect with true stereoscopic vision. My two compound eyes work together to calculate distance the same way yours do — by comparing the slightly different image from each eye. This is what makes my strike so accurate. I don't guess where the prey is. I measure it.

And my head rotates 270 degrees on my neck, which means I can track movement behind me without shifting my body. Nothing nearby moves without me knowing.

🌿 What helps me stay in your garden:

- When you see a mantis — leave it alone. It's working. It doesn't need food, water, or shelter from you. It just needs to not be disturbed
- Don't spray broad-spectrum insecticides. One application kills me just as effectively as it kills the pests I eat. The pest population rebounds in weeks. Mine doesn't
- In fall, check plant stems and branches for egg cases before cutting anything back. They look like tan foam blobs about the size of a walnut — each one contains around 200 eggs. If those stems go into the yard waste bin, 200 mantises go with them
- If you want more mantises, buy native egg cases — look for Stagmomantis carolina, the Carolina Mantis. Avoid Chinese mantis egg cases, which are more commonly sold but are a non-native species that can outcompete natives
- Leave some tall plant stems standing through winter — these are where egg cases overwinter safely

I don't need anything from you except for you to stop spraying. I've been protecting your garden since before you planted it. You just never saw me. 🌿

02/28/2026

WAIT! Don’t mow yet. We wait til all the dandelions are gone. I don’t give a damn
what the ignorant neighbors think!

You're about to do the first mow of the year.

Before you start the engine, let me show you what's
in your lawn right now.

BUMBLEBEE QUEENS. They've been hibernating in the soil
since October. They're waking up RIGHT NOW. Crawling
through the grass, confused, starving, looking for the
first flowers. Your mower will hit them before they
ever find a crocus.

GROUND-NESTING BEES. 70% of all bee species nest in
the ground. Those tiny dirt mounds in your lawn? Those
are nurseries. Each one has a mother and developing
larvae inside. Your mower flattens them. The vibration
collapses the tunnels.

TOADS. They came out of hibernation this week. They're
sitting in the grass right now, flat against the ground.
They don't jump. They don't run. They freeze. The mower
hits them before you see them.

EARLY WILDFLOWERS. Those "weeds" just starting to push
through — henbit, deadnettle, clover — are the FIRST
food source for pollinators. The ONLY food source for
weeks. You're about to mow the only restaurant that's
open.

OVERWINTERING COCOONS. Moth and butterfly pupae in the
thatch layer. Chrysalises attached to grass stems. One
mow shreds an entire generation of pollinators before
they ever fly.

I'm not saying never mow.
I'm saying: not yet.

What to do:
Delay your first mow until temperatures consistently
hit 50°F+ for a week (roughly mid-March to early April
depending on your zone).
Mow HIGH the first time — 4 inches minimum. Protects
ground nesters and emerging insects.
Walk the lawn BEFORE mowing. Check edges and under
trees for toads, cocoons, and emerging bees.
Leave one section unmowed until May — even a 10x10
patch gives pollinators a survival zone.
"No Mow March" and "No Mow May" movements exist for
this exact reason.

Two weeks of waiting.
That's all they need.
And it costs you nothing.

02/28/2026

Excellent, Skunky! 🦨

Hello. I'm the skunk. Yes, I sprayed your dog. I know.
Let me explain what happened.

Your dog ran at me in the dark. I turned around. I
lifted my tail. I gave him TWO warning stamps with my
front feet. He kept coming. So I sprayed.

I can spray accurately up to 15 feet. I have 5-6 shots
before I need 10 days to reload. I don't WANT to spray.
It's my only defense. I can't fight. I can't run fast.
I can't climb. Spray is all I have.

Your dog ignored two warnings and a raised tail. I used
my last resort. I'd argue that's on him.

But let's talk about what I was doing in your yard
BEFORE the incident.

I was digging small holes in your lawn. Those holes?
That's me pulling grubs out of the soil. Japanese beetle
larvae. June bug larvae. The grubs that are destroying
your lawn from underneath.

I eat 400+ grubs per season. Plus beetle larvae.
Crickets. Grasshoppers. Mice. Voles. And yellowjacket
nests.

YELLOWJACKET NESTS. I dig them up and eat every single
one. Larvae, pupae, adults. The entire colony. I'm
immune to their stings. My thick fur and skin protect
me. I am the #1 natural predator of ground-nesting
yellowjackets.

You spent $150 to have a yellowjacket nest removed last
August. I would have done it for free. In one night.

"But the smell."
Tomato juice doesn't work. Use this: 1 quart hydrogen
peroxide (3%), 1/4 cup baking soda, 1 teaspoon dish
soap. Apply to dry fur. Let sit 5 minutes. Rinse.
Gone.

What to do:
Don't let your dog outside unleashed at night during
skunk season (Feb-April = mating season — they're
extra active right now).
If you see a skunk — back away slowly. They give
multiple warnings. If the tail goes up and front feet
stamp, you have 3 seconds.
Don't block their path. Don't corner them. Let them
leave.
Appreciate the grub control. Those small lawn holes?
That's free pest removal.

I'm sorry about the dog.
But he had 2 warnings and a raised tail.

And your lawn has never looked better because of me.

02/28/2026

😓

💡 We’re losing the light.
Fireflies are fading—not by fate, but by what we’ve changed: pesticides, light pollution, and habitat loss.

The amber comet firefly came dangerously close to disappearing… until someone paid attention.
🌿 And that’s the point: noticing is how saving starts.

It’s not too late.

Let part of your yard grow a little wild

Turn off floodlights and use motion sensors when you need light

Skip the sprays

Plant natives and keep leaf litter where larvae can live

Protect the dark—because fireflies need night to be night

This isn’t just nostalgia.
It’s a warning. A chance. A spark we can still save.
✨ Let it glow.

02/28/2026

I’m a Crane Fly — Not a Giant Mosquito 💛

No need to swat—I don’t bite and I don’t suck blood.

I’m here for the flowers, mostly sipping nectar and occasionally helping with pollination.

So when you see my long legs drifting and fluttering past,
just let me be—I’m one of the good guys.

02/10/2026

Spotted Bee Balm ~

08/14/2025