For sure, I didn't mean to negate your comment (more of a "yes and"). However I do think it is important in these conversations to acknowledge that clover isn't a great option for yards when it comes to supporting pollinators (native or otherwise), just a better one. That said, for folks who have to have a grass yard (for rental agreement, HOA, etc reasons), clover is a great add-in. I prefer the native self-heal myself, but it has similar purple flowers and growth pattern to the invasive creeping charlie, so clover is probably the appealing, stealthier choice of the two in many places.
This triggers a memory!
Once when I was a kid, I went with a friend to McDonalds while they were doing some Disney promotion or another. We got the "girl or boy toy with your happy meal?" question. We were both girls so we automatically answered "girl toy." After eating we looked and saw that we both had Jasmine from Aladdin, and if we had said "one of each please" we would have had both Aladdin and Jasmine, which would have been a lot more fun to play with while we waited for our parents to wrap up whatever they were doing. So we decided that next time we would ask for one of each. Well the next time was toward the end of the promotion and all they had left were the girl toys, meaning we ended up with four Jasmine figurines.
Sometimes growing from seed requires patience. It similarly took the self-heal* I spread in my yard a couple years to pop up, but it's doing great now.
*Not a nitrogen fixer like clover, but unlike clover it is native in my area (iirc it's native to most of the globe) so I generally prefer it.
Buffalo and Blue Gramma grasses are definitely more drought resistant than clover. They don't grow very tall either, so you can stop mowing toward the end of the season, let them go to seed, and that will naturally fill in any gaps that might have formed due to drought, damage, etc.
Unfortunately the thing about opossums, as well as chickens and guinea fowl, being tick control may not be empirically supported.
https://extension.psu.edu/do-chickens-guinea-fowl-or-opossums-control-ticks
I would love to be proven wrong if anyone else has other info :(
Clover is non-native in my area. I've witnessed native bumblebees visiting clover, but they show a much stronger preference for larger forbs, both native and non-native. For one, they can't nap on clover (too small, I assume, even when allowed to grow to full size). Additionally, I haven't seen pollinators other than honeybees and bumblebees at the clover, whereas other flowers attract dozens of various species (as well as their predators, creating a fuller ecosystem).
*losers, not loosers
I read something different re: the cause.
It’s difficult to say how they made it past the Darien Gap, but there are several possibilities, Earl said. Monitoring and surveillance for screwworm was relaxed due to the COVID-19 pandemic several years ago, and an increase in illegal cattle trafficking in the region might also be helping to spread animals infected with maggots. The increase in human migration northward may also be playing a role, Earl said.
Unfortunately the vast majority of wine produced in the United States is in California, followed by New York, Washington, and Oregon, all very blue states (source). Granted the farmers themselves are likely Republicans (as most rural folks are), but this still isn't quite the "punish the US" effect like boycotting, say, American whiskey (primarily produced in Kentucky, Tennessee, and a variety of other mostly red states) would be.
FYI the Women's March org is hosting "Free America" protests for the July 4th weekend. See the Women's March site here. Some other groups may be organizing protests too, but from what I've read the WM ones are probably the biggest.
If there's not a scheduled protest nearby there's always the option to make a sign and take to a street corner for a solo protest. If you're feeling especially ambitious there's always making a giant sign to prop up against the chain link at an interstate overpass (I've never done this but it looks fun).
If the ship of Theseus were a meme
I want to try something different to encourage more engagement on this community.
Let's share what we're reading and watching this month! Whether you're one or one hundred chapters/episodes deep, whether you love it or hate it, whether it's a new series or an old favorite, this is the place to share what comics and/or animation you've been consuming lately.
Friendly reminder that this community is specifically for folks 30-years-old and up; you can still participate in this discussion if you're younger than that, but please mark your comments with "under 30." Thanks!
Second panel of the original comic (posted here) amended to track better in 2024 based on the first panel's dialogue
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Whenever I see this I think "wow, cool idea, wish we had something like this in the US." And then I think "it's just asking for a discrimination lawsuit so unlikely." And then I think "well we should be making public transit free for everyone anyway." And then I think "until we get our housing affordability and mental health crises resolved, free transit proposals just becomes a fear magnet ("roving homeless shelters!!!" "crime train!!!"). And then I get sad.
Disability protections are generally a great thing, and the US is significantly more accessible than many countries for them, but I've watched a lot of cool, creative ideas get torpedoed because of them. Instead we're stuck with car dominance because "everyone can drive, not everyone can walk/bike/take the bus" (inb4 "wtf that's not remotely true" ... I know, but car brain doesn't).