Spotted Lanternfly Archives - Owl Medicine: Shamanic Healing

Spider on my walk – Photo: L. Weikel

Stumped

I’m stumped. I don’t know if it’s because I have a headache or what, but I am having a devil of a time coming up with anything you might find interesting to read.

I’m using as my ‘featured image’ a photo of a spider that Karl and I came upon on our walk the other night. If you look carefully, you can see the rainbow background of a speed limit sign, which is where she was busily creating a rather massive web.

She actually made me screech when I initially approached to ask for her photo. She bolted across the web in my general direction so quickly that it freaked me out. I wonder if she was sleeping and I scared her every bit as much as (or probably even more than) she surprised me.

I was impressed by her size, speed, and beauty.

Another Thing

I’m ever vigilant about the evil Spotted Lantern Flies (SLF), and always on a hair trigger eradication campaign. Even though I’m pretty sure they’ve been spotted in abundance along the towpath, as well as other places surrounding us, I am hopeful that maybe we will escape the worst of this infestation.

I’m doing my part. I’m happy to report that, so far, we have not encountered more than one SLF per walk, and – even better – taken many walks without seeing any.

Karl always knows when I’ve found one, though, because a host of profanities suddenly spews onto the pavement, completely out of context to what we may have been discussing, as I vigorously stomp on the singlet I’ve discovered. And you have to either be quick or crafty when trying to smoosh these jerks. They quite unexpectedly jump/fly. Quickly, maddeningly, and far!

I’ve been trying to keep an eye out for egg masses but haven’t found any. So I don’t know if the occasional singlets I’m discovering may have been hitchhikers on cars passing by (which is my hope) or I’m just awful at spotting the egg cases.

I sure hope we can keep them at bay and avoid an infestation around here. Stay on the lookout for them and show no mercy.

(T-778)

Full Moon and Invasive Species

I took the photograph above as I walked out of a meeting this evening about the Spotted Lanternfly. It’s a cool photo, I think, because not only is the moon shining in all her glory, but a car was driving by at the time, its headlights illuminating a path (a choice?) facing all of us.

The moon is going to be full tonight (actually, 7:12 a.m., EDT tomorrow morning), and is obviously illuminating and bringing to fruition a number of items, both great and small.

There is the release of the (redacted version of) the Mueller Report, shedding a great deal of light on the intricacies of the conclusions reached by the Special Counsel after interviewing something like 500 witnesses and examining documents and other evidence over the course of the past 22 months.

I’m not one to routinely or voluntarily read 400+ page reports, but I’m actually considering reading this one for myself. Somehow or another, I feel like it is something I need to read and see with my own eyes in order to both believe and reach my own conclusions.

There’s so much at stake in what has been investigated, particularly with respect to the astonishingly effective and pervasive ways in which Russia interfered in our 2016 elections (although they apparently began their calculated efforts to influence discord in our system in 2014 or even earlier). This is incredibly serious and I’m almost wild-eyed with disbelief that we have not come together as a nation in absolute outrage at the idea that, basically, our country has been hacked by a foreign power.

I simply cannot fathom that this infiltration and manipulation of our country and its pride and joy, its claim to fame – our free and fair elections – is not uniting us.

To say I am dismayed and heartbroken barely covers it.

More Than One Invasive Species…

And speaking of invasive species (or countries), there is the Spotted Lanternfly, which apparently arrived in Pennsylvania in 2012 on some imported landscaping stones. Since it has no natural predators here in the U.S., it flourished and was first reported as a problem in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014. Pretty much the entire area of Southeastern Pennsylvania is now under quarantine.

No matter where you live, you should check out what these critters look like so, if you see them, you can report it and get rid of it. We must protect each other by making sure they do not spread into any other counties or states. So those of us who live where we are under quarantine must educate ourselves and do what we can to prevent them from hitchhiking on us, our cars, our produce, etc., to other areas.

Right now, for instance, it is also important to notice egg casings and destroy them. The way these creatures practically inundate trees when they swarm is awful and disquieting.

So it seems this full moon is revealing the existence of invasive species of a couple different kinds.

The truth upon which we will succeed in ridding ourselves of both (or all) is working together.

(T-953)