The Vulgar Eclectic

recent blog posts

• My Apprenticeship by Maxim Gorky

  I just finished reading My Apprenticeship (translated by Margaret Wettlin and Hellen Altschuler) and originally published in 1916. This is the second part of an autobiographical trilogy. The title is sometimes translated into English as Amid Attendants and In the World

  This book was a wonderful reading experience. Gorky puts you inside the head of a perceptive adolescent boy as he wends his way through life, trying again and again to understand the world and the individual people in it. The book is deeply humane, and young Gorky’s experiences are buoyed by a simple kindness that brings warmth to a very difficult world.

  “Don’t take any of that to heart, fellows. You’re young yet and have a long life ahead of you. Store up your own ideas. One thought of your own is worth two that are borrowed.”

  

• Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

  A few days ago, I finished reading the graphic novel Snapdragon, written and illustrated by Kat Leyh and published in 2020.

  The main character, Snapdragon, is a middle school kid navigating her world the best she can. Along the way, the readers meet those who populate that world–particularly her mother, her best friend, and an older woman who seems to be on the edge of society. After the older woman, Jacks, finds and nurses Snapdragon’s dog back to health, the two form a friendship that impacts both of their lives in significant ways.

  The story is told with warmth and underscores the importance of friendship, curiosity, and the strength to be oneself.

  

• Terrarium update

  I was away for about two weeks and was concerned what state the bug terrarium would be in upon my return. Thankfully, all seems well. There are so many roly polies…still a little concerned about overpopulation and think a centipede might be a beneficial addition. The Japanese beetle and the green stink bug are alive and well. We couldn’t spot the desert stink beetle and I was worried it had died. It is quite large and I figured wouldn’t be too difficult to find. We looked around, even moving a couple of things, to no avail. And then, suddenly, there it was, walking around and investigating an apple slice. Perhaps it burrows or squeezes between the two pieces of bark that provide a bit of a backdrop to the terrarium. I was very happy to see it alive and looking healthy!

  The only critter I haven’t seen is the little spider. There is some webbing in one corner that has trapped a fungus gnat, but there’s been no appearance of its weaver. Just as I was typing this, I realized the spider is small enough to have easily climbed through some of the ventilation holes, so I’m hoping it wandered to other climes, rather than died in the terrarium.

  There is definitely a fungus gnat concern. They aren’t harmful or anything, but just a little annoying. They leave the enclosure easily and fly around the house. I am considering getting some rove beetles (Dalotia coriaria) and introducing them to the habitat. I have been reading that they are excellent at predating fungus gnats, both in the soil when the gnats are in their larval stage and above ground when the gnats are adults. I am slightly concerned about the rove beetles impacting the springtail population but, from what I’ve read, this should be okay. Also, unless we’re able to find one or two, I’ll have to order them online and they’re not particularly cheap, especially with shipping. Plus, the smallest amount I’ve been able to find is a hundred specimens, and that is way more than the terrarium could handle in any kind of balanced way. Perhaps we could start a separate rove beetle colony?

  I also ordered some very small usb fans (designed for cooling computers) and plan on using one or two in an effort to better ventilate the terrarium. I think improving air circulation might help with the fungus gnat situation and probably be good overall for the habitat.

• Basking

  

  Here is Pebble, getting some autumn sun!

• Bug terrarium

  My daughter and I have been keeping a bug terrarium for the last several weeks. It began as a roly-poly and springtail habitat but the list of inhabitants has now grown to include a Japanese beetle, a little spider, fungus gnats (unintentional tenants), a giant black beetle (that I think is a desert stink beetle?), and a green stink bug.

  The roly-poly (aka pillbugs, woodlice, etc.) population has skyrocketed and adding a predatory centipede might make sense. The spider showed up in a corner of the bathroom sink; it was very tiny and had caught a couple of rogue fungus gnats. I added the little guy to the terrarium and he has grown quite a bit.

  My daughter caught the Japanese beetle and green stink bug around the same time. They’ve been hanging out and occasionally eating fresh fruit we’ve put in the terrarium. The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) seems particularly hungry, and the shiny metallic green Coleopteran can often be observed munching away at a slice of strawberry or apple. I read that the first written record of this beetle, originally–as the name suggests–from Japan, being noticed in North America was in 1916 in New Jersey.

  

  In contrast, I wondered for quite a while if the green stink bug (Chinavia hilaris) had eaten a single thing. Finally, I observed it snacking on some of the fresh produce we’d placed in the terrarium.

  I don’t know what kind of spider the little arachnid is…perhaps if it continues to grow in size, we’ll be able to get a better idea. In the meantime, hopefully it keeps chowing down on the fungus gnats.

  It’s been a lot of fun just watching all the action in the terrarium. The roly-polies dart in and out of nooks and crannies in the miniature topography. Occasionally the giant beetle, especially large in comparison to the other critters, makes an appearance, sometimes even atop one of the rocks (some variety of chert I picked up on a hike years ago in Missouri). The tiny spider weaves its likewise tiny webs. The springtails are usually out of sight but occasionally can be sighted (they were especially visible in an early accidental flooding that occurred…they floated together in little clumps of springtail rafts and seemed to weather the adventure just fine).

  

  I’m excited to see what the coming weeks and months bring to this little world of bugs.

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