clownbaby

┆彡 Hello! Thanks for checking me out on this here aquarium forum. I have a 30 gallon tank stocked with one mystery snail (named Leroy), pygmy corydoras, otocinclus catfishies, and black neon tetras... as well as bladder snails, pond snails, malaysian trumpet snails, and a bunch of microfauna. I am barely happy with how it looks right now and want to rescape it pretty soon, so we will see when I get to that! 🌈🐾🧃 🍼🌟

        I am a forestry major based in the Pacific Northwest, with my biggest passions being plants, wetlands, ecology, insects, fishes, birds, and habitat conservation & expansion. Fish tanks are on the side, I guess! I am a big fan and advocate for biotope aquariums and aquariums that encourage biodiversity (via microfauna and microorganisms.) 

I love to spend time outside doing various dorky, nerdy things. I am a massive loser, but hey -- that's A-OK with me! If I am not sewing, studying, or reading -- and I don't have schooling to do -- you will probably find me frolicing about in the rainy Washington forests. I really enjoy spending time outdoors. I adore trees, and currently have a "tree collection"; basically hoarding as many saplings of native Pacific Northwest trees to help preserve those species. I live in a slightly rural, slightly suburban area right now, but will be helping my parents retire on forested acreage within two years. Due to the inherent clearing that will be done to help build their home, most of my trees will be planted onto their property as a way to reforest and counteract the clearing. I also collect feathers. My family is a proud and active tribal community, and feathers are very important to my people. My grandma has told me that Eagles were a gift from the Great Spirit, and that they fly our prayers up to the creator. When an Eagle drops their feathers, especially during a powwow or ceremony, it is a message that the Great Spirit is listening and is here to protect us. We never kill a bird for feathers. We find them on the ground and keep them, for they are a blessing. Birds are to be honored, and you honor them by displaying their feathers for the beauty that they truly are. 

I collect shells and rocks as well, as well as pieces of wood for my aquarium and yard. I enjoy propagating native plants for my garden, studying about plants, and keeping house plants. I just really like plants! 

  ૮₍ • ˕ - ₎ა♡₊˚ I live in the amazing and beautiful Pacific Northwest and love to play outside, eat dirt, and collect half-rotting leaves, sticks, and rocks to keep in my closet! ⤷ “Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.” 

✧ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ  ✧ ⸙ 🧸 ༘*.

  ✩|| hemlock / alder / ryder || he/they || INFP-T | Sanguine | Capricorn || seventeen years old || ✩

     ☆ﾟ° 🧺🌜 ˖* ✩°｡⋆⸜ 

I am a forestry intern and working on my forestry degree. -> What does that mean? As a hands-on learner and someone who likes to take direct action, I would work on forest conservation & rehabilitation (planting trees and other native plants, surveying native flora and fauna, removing invasives, etc), surveying and data collection, field studies, and working with public & private forests for legal and environmental support. Currently, I am working on restoring habitat at a local recreational park, which has a few hiking trails and a wetland preserve. 

I am a volunteer for my county's watershed, which includes one notable salmon run. I do pollution and water quality surveys as well as noting species of plants and animals present. 

I will soon be a volunteer for the Xerces Society's Bumblebee Atlas for the summer of 2025.

   ✩ My  F A V O R I T E S ✩

my favorite beetle: Columbia River Tiger Beetle, and all rain beetle species

my favorite bee: I just adore the Western Bumblebee. Other pollinators I appreciate are hoverflies, the Modest Mask Bee, Hunt's Bumblebee, and yes, the non-native honeybee (but seeing our native pollinators is a much preferred treat)

my favorite butterfly: the Puget Blue. I also love all of the skippers.

my favorite moth: Ocean-spray Fairy Moth. A pretty moth on a pretty bush? Yes please!

my favorite true bug: backswimmers. But I am quite a big fan of any bug

my favorite bird: tough question. I love owls, but just because of their frequency in my garden, chickadees (black-capped chickadees and chestnut-backed chickadees) take first place.

my favorite amphibian: Pacific Chorus Frogs! I have raised six into adulthood and have eleven that live in my yard. They have a very special place in my heart. 

my favorite mammal(s): I cannot pick one. I love Douglas-squirrels so much. They are relatively social with humans, but very spunky, sassy, and just plain aggressive towards literally any other animal. Plus, they are adorable. Honorable mentions include skunks (striped and spotted), fisher weasels, marmots, aplodontia, and brush rabbits. Deer are a nice treat too.

my favorite broadleaf tree: Red Alder. I don't have much of a reason why, it just feeds my spirit. Second place would be the Garry White Oak due to how many species it hosts (50+ butterflies and moths, rodents, birds, small mammals, snakes, many more).

my favorite coniferous tree: Pacific Yew. I love these trees because of how unnoticed they are. They hide in the shaded understory, and just don't look too interesting. Due to overharvesting, male and female plants typically don't occupy a forest together, so their stunning October berries [actually arils] are pretty rare. 

      ----> one of my favorite local forest preserves has a small section of forest with red alder, pacific yew, western redcedar, and paper birch. Western redcedar is my sibling's favorite tree, and paper birch is my mom's favorite. That forest is very special to us. 

my favorite plant: western skunk cabbage. 

my favorite book: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. Honorable mentions are 1984 (George Orwell), Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury), Brave New World (Aldous Huxley), The Jungle (Sinclair), and Watership Down.

my favorite movie(s): Fun and Fancy Free, Disney. I love old disney classics like Bambi, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Fantasia, and the like. Also enjoy the Labyrinth, Watership Down, Freaky Friday, and other random 90s box-office flops. Not a movie, but I am a big Leave it to Beaver fanatic.

non-plant🌱 / fish related hobbies:  fairy kei fashion · collecting stuff · gardening · reading · drawing · birding · camping & hiking · thrifting vintage toys · bugs  - · - · - · - · if I'm not at school or work, I am probably reading!

          what do i collect? ✩°｡⋆⸜ ༘*. 🌷  ~ care bears (< 2000s) · my little pony (< 2000s) · vintage troll dolls · clown dolls · kewpies · stuffed animals · precious moments · twinkle bears · popples · wuzzles · coins · stamps · beanie babies · antique books (1960s and earlier!) · feathers · sticks, mainly from red alder · misc junk from the 50s and 60s (records, magazines, newspapers, comics, kitchenware, figurines, clothing, dishware, furniture, etc) - - - - - - - - fun fact: I wish I lived in the 1960s instead of current day. I'm not a big fan of televisions or cell phones or any of that dumb junk. I prefer cool junk... like the Beach Boys!