24 Clever Uses for Plastic Bags You Have Lying Around the House

I can never throw away plastic bags. There, I said it. I find numerous ways to reuse them—from crafts to organization. This article from Reader’s Digest suggests many, many more uses.

Lauren Gelman

Updated: Jan. 13, 2023

From the book 10,001 Timesaving ideas

Cedar closets smell great, and, more important, they repel moths. If you aren’t lucky enough to have a cedar closet, you can easily create the next best thing. Fill a sealable bag with cedar chips—the kind you buy at a pet store for the hamster cage. Zip it closed, then punch several small holes in it. Hang the bag in your closet (a pants hanger is handy for this) and let the cedar smell do its work. You can also create a sachet to freshen up musty drawers. Fill the bag with potpourri—flower petals, a few crushed fragrant leaves, and a couple of drops of aromatic oil. Punch a bunch of small holes in the bag, then place it in the drawer.

Road trip trash bin

Plastic bags can fold up and store in your glove box, barely taking up any space at all. When you’re out on the road and make any trash or come across litter, having a designated trash bag on hand is incredibly useful and means you don’t have to stop to find a trash bin, and you won’t have crumbs, refuse, or any other trash bits floating around in your car.

Easy donation

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! While those annoying plastic grocery bags may just be trash to you, thrift stores and flea markets would be thrilled to have your old bags to use rather than having to buy their own. It may seem like an odd thing to donate but many small businesses would be thrilled to have them.

Make a DIY shoe form

Even if you don’t have your own shoe forms, you don’t have to worry about your shoes losing their shape when you aren’t wearing them. Crumple up some plastic bags to stuff the toes of your off-season shoes with and they’ll be just like you left them when you pick them back up.

Travel laundry bag

Next time you pack your suitcase, slip a few plastic bags inside. They’re useful for storing still-wet-from-the-beach swimsuits, or any dirty clothes you might have, in order to keep them separate from any clean things in your luggage.

Cool off (and clean up) outside

Going for a long trip on a hot and sticky day? Use a sealable bag to take along a wet washcloth that has been soaked in water and lemon juice—it makes a great refreshing wipe-off. This is a good trick for fast on-the-road face and hand cleanups. Another great option is to freeze a few washcloths in a sealable bag; they provide fast relief for anything from bumps and scrapes to burns and tooth pain.

Create single-use detergent packs

If you’re planning a trip and think you’ll be doing a few loads of laundry while you’re there, pre-measure some detergent into a bag. It beats lugging a big box of detergent down to the shore or on an airplane or buying expensive travel-size bottles.

(Pat’s opinion: the little bottles can be bought at dollar stores and are reusable. If something punctures this bag, you have detergent all over everything in the bag.)

Make a funnel

That handiest of kitchen and garage tools, the funnel, can be replicated easily with a small sandwich bag. Fill the bag with the contents you need to be funneled. Snip off the end and transfer into the needed container. Then just toss the bag when the funneling is done.

Protect your padlocks from freezing

When the weather is cold enough to freeze your padlocks on the outdoor shed or garage, remember that a sandwich bag can help. Slip one over the lock and you’ll avoid frozen tumblers.

Color cookie dough without stained hands

Experienced bakers know what a mess your hands can be after coloring cookie dough. Here’s a clean idea: Place your prepared dough in a bag, add the drops of food coloring, and squish around until the color is uniform. You can use the dough now or stick it in the freezer ready to roll out when you need it.

Soften hard marshmallows

You’re about to pull out that bag of marshmallows from your kitchen cabinet when you notice that the once-fluffy puffs have turned hard as rocks. Warm some water in a pan. Place the marshmallows in a sealable plastic bag, seal, and place in the pan. The warmth will soften them up in no time.

Decorate a cake

Pastry bags can be cumbersome, expensive, and hard to clean. Place your frosting (or deviled egg mix) into a sealable bag. Squish out the air and close the top. Snip off a corner of the bag to the size you want—start conservatively—and you are ready to begin squeezing.

Feed the birds

Be kind to the birds in your yard during the lean winter months! First, put some birdseed with peanut butter in a sealable plastic bag. Close, then knead the outside of the bag until well mixed. Then place the glob in a small net bag, or spread on a pinecone. Attach to a tree and await the grateful flock.

Melt chocolate without a mess

Melting chocolate in a microwave or double boiler leaves you with a messy bowl or pot to wash. Here’s a better method: Warm some water in a pan (do not boil). Place the chocolate you want to melt in a sealable freezer bag. Seal and place the bag in the pan. In a few moments, you have melted chocolate, ready to bake or decorate with. You can even leave the bag sealed and snip off a bottom corner of the bag to pipe the chocolate onto a cake. When you are done, just toss the bag.

Kid’s kitchen gloves

There’s nothing more welcome than helping hands in the kitchen. But when they’re little hands that tend to get dirty and leave prints all over the place, then something must be done. Before they start “helping” you make those chocolate chip cookies, place small sandwich bags over their hands. These instant gloves are disposable for easy cleanup.

Grease your pans mess-free

If you’re never quite sure how to handle shortening and butter when greasing a cake pan or cookie sheet, here’s a tip: Place a sandwich bag over your hand, scoop up a small amount of shortening or butter from the tub, and start greasing.

Create a beach hand cleaner

You’re sitting on the beach and it’s time for lunch. But before you reach into your cooler, you want to get the grit off your hands. Baby powder in a sealable plastic bag is the key. Place your hands in the bag, then remove them and rub them together. The sand is gone.

Cure car sickness

The last thing you need in your car is a child (or adult) throwing up. Place a few cotton balls in a sealable plastic bag, then squirt in two drops of lavender oil. If motion sickness strikes, open the bag and take a few whiffs to feel better.

Keep valuables dry (and afloat)

Going out on the water? Put your valuables, like car keys and cell phone, in a sealable bag. The big trick: Blow air into it before you seal the bag so it will float. A sealable bag is perfect for keeping valuables dry at the water park or beach too.

Make low-cost baby wipes

Borrow the thrifty parents’ method to make your own baby wipes: Place soft paper towels in a sealable bag with a mixture of 1 tablespoon gentle antibacterial soap, 1 teaspoon baby oil, and 1/3 cup water. Use enough of the mixture just to get the wipes damp, not drenched.

Use as a portable water dish

Your furry best friend has happily hiked alongside you during your trek in the great outdoors. Even if you don’t have your own portable water bowl, you can make your own with a plastic bag. Bring along a sealable plastic bag full of water from your pack and hold it open while Buddy laps his fill.

Protect your breakables

There’s a precious small family heirloom or trinket that needs some extra padding when storing. Place it gently in a self-closing bag, close the bag most of the way, blow it up with air, then seal it. The air forms a protective cushion around the memento.

Store grated cheese

Pasta or pizza is always better with a dash of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. But who wants to bother with getting the grater out every time you want that taste? Instead, take a wedge of Parmesan cheese, grate the whole thing at once, and then double bag it in two self-closing bags to protect the freshness.

Dispose of cooking oil

Unless you want the plumber for a best friend, don’t clog your kitchen drain with used cooking oil. Instead, wait for it to cool, then dump it in a sealable plastic bag. Toss the bag into the trash.

Any others you have that are not listed? Please share!!

What Every State is Worst At: Part 2

Reader’s Digest

Amanda Tarlton

Updated: Jun. 07, 2022

Montana

Worst: Internet access — That makes up for the fact that they have the worst Internet access of all 50 states (for cat lovers, at least). On the bright side (you know, the side lit up by super fast Wi-Fi), Montana became the first to enact its own net neutrality law earlier this year so there’s hope yet.

Nebraska

Worst: Road rage — But they must not teach good driving skills or anger management in the Nebraska public school system—based on data from social media, Nebraska is the worst state for road rage per capita.

Nevada

Worst: Public schools — But unfortunately, the school system in the Silver State has not climbed to the top. Instead, it sits at the bottom, where it’s been dubbed the worst in the entire county thanks to lack of funding, poor test scores, and the second lowest graduation rate.

New Hampshire

Worst: High college tuition — The student debt struggle is very real in New Hampshire, where college students face the highest average tuition costs in the nation.

New Jersey

Worst: Property taxes — New Jersey has the steepest property taxes in the country, with a whopping average cost of $8,696 compared to the national average of $3,399.

New Mexico

Worst: Car theft — For the second year in a row, the state has been guilty of the highest rate of stolen vehicles.

New York

Worst: Food safety — But think twice before you take a cream cheese-filled bite of that bagel—New York had the most cases of food poisoning last year, namely of norovirus.

North Carolina

Worst: STD rates — They might be bringing more than avocado toast and trendy eateries to North Carolina, though. STDs have been on the rise all across the state and it now has some of the highest rates of diseases including syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea.

North Dakota

Worst: Binge drinking — The state ranks as the booziest in the nation with almost 25 percent of adults drinking excessively on a regular basis along with the most alcohol-related driving deaths.

Ohio

Worst: Job creation —While Cleveland was ranked 15th for jobs just two years ago in 2016, it’s plummeted to the very bottom of the list this year.

Oklahoma

Worst: Walking — Unfortunately, though, you won’t be able to walk off all that BBQ, since Oklahoma City received the worst walking score in the nation. With fast traffic and a lack of sidewalks, there’s definitely some, well, steps that need to be taken to improve the city’s walkability.

Oregon

Worst: Rate of sex offenders — It isn’t all fun and (drinking) games in Oregon, though. The Beaver State has the highest number of sex offenders (676) per 100,000 people and a shocking 42 rapes per capita.

Pennsylvania

Worst: Gas taxes — And what Pennsylvanians are saving on shooting their own dinner, they’re spending at the pump. The state suffers the highest gasoline taxes.

Rhode Island

Worst: Depression rates — The state has the highest rate of depression in the country.

South Carolina

Worst: DUI rates — Tea isn’t the only kind of brewed beverage that South Carolinians are enjoying, however. The state has the highest total number of deaths from drunk or impaired driving.

South Dakota

Worst: Child mortality rate — Unfortunately, the younger generation in the Mount Rushmore state isn’t faring so well. With 47 teen and child deaths per 100,000 people every year, it’s leading the nation in child mortality.

TennesseeWorst:

Childhood obesity rates — But are Tennesseeans spending too much time in front of their screens instead of staying active? Maybe so, when you consider that Tennessee is the top in child obesity, with 38 percent of its kids either overweight or obese

Texas

Worst: Dental health — Those teeth that they are sinking into their new ventures aren’t so clean, though. Texas has the highest percentage of adults whose poor oral hygiene negatively affects their life.

Utah

Worst: Workplace equality — But things aren’t so great in the workplace. Utah has the worst male to female executive ratio along with the highest gender pay gap.

Vermont

Worst: Fast food restaurants — That’s because Vermont has the lowest number of fast food restaurants per capita, with just 1.9 drive-thrus per 10,000 people. We bet the real reason residents of this New England state are always smiling is because they’re also the healthiest.

Virginia

Worst: Speeding tickets — But before you speed off to the polls to vote or weave your way through D.C. traffic, consider this: Virginia is famous for some of the country’s most expensive speeding tickets (the maximum is $2,500!).

Washington

Worst: Air quality — If you’re gasping for air while you pedal, it might not just be because you’re getting a good workout—Washington often has some of the worst air quality because of how smoke from California’s wildfires carries up the coast.

West Virginia

Worst: Smoking — West Virginia is also the state with the most smokers. In fact, nearly 1 in 4 adults in the wild and wonderful state light up a cigarette on the regular.

Wisconsin

Worst: Racial equality — But just because the cities are safe, doesn’t mean they’re equal, at least when it comes to race. In Wisconsin, the unemployment rate for people of color is almost triple that of white people and people of color are 11 times more likely to be incarcerated, making it the worst state for racial inequality.

Wyoming

Worst: Technology jobs — That could explain why it also has the lowest percentage of high-tech jobs, with the technology industry making up a measly 2 percent of the entire workforce.

What Every State is WORST At Part 1

Reader’s Digest

Amanda Tarlton

Updated: Jun. 07, 2022

Alabama

Worst: High infant mortality — The state definitely isn’t scoring any points when it comes to health care for pregnant women and infants. Alabama has the highest infant mortality rate, with 9.1 infant deaths out of every 1,000 live births.

Alaska

Worst: Suicide rate — But despite the proven benefits of being in nature, the state has the highest rate of suicides, which sadly continues to increase year after year.

Arizona

Worst: Teacher turnover — The forecast for the state’s schools is much gloomier. Arizona has frequently been named the worst state for teachers thanks to high turnover and teacher-to-student ratios.

Arkansas

Worst: Divorce — Residents of the Natural State may want to start prioritizing their marriages over mallards, though. Arkansas has the highest divorce rate in the United States of 23.4 divorces per 1,000 people.

California

Worst: Quality of life — However, it was also accused of having the worst quality of life based on a variety of social and environmental factors including sense of community and air pollution. Maybe that’s why in recent years, more people have been leaving California than moving there…

Colorado

Worst: Drug overdoses — But there’s a dark side to the sun-soaked state so beloved by outdoor enthusiasts—it has the highest rate of deaths from drug overdose. It’s a rate that has even doubled in some counties over the last decade due primarily to painkillers like Percocet and Oxycontin.

Connecticut

Worst: Public roads — Over half of the state’s 21,512 miles of public roads are in poor condition.

Delaware

Worst: Partying — First is the worst—at nightlife, that is. The first state was ranked 50 out of 50 for its lack of bustling bar scene.

Florida

Worst: Treating HIV/AIDS — But with a slew of tourists and partygoers, comes something much more dangerous—drugs shared by infected needles. Hence why Florida (Miami in particular) is dealing with the highest rates of HIV diagnoses.

Georgia

Worst: Flu prevention — Georgians should be using some of those onions in one of these natural flu remedies. After all, Atlanta experienced some of the most severe levels of influenza in the United States this past winter.

Hawaii

Worst: Sleeping — Hawaiian adults must be spending all their time on the beach instead of in bed, though—43.9 percent of Hawaiian adults get less than seven hours of sleep per night on average.

Idaho

Worst: Cyberbullying — The state was also voted the worst for bullying, particularly for kids online and on social media.

Illinois

Worst: Bug bites — Just make sure you spray a lot of insect repellant on before you head out to the pumpkin patch. The Midwestern state has some of the highest rates of mosquito-related illnesses (including West Nile virus) and tick-borne diseases like Lyme’s.

Indiana

Worst: Pollution — As long as you don’t breathe too deeply in your new place, you’ll be fine. After all, the 40 million pounds of toxic fumes generated by Indiana’s coal plants make it the most polluted of the 50 states.

Iowa

Worst: Building bridges — Just be careful when you’re driving to go look at houses in Des Moines. Iowa was ranked the worst state for its bridges, 5,000 of which have been deemed “structurally deficient” by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

Kansas

Worst: Human trafficking — The Midwestern state isn’t all smooth sailing, though. It’s also the state where human sex trafficking has skyrocketed to new levels in recent years.

Kentucky

Worst: Lung cancer rates — The state has the highest rate of lung cancer diagnoses, a disease that has only a 56 percent five-year chance of survival.

Louisiana

Worst: Stress — To be honest, that probably explains why Louisianians are also the most stressed in the country (dating is hard!). Not to mention the high levels of poverty, crime, and the number of hours worked per week… phew.

Maine

Worst: Lyme’s disease — But dogs bring more than just cuddles and companionship. They can also carry ticks in from the outdoors, which could be why Maine has the highest rate of Lyme’s disease.

Maryland

Worst: Bed bugs — With all that money, wealthy Marylanders might be sleeping tight, but they probably are letting the bed bugs bite, too. For the second year in a row, Baltimore topped the list of cities with the most bed bug infestations.

Massachusetts

Worst: Traffic — And those therapists are probably in high demand given that Boston has the worst traffic in the United States. Its drivers spend 14 percent of their drive time sitting bumper-to-bumper.

Michigan

Worst: Identity theft —But make sure you lock up your valuables during tee time. The state is the worst for identity theft. With over 15,000 reported cases last year (the majority related to government documents or benefits), it’s clearly much bigger than a stolen wallet.

Minnesota

Worst: Winters — Minnesotans might not be buried under bills, but they are buried under something else: snow. The state has been voted as having the most miserable winters in the country, and with some parts getting over 170 inches of snow each year and seeing temperatures of -60 degrees Fahrenheit, we don’t disagree.

Mississippi

Worst: Women’s health — But it clearly isn’t going towards female healthcare, as the state has the highest rates of death from heart disease, breast cancer, and diabetes in women.

Missouri

Worst: Drug use — But the amount of money donated to good causes isn’t the only thing that’s sky high. Missourians are getting a different kind of high more frequently than any other state, according to a study that puts them at No. 1 for drug use.

Tune in tomorrow for the remainder of the list!

Shoebills

They have a prehistoric-like appearance

At times, and from certain angles, they can appear rather menacing, peering down their long, razor-sharp beak, with a hook at the tip.

They can also be extremely cute, and almost ‘cartoon-like’. They have striking pale, blue-eyed genes, which can make them appear not really real.

They are truly unique and beautiful birds.

The shoebill’s flapping when flying is one of the slowest of any birds, at a mere (approx.) 150 flaps per minute

Only larger stalk species have slower flapping than the shoebill.

They have the 3rd longest beak in the world, which enables them to hunt extremely large prey, even baby crocodiles

Their beaks can reach up to 7.4 to 9.4 inches in width, which helps them hunt for fish or snakes as long as 3.2 feet in size.

The razor-sharp edges of its beak, allow it to decapitate their prey quickly

They are known to often behead their prey, before consuming whole.

A shoebill can often benefit from the presence of hippos, which disturb fish, and bulldoze paths through swamps

The shoebill can take advantage of the disturbed fish in the water and strike.

The shoebill is an ambush predator

They often stand still for long periods, motionless like a statue, before launching a vicious attack to kill any prey that come within strike distance.

The shoebill often feeds at night, and is also known to stand on floating vegetation to hunt their prey.

The shoebill favors areas of poorly oxygenated water

This causes the fish living in the water to surface for air more often, which increases the likelihood of the shoebill striking and capturing its prey.

They clatter their bills which like a machine gun

The shoebill is usually silent, but they are known to clatter their bills loudly during courtship or greeting, which can sound a little like a machine gun.

Bill-clattering is a behavior of real storks. They can also let out a high-pitched whine, and even make cow-like ‘moo’ noises.

Shoebill are solitary in their breeding habits, with typically less than 3 nests per square kilometer

The nesting shoebill will vigorously defend their territory between 1 to 1.5 square miles from other shoebill, and large birds.

Shoebills chicks often bully, fight and can kill their siblings (known as ‘siblicide’) when only a few weeks old

Rather disturbingly, this is actually rather common in larger birds.

Often the older, and bigger chick, can hurt a smaller chick, while their parents are away from the nest eventually driving it to live away from the nest. Research suggests, this is due to energy efficiency and survival of the fittest.

The shoebill female always lays two eggs, but only one ever survives

The second egg is seen like a ‘back up’, in case anything is wrong with the first egg. Usually the first to hatch survives only.

The shoebill has long fascinated civilizations

They appear in wall paintings and hieroglyphics of ancient Egyptians, and it’s old Arabic name is Abu-markub, or ‘Father of a Slipper’. This name is in reference to the birds very distinctive beak.

Sadly, the demand for shoebill storks is high

Both in zoos, or for private collectors. There are reports that they can sell for US $10,000-$20,000, making them the most expensive birds in the zoo trade.

The high price encourages shady traders to capture the shoebill and sell to zoos or middle men – reducing the wild population size further. Shoebills rarely breed in captivity.

They are incredibly rare

Birding enthusiasts have to pay local expert guides to go on specialist shoebill tours and safaris, to try and get a glimpse of the elusive, sought after birds in the wild.

This involves going way off the beaten track and into the swamps which they inhabit.

SOURCE: FACT ANIMAL

Larkspur

The larkspur flower has an identity issue in that it’s the common name for both Delphinium and Consolida ajacis, which are also both in the same buttercup family. As Delphinium, larkspur is considered an herbaceous perennial. But as Consolida ajacis, or true larkspur as it’s called, it is considered an annual. However, these closely related cousins look nearly identical, growing delicate little blooms on showy, spikey stems that are adorned by lacy foliage.

As a perennial, larkspur commonly bears purple, blue, or white flowers. Lavender is the next most common color. You will occasionally encounter larkspurs with pink blooms, and other colors exist but are rarer. Larkspur is valued as one of the traditional plants for cottage gardens. Meanwhile, they are useful for drawing butterflies and hummingbirds to the yard. Larkspur is a toxic plant. Take precautions to prevent children and pets from ingesting it.

Warning

All parts of a larkspur plant are toxic so take precautions to prevent children and pets from touching or ingesting the flower. Touching the plant can affect the skin with a minor rash, but it is dangerous to eat the plant, especially the flowers and seeds.

Most larkspur plants, however, are considered stately perennials ideal for growing at the back of a flower border. The drawback with these is that you have to stake them. For example, ‘Cassius’ is one of the tall types of Delphinium. This D. Elatum hybrid definitely needs to be staked. If you prefer low-maintenance landscaping, opt for dwarf types.

Their impressive height (some types reach 7 feet tall) makes them extremely showy specimens. The taller types of larkspur are well worth growing if you do not mind performing a bit of maintenance.

There’s no need to do anything with a true larkspur for the winter as some are annuals and the others which are considered delphiniums are short-lived perennials that will die back on their own before the first frost.

Light

Full sun is best for larkspur. The plant needs between 6 and 8 hours of sun daily.

Soil

Give them a moist, cool, well-drained soil. The soil can be kept cool and moist by furnishing with mulch.

Water

Water the plants once or twice a week. Give the flowers an inch of water every time you water. If the soil becomes waterlogged, stick to watering the plants once a week.

Temperature and Humidity

Larkspur prefers cooler temperatures, which also triggers blooming. The plant prefers mild summerlike conditions that are not humid, however, seedlings may prefer some humidity.

Fertilizer

Fertilize your larkspur plants every spring with compost.

Types of Larkspur

When most gardeners think of larkspur, they think of a plant with blue flowers. As you can see, there are many choices in blue larkspurs. They differ in terms of hardiness, size, and the precise quality of the blue flower color. Here are 10 popular larkspur types:

Black Knight Larkspur (Delphinium ‘Black Knight’): Deep purple blooms, 4 to 6 feet tall

Galahad Larkspur (Delphinium ‘Galahad’); Snow-white petals, 4 to 6 feet tall

Astolat Larkspur (Delphinium Astolat Group): Pink to lavender pink petals, 4 to 6 feet tall

Guardian Lavender Larkspur (Delphinium elatum ‘Guardian Lavender’): Lavender blossoms, 2 to 4 feet tall

Dwarf Larkspur (Delphinium tricorne): Deep violet blue flowers, dwarf, 1 to 3 feet tall

Blue Mirror Larkspur (Delphinium ‘Blue Mirror’): Blue and lavender blossoms, dwarf, 2 feet tall

Cassius Larkspur (Delphinium ‘Cassius’): Blue blooms with black centers, 6 to 7 feet tall

Summer Skies Larkspur (Delphinium ‘Summer Skies’): Pale blue flowers, 5 feet tall

Golden Larkspur (Delphinium luteum): Very rare yellow blooms, 2 feet tall, grows only in California

Red Lark Larkspur (Delphinium ‘Red Lark’): Rare red blooms, 2 to 3 feet tall

GRANDMAS!

Today is National (yup, another one) Gorgeous Grandma Day. I could post pictures of gorgeous older women, who most likely had botox or plastic surgery in search of being glamorous at whatever age they are. But that’s not my style…LOL. I would rather present pictures and memes of Grandmas being Grandmas and not wannabe sex objects. So let’s celebrate Grandmas and LAUGH today, because I think laughter IS sexy!

What Shall We Make Today: Christmas in July Party Foods

How about some finger foods to start off? These Santa Hats are slices of banana, grapes and strawberries with a mini marshmallow to top off the skewer. Easy peasy!

Or maybe watermelon trees?

A gorgeous wreath couldn’t be simpler! Some crisp green pea pods with cherry tomatoes and a fresh dip!

Cheese balls are very versatile! They can be shaped into snowmen or ornaments!

But today’s recipe is for a Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread.

Christmas Pull Apart Bread

Ingredients

1 can pizza dough

4 ounces cream cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

7 ounces basil pesto

2 tablespoons butter

1 minced garlic clove

Fresh chopped parsley

1/2 cup red bell pepper

Mini pepperoni

Fresh rosemary sprigs

Marina sauce

Directions

Unroll a can of pizza dough out on a flat surface, and cut the dough into 36 squares with a pizza cutter.

In a bowl, add cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, and basil pesto and stir them together.

Add a spoonful of the cheese and pesto mixture to each pizza dough square, and pinch the corners together. Close up the seam on your dough square to form a ball around the mixture, and place the ball seam-side down on a parchment paper-covered sheet pan. As you place the mixture-filled dough on the sheet pan, place the dough balls in the formation of a Christmas tree.

Bake the completed Christmas tree for 15 minutes at 400˚. While the Christmas tree is baking, combine butter and minced garlic in a small bowl and melt the mixture in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

When the Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread comes out of the oven, brush it with your fresh garlic butter.

Top your bread with chopped fresh parsley, chopped red bell pepper, and mini pepperoni. Tuck sprigs of fresh rosemary under the edges of your Christmas tree for a final festive touch. Pair with a bowl of marinara sauce for dipping.

And lastly, what could be more fun than a snowball fight in July?

Water balloons, cold water, and a ton of fun!!!

Enjoy!

Atlas Moth

In Cantonese, it’s known as the “Snake’s Head Moth” and is said to resemble a cobra. In Indonesia, locals call it Kupu Gajah: the elephant, or “large” butterfly. And large it is!

This is one of the largest insects in the world, and one of the top three biggest moths. Named after a Titan of Greek mythology, the Atlas moth lives up to its name.

It’s a member of the Saturnids: a family known for their dazzling colors and enormous size, and it certainly doesn’t let the family down.

Atlas moths inhabit tropical forests and shrub lands across South and Southeast Asia.

They have the largest wing area of any moth, and its body is disproportionally small in comparison to its wings. This surface area gives it an advantage when it comes to defending against predators, but it makes the animal cumbersome in flight. As such, it prefers to relax for its short life as an adult moth, only taking action in defense or response to the smell of a mate.

These gentle giants can cause havoc in a citrus plantation, but they’re becoming very popular for their silk. This has led to a lot of research being done to figure out what they like to eat and the best living conditions for them. They also have some cool defense mechanisms!

Let’s take a look at some of the things that make this huge insect so special.

Interesting Atlas Moth Facts

They are the third largest moth in the world

Their wingspan can measure up to 9.4 in and only the white witch (Thysania agrippina) and Attacus caesar moth have surpassed it. The white witch (Thysania agrippina) holds the record with an incredible 12 in wingspan.

They don’t eat

At least, once they emerge as adults, that’s the end of their feeding.

The mature moths have vestigial mouth parts that are small and useless, and as such, the adult stage will only live long enough to mate, which is usually no longer than a couple of weeks.

Atlas moths fly as little as possible

This means that they’re reluctant to use up their precious energy, and with such cumbersome wings, flying is quite resource-intensive. Instead, they spend most of their time within a short distance of the site of their emergence.

At night, or in the evening, they use their huge antennae, each one built like an FM radio antenna, to pick up on pheromone cues from the opposite sex.

Their wing motion is a species feature

Most insects have a rigidity to their wings that aids them in flight. In moths, the beating of a wing involves twisting and bending, which makes the motion very hard to analyze. Researchers trying to figure out the mechanics behind a moth’s flight found it too complex to compare against non-deformable wing simulations.

It’s thought that the nature of a wing’s motion in insects is so unique that it can be used to tell species apart. There’s still quite a lot that doesn’t make sense with these wing motions, and unlocking the mysteries might help engineers design new technologies.

They have a high mortality rate

Moths, like most (if not all) insects, reproduce using what’s known as R-strategy.

This is basically the scatter-gun approach to making babies, where an animal gets out as many eggs and offspring as possible and hopes for the best.

In Atlas moths, this translates to an 89% mortality rate, with most larvae dying not long after hatching from their eggs.

Their silk is prized

Though the silk from the silkworm tends to be produced in longer strands, it’s said that Atlas moth silk is stronger and more durable as a textile.

These properties have led to the cocoons being traditionally used as coin purses in parts of Taiwan, and have led also to more contemporary applications in shoes, jackets, lampshades and scarfs.

This has led to a lot of information on how to rear them

Despite the fact that each species has a supporting role in the sustainability of the ecosystem we live in, it seems like the world only takes an interest in one if there’s a financial gain to be made from it.

Fortunately for the Atlas moth, the quality of its silk has prevented it from being considered a pest – even though it eats a bunch of mango leaves – and instead, great care has been placed in the healthy rearing of captive specimens, to the point where there are entire catalogues of information on how to design the best artificial diet for them.

This information is primarily designed to help people get the best possible silk out of the caterpillars, but it’s also interesting for hobbyists and researchers alike.

The larvae have butt canons

When threatened, the caterpillars of this moth have a very irritating defense.

There are special glands in the abdomen that contain histamine, a compound responsible for allergy symptoms (the one that you take antihistamines to suppress), that, in response to a threat, explode out of pressurized channels to deter predators.

They also look like poo

The bizarre-looking caterpillar of the atlas moth is thought to mimic bird feces as a way of avoiding predation. It produces a waxy white secretion that does make it look a lot like something even less appetizing than a caterpillar.

This wax also functions as a physical barrier against ants and parasites and presumably helps the animal maintain hydration.

Atlas moths even mimic snakes

The adult moth has a dappled and enormous wing area that is said to resemble a snake.

When attacked, they’ve been known to thrash around on the ground, apparently mimicking an uncurling serpent. They’re also known to play dead, blending in with the leaf litter of the forest.

Their local name in Cantonese translates to “snake’s head moth” because of the protrusions on the wings resembling a snake’s head.

SOURCE: FACT ANIMAL

The Flying Duck Orchid

If you have never seen the Flying Duck orchid in real life, you can be forgiven for thinking that it is a fake. This is because it is hard to imagine Mother Nature trying to copy or impersonate one of its own creatures? But it is a fact that the flowers of this species of orchid bear uncanny resemblance to a flying duck. It is a small species of orchid that is found in eucalyptus woodland of Australia along its eastern and southern coastline. The scientific name of this orchid is Caleana Major after the name of a botanist George Caley.

The complex flower of this species of orchid is tiny, only 15-20mm in size. But it has a peculiar shape that makes it look like a duck in flight. Most of the plants have reddish, brown, and purplish flowers even though in some cases these flowers can also be green. Chances are that you may miss out on seeing this species of orchids even after visiting the right places in Southern and Eastern Australia. The peculiar color of the flowers of this orchid makes the plant to mix and blend well with the surroundings. Scientists say that the flower has evolved in such a way so as to help this species of orchids to attract its pollinators. We humans see the head of the flower in the shape of a duck but male sawfly sees it as a female sawfly. It gets attracted to it and makes an attempt to mate with it.

Facts about the Flying Duck Orchid

Habitat: Eastern and Southern Australia

Scientific name: Caleana major

Other common names: Flying Duck orchid

The flower has a labellum that is in the shape of the beak of the duck. The length and breadth of this labellum is such that it serves as a perfect place for sitting for the male sawfly. As the male sawfly sits on it, it sends signals to the body of the flower to set the trap in motion. This trap makes the insect get into a place and by the time it is free, it has to pollinate the flower. This process of propagation is referred to as pseudocopulation by the scientists. The roots of this species of orchid have a symbiotic relationship with a fungus that is native to the places where it is found in Australia. This is one of the reasons why this unique species of orchid is very difficult to grow inside homes. It is this fungus that protects the plant from several infections. When this fungus is not present in the medium, it is difficult to save the plant from dying down because of these infections.

There are two more petals of this uniquely shaped flower of Flying Duck orchid. Both of them look more like sepals and they are curved back to look exactly like the wings of a duck ready to take a flight. This orchid plant is perennial in nature but it flowers only during spring or early summer.

Flying Duck orchid has the pride of being on the postage stamp of Australia.

SOURCE: ORCHIDSPLUS.COM

Weird Wednesdays

This month’s offering for Weird Wednesday is the Oklahoma Prairie House. This article was an interview in The Guardian of the home’s designer Herb Greene by Rowan Moore. The piece appeared February 2020.

It starts – for me, and for others intrigued by the work of Herb Greene – with a house shaped like a chicken. On the windblown plains of Oklahoma, as framed in a small number of photographs, this strange creature stands, feathered with wood, huddled but proud, both of its place and alien, the repeating slanted lines of its planks echoing those of the tall grasses around it. Odd wattles hang from its head. A jaunty steel and aluminum car port, like something from a 1950s motel, takes a running jump at its flank, then morphs into an angular peak that surmounts the whole composition.

The Prairie House, built for Greene and his young family in 1961, pops up from time to time in architecture books, usually presented as a diverting proposition, an image of a future not chosen. Clearly something is going on, but what, exactly? With a book, Renegades, about the school of which Greene was part, coming out this month, it seemed like a good occasion to ask him.

“I was trying to make it poignant,” says Greene, now 90 and living in California, via Skype. “I was reading Alfred North Whitehead, a genius philosopher, who showed how some ‘event’ like your shoelace could relate to another, like the moon. I wanted to refer to diverse feelings.” And so the house is intensely personal and individual while also connecting to the extra-human. “I wanted it to look like it really came from Oklahoma,” he says. “I wanted to make it like a creature that hung over the prairie.” It’s not supposed to look like poultry, exactly, more some non-specific beast: “I don’t much like it being called a chicken, but I’ll take it.”

You can’t talk to Greene, or about him, without also talking about the dazzlingly original Bruce Goff, an omnivore of crosscultural inspirations – he loved Gaudí, Debussy, Japanese prints, Balinese music – a man who could collage boulders and oil rig parts into architecture that felt both archaic and futuristic. From 1943 to 55, Goff ran the School of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, in accordance with his belief that “education should be a matter of bringing something creative and individual out of the student”. He also wanted to draw on American sources – the landscape, Native American art, the pioneer spirit – more than imitate European models.

Greene, on first learning about Goff in an architectural journal, immediately upped and left his architectural studies in Syracuse, New York, and headed off to Oklahoma. “I met my very first genius,” he says. “When he moved his eyes, it was special.” Greene hated the way that, on the east coast, architecture schools had to follow one or another modernist master. “Harvard followed Gropius,” he says. The Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago “followed Mies. But Goff said everyone was different.” Greene would go on to work and teach with Goff.

Greene, like Goff, cross-fertilizes architecture with other art forms. Paintings – in which he likes to riff on a detail from (for example) Vermeer or Cartier-Bresson – have long been central to his work. He also learned from Goff the idea of taking individual clients’ “existential qualities” and making them “into a meaningful composition of architecture”. It might be, as it was in Greene’s Joyce Residence of 1959, his client’s collection of antique furniture and stained glass. It might be some quirk of their character, or something as simple as their favorite color. Whatever the clue or cue, the design would in some way incorporate it, reflect it and be spun from it.

Since human emotions are complicated, so too would be the architectural expression. The Prairie House seeks to communicate vulnerability and even pain, as well as shelter and wonder. It is timber inside as well as out, with shingles roughly installed by Greene’s students, which, as he later wrote, “speak of human scale, warmth, softness and vibratory activity”. It is a wooden nest or cave traversed by vertiginous metal stairs. The house both wards off and embraces the weather, turning its narrower end westward to deflect the prevailing wind, but also offering a generous semicircular window towards the sunset.

Once, says Greene, someone got off a tour bus and asked in all seriousness if a tornado had hit the house. Some female visitors, by contrast, “came out with tears in their eyes”. Goff gave what might have been, for Greene, the ultimate accolade: standing on one of the internal galleries, he looked down and said: “It looks like pure feeling.”

Greene, as it turned out, only lived for a year and a half in his most famous creation. He has done much else in his long career, designing other remarkable buildings, teaching, painting and writing. His 1981 book Building to Last: Architecture As Ongoing Art proposes a public architecture of “armatures”, which would be decorated by the carvings, glasswork, tiles or other artefacts of non-professional members of the public, “citizen artists” and “citizen craftspeople”. He now thinks this is his most important idea.

With the benefit of some decades of hindsight, Greene’s work looks pioneering. His lo-tech responses to the climate have been seen as an early version of sustainable design, and its freeform shapes have become fashionable in the hands of Frank Gehry and others. Greene demurs. “I just did things because they were obvious,” he says. “Gehry,” he adds, “is a genius, but I don’t like the work. He has all the curves but they don’t serve the structure of the building.”

Whatever his place in the unfolding history of architecture, Greene is a singular soul, a rare combination of creative courage and intellectual reflection. Younger architects have yet to find all the answers to questions about environmental design and the relation of buildings to the people who use them. Despite Greene’s modesty, his projects still have plenty to teach.

SOURCE: The Guardian

Sat 29 Feb 2020 12.00 ESTLast modified on Wed 23 Sep 2020 10.26 EDT

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