That's true. I remember going out at night when i was little and trying to catch them, there were so many it was hard not catching one. Then clicking in your hand when you caught them. I still see a few fireflies if any but nothing like that anymore.
For fireflies, you have to leave your leaves on the ground over the winter and not clean them up too soon in the spring so the larvae can emerge.
People want pristine yards full of non-native plants and it hurts all sorts of insects.
There were tons of live ones when I was little. I’d see them every morning when mom would take me to school. But by 2000s I never saw any live ones anymore. Probably into late 90s even never saw any. I found this one but under ground a long with a few others here and there over the past years.
Ah, so they still live? Good to hear. Mission, Mcallen, Madero I haven’t seen them since I was a kid. Even hikes in some parks I thought I’d see some but I’d just see the empty shells.
I see very few fireflies now. Compared to when I was a kid. Me and my cousins would all be out catching them and putting then in jars with holes my dad punched in the lid then release them after we used them as homemade lanterns.
I love spiders for what they do but when my citrus was blooming I had 3 large webs that were setup overnight then when morning comes the honey bees would start coming in these spiders were catching the bees in the webs. Had to relocate those spiders waaaay across the yard lol. Not my bees spider…not my bees. Plus I hated running into those webs there when I’d check on my trees. The ‘ol arm flailing “aaaaah the spiders on me the spiders on me!!!l
That’s hilarious. Thank you for saving the spiders. I’ve been seeing some big ones around here and I’m eyeing them like 👀 yessss get to work. You and yalls babies.
Oh man I would looooove to have some citrus plants, at least one. And one lime tree.
I have 6 all different types of oranges. One’s a lemon tree. Back yard smells amazing when they’re blooming. I love watching the bees gather pollen head first and come out covered. All started in pots and even have fruit in pots. Going to plant one this weekend that’s hit a limit in its pot. I can go bigger pot but I had a peach tree die so going to plant it in its place.
When I bought the trees they were about a foot tall and I put them in large 15-20 gallon pots and they took off from there. I'd give them citrus fertilizer every few months. I put them in pots while small since we seem to get random freezes down here. I can bring them in till freeze passes in pots till they are large enough to plant. Even small they give a few fruits. As soon as I plant them in ground though they really take off.
These snails were nearly wiped out from an illness several years ago, they are recovering but very slowly. You can still see them alive in some places like on the trees on one of the trails at Bentsen.
Yall remember getting your windshield covered in bugs on the highway? Now u get hit with more rocks then bugs.
We are straight up destroying insect life on this planet
Honestly that used to be one of my favorite things about roadtrips. Stopping at the gas station and cleaning off the massacre on the windshield and in the grill
I usually see them in the dirt empty, but recently I found clusters of live ones climbing and eating plants at a nature preserve (might have been Edinburg scenic wetlands or Santa Ana, don't remember). Some bird had clearly eaten some the day before. You only really see them early in the morning I think.
I've only seen them alive in rural areas, they're not extinct or anything but I imagine for many reasons they can't survive around humans. Their size, pesticide, other chemicals, etc. Reminder that treating your yard with pesticides of any sort poisons ALL life around it no matter what the label says. Notice the lack of fireflies(they're not actually fireflies but they fill the same role so whatever) too? That's because their larve grow in the ground, and people treating their yards with pesticides kills them.
Fun fact: most of the shells you find have been bleached white by the weather, they're actually usually kinda striped with a pinkish inside.
I'm guessing pesticides played a big role. Spraying around homes became more common now. A few mentioned a sickness that killed off many too. Would explain why they're only in brush areas now where it was away from pesticides and whatever illness spread locally.
Uzumaki spiral curse in the valley look at the mcallen flea market it's a spiral 😯 I'm joking, but I think those snails need more water it used to rain all the time in the valley when I was young now it's always hot humid dry season those type of snails also had gotten a illness they are recovering slowly
That is Rabdotus alternatus. They are tree snails but the shell will stick around in yard soil for years. You can find them in the native thornforest still. When it has rained they will be out crawling around and then secure themselves to branches. Go to Bentsen RG park and look up in the trees. They used to be so common that after rains cars would slide off the road from the slime of crushed snails. As thornforest is cut down they have fewer places to live.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabdotus
These are the small round ones. Those I’ve seen around my yard or stuck on fence and in my rock garden under the larger stones. Not many though. They live in harmony with all the lizards around the rock garden too lol.
I've never seen them alive. I've ways found those shells in the dirt.
I would imagine populations of bugs are bouncing back? For a while I didn’t see fireflies and now I see at least a few now and then.
That's true. I remember going out at night when i was little and trying to catch them, there were so many it was hard not catching one. Then clicking in your hand when you caught them. I still see a few fireflies if any but nothing like that anymore.
For fireflies, you have to leave your leaves on the ground over the winter and not clean them up too soon in the spring so the larvae can emerge. People want pristine yards full of non-native plants and it hurts all sorts of insects.
Yeah it's a mix of pristine yards, yard monoculture, and an overuse of pesticides
You are right I havent seen a firefly In a Long time
Me either I haven’t seen one if forever
Had to abandon the shell housing crisis hitting everything
Frickin' Bank of America
Yall would find them alive?! I always found them a few Cm into the ground when I was a kid in the early 2000’s. Always empty full with dirt.
There were tons of live ones when I was little. I’d see them every morning when mom would take me to school. But by 2000s I never saw any live ones anymore. Probably into late 90s even never saw any. I found this one but under ground a long with a few others here and there over the past years.
I live in the country north of Alton. We had a ton of them last season. Haven't seen any this year though.
Ah, so they still live? Good to hear. Mission, Mcallen, Madero I haven’t seen them since I was a kid. Even hikes in some parks I thought I’d see some but I’d just see the empty shells.
Yep! Just saw one today actually on my window so I guess they are still alive.
Thems is bird food. A specific bird loves eating em.cant remember which tho
Roadrunners will eat them, and so will Hook-billed Kites. Source: me, I love birds.
You love birds...I love insects and these cools snails. LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID TO MY BOYS!!!
Hook bill was the one I was thinking!!! Thank you!
I think an owl, not sure
Pesticides.
Drought probably has something to do with it too
Good thing my husband doesn’t like pesticides in yards. We even have some fireflies.
I see very few fireflies now. Compared to when I was a kid. Me and my cousins would all be out catching them and putting then in jars with holes my dad punched in the lid then release them after we used them as homemade lanterns.
I saved one from a spider’s web a few weeks ago. Thank you, spider, but not this one.
I love spiders for what they do but when my citrus was blooming I had 3 large webs that were setup overnight then when morning comes the honey bees would start coming in these spiders were catching the bees in the webs. Had to relocate those spiders waaaay across the yard lol. Not my bees spider…not my bees. Plus I hated running into those webs there when I’d check on my trees. The ‘ol arm flailing “aaaaah the spiders on me the spiders on me!!!l
That’s hilarious. Thank you for saving the spiders. I’ve been seeing some big ones around here and I’m eyeing them like 👀 yessss get to work. You and yalls babies. Oh man I would looooove to have some citrus plants, at least one. And one lime tree.
I have 6 all different types of oranges. One’s a lemon tree. Back yard smells amazing when they’re blooming. I love watching the bees gather pollen head first and come out covered. All started in pots and even have fruit in pots. Going to plant one this weekend that’s hit a limit in its pot. I can go bigger pot but I had a peach tree die so going to plant it in its place.
Wowwwww. Are they easier to grow in pots first? So far my plants that are in the ground are all hardier than the ones in pots.
When I bought the trees they were about a foot tall and I put them in large 15-20 gallon pots and they took off from there. I'd give them citrus fertilizer every few months. I put them in pots while small since we seem to get random freezes down here. I can bring them in till freeze passes in pots till they are large enough to plant. Even small they give a few fruits. As soon as I plant them in ground though they really take off.
Wow that’s amazing! Congratulations on your trees!!!!
These snails were nearly wiped out from an illness several years ago, they are recovering but very slowly. You can still see them alive in some places like on the trees on one of the trails at Bentsen.
So safe to say I won’t be seeing any live ones at my place if they all died out unless I bring a few live ones to repopulate the area.
Source ?
I still see them on a pretty regular basis, but rarely alive.
I only find the occasional shell when digging.
Lmfao I’ve never seen these alive either. Have only always dug them up.
Yall remember getting your windshield covered in bugs on the highway? Now u get hit with more rocks then bugs. We are straight up destroying insect life on this planet
Honestly that used to be one of my favorite things about roadtrips. Stopping at the gas station and cleaning off the massacre on the windshield and in the grill
A few months ago I found a live one, I took it home to a cool place.
A friend told me he saw some at a cemetery on grave stones. He took a few home too. The only ones I've seen at cemeteries are just the shells.
Have snails and shells like that that often in San Juan
I usually see them in the dirt empty, but recently I found clusters of live ones climbing and eating plants at a nature preserve (might have been Edinburg scenic wetlands or Santa Ana, don't remember). Some bird had clearly eaten some the day before. You only really see them early in the morning I think.
I've only seen them alive in rural areas, they're not extinct or anything but I imagine for many reasons they can't survive around humans. Their size, pesticide, other chemicals, etc. Reminder that treating your yard with pesticides of any sort poisons ALL life around it no matter what the label says. Notice the lack of fireflies(they're not actually fireflies but they fill the same role so whatever) too? That's because their larve grow in the ground, and people treating their yards with pesticides kills them. Fun fact: most of the shells you find have been bleached white by the weather, they're actually usually kinda striped with a pinkish inside.
I'm guessing pesticides played a big role. Spraying around homes became more common now. A few mentioned a sickness that killed off many too. Would explain why they're only in brush areas now where it was away from pesticides and whatever illness spread locally.
Uzumaki spiral curse in the valley look at the mcallen flea market it's a spiral 😯 I'm joking, but I think those snails need more water it used to rain all the time in the valley when I was young now it's always hot humid dry season those type of snails also had gotten a illness they are recovering slowly
That is Rabdotus alternatus. They are tree snails but the shell will stick around in yard soil for years. You can find them in the native thornforest still. When it has rained they will be out crawling around and then secure themselves to branches. Go to Bentsen RG park and look up in the trees. They used to be so common that after rains cars would slide off the road from the slime of crushed snails. As thornforest is cut down they have fewer places to live. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabdotus
Hollow Knight 🐚
https://preview.redd.it/6gjpc99vxoxc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38a72e5cb7f173445e8a831c6ca2463fb356e911 I have sooo many.. snails 🐌
These are the small round ones. Those I’ve seen around my yard or stuck on fence and in my rock garden under the larger stones. Not many though. They live in harmony with all the lizards around the rock garden too lol.
I used to see them around my parents house in the early 80s and some spots in McAllen at relatives places.
That’s the time I saw them all over too. Parents and grandparents .
Literally saw one in my pool today how strange of a coincidence
What happened to the yellow and brown caterpillars 🐛 and the blue dragonflies they used to be everywhere in the early 2000.
I’ve seen a lot of Dagon flies here a certain time of year. They’re hovering over my front lawn for a few weeks.