As I was perusing the headlines looking for this week’s news roundup, I noticed that there has been a lot of nature-type stuff going on recently. So here I present you with my very first themed edition of News of the Week!
Note: Starting today, News of the Week is moving to Saturdays.
Kill it with fire: I am very much NOT a person who enjoys the presence of insects at any time in my life. Yeah, I know there are good ones that are beneficial to humanity and yada, yada, yada but I JUST DON’T CARE. Bugs are gross and creepy and this strong, independent woman goes 100% into squealing girlie mode if one comes within ten feet of her. So seeing a report of a Nevada town suffering from an invasion of red crickets, I almost threw my laptop across the room. I mean, just look at this picture. Apologies to all of the residents of this town, but it is imperative that the whole thing be cleansed by fire.
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
And if you’re feeling really brave, check out the AP video here.
A trip to the UK brings us our next story, also featuring creepy-crawlies. This time the critters are…earthworms? And people are trying to get them to come out of the ground? Has the world gone mad???
This week the town of Cornwall hosted its third annual Falmouth Worm Charming Championships. Third? Was this not silly enough the first time around? So it appears that the “worm charmers” were competing to see how many worms they could get to rise from the depths of the ground. Why anyone would want to spend a perfectly lovely day with their faces on the ground trying to suck up worms is quite beyond my capacity (name that movie).
I really have no words on this one. I think the visual is sufficient. Weird mutant pigeon strutting around on gargantuan feet. Just out there living its magnificent life.
According to the article, this pigeon isn’t actually a mutant, but a different breed called an English Pouter, selectively bred to look this ridiculous. Like, on purpose.
I really need to stop trying to understand people…
(Photo: TikTok/@pigeonstv)
These next two stories come from the Bears Are Always Hungry department.
Up first is Ring doorbell cam footage of a black bear trying to eat the doorbell. We get a pretty good look at those big ol’ teefs, and at the end we see the bear walking away sans snack. Poor bear. 🙁
(Photo: Brent Robinson)
Our next bear is more successful at gaining a tasty treat, but had a bit of a hard time making his getaway. This one broke into a Colorado home and relieved the home’s owners of some of their excess food.
“He got his nails in there and just ripped that window right open and got inside and helped himself to my pork chops I had out for dinner that night, got some snacks out of the pantry and knocked over the plants — nothing too crazy,” said the homeowner. He also added that he was grateful that the bear was “a respectful house guest.”
I know we’re not supposed to encourage bears to come too near populated areas because they learn bad habits like dumpster diving, but I 100% want to invite a bear into my house for a snack.
(Photo: H. Hannah)
That’s all for this week! Stay tuned for more News of the Week next Saturday!
