Nobody ever named a particular species, and the characteristics I described are shared between all ficus trees known as "banyan" or "strangler fig". I'm describing the characteristics of this group of similar species, not any particular species. Just a glance at the wiki page lists 13 different species that all make use of aerial roots and germinate in the canopy of other trees.

So yes, I'm conflating different species, because in this context they share the same characteristics.

Unfortunately, there was an issue with Darling-58 leading to its production being stopped. Turns out the developers (I think at SUNY?) made an identity error during propagation and have been developing another hybrid that doesn't actually have the expected resistance. There's other trees they're working on, but this is still a setback :/

Sorta, yeah. Tagging u/BlackViperMWG

So as it grows, it sends down aerial roots from it's branches. It's hard to make out in the other pics b/c of all the spanish moss, but you can see a few strands of them on the trunk to the left of the sign. Here's some other photo showing the roots.  When these roots reach the ground, they'll grow into it, then start to thicken until they in effect become sub-trunks. They allow the trees to spread really wide and they can resist tropical storms very well as a result.

A cool note about their lifecycle: They're colloquially called "Strangler Figs". This is because the seeds get deposited by birds or w/e into the canopy of a tree. When it germinates, it grows epiphytically, often in detritus, until one of its aerial roots reaches the ground. It sends down more and more, and often will eventually completely cover the host tree in its own roots, "strangling"  it. The host tree eventually dies, but at that point the fig has enough roots in the ground that it usually does fine supporting itself. They're really cool trees!

That's great to hear! I'll have to check it out next time I'm in the area

Those are beautiful photos! Did you take those at Weeks Bay's bog? If not, you might want to see if they're aware of this population. They may be interested in conserving this area if it isn't already, or perhaps making propagations to increase diversity in other populations!

From the video:

"It is MY job as a parent to monitor what my children see, hear, and read during their pre-teen years. The FULL responsibility for this falls on the shoulders of my wife and I because there is no one else capable of making these judgements for us." - Dee Snider

Wish I'd hear this sentiment more often.

My mall usually evolves out of my starter base. It'll have a tiny main bus with spaghetti branching off of it. As I progress I'll start integrating bots too, keeping things as compact as I can. Right now it's the only area of my base that tends to get really spaghetti-fied, and I enjoy it. Some materials get made elsewhere just because it's more convenient.

There's not really one strategy, as long as you can get what you need it's fine. Bot-based malls are pretty popular since they're easy to set up. Generally the advice is to build the stuff that you use a lot of so you don't spend time hand-crafting the same things over and over again. So things like the various belt and inserter-related machines, assemblers, furnaces, rails, and powerpoles

Dang, I should try that. Right now I have a dedicated taxi train whose home station is the mall.

That intersection looks like something Crowley (Good Omens) would be responsible for

Some cuckoos retaliate by destroying the entire host clutch

Brown-Headed Cowbirds will do this, and even sometimes destroy the nest itself to force the parent to rebuild. The newly-built nests are often then targeted. Once they fledge, the young cowbirds will stay with the host species until they hear other cowbirds singing. At that point, they then go and join the cowbirds and behave like a regular cowbird, kind of like a sleeper agent hearing their "activation phrase" hah. But, there's a time limit for this to happen. If they don't hear another cowbird by a certain age, they'll instead imprint on the host species, and will spend their adult life trying to mate with the host species instead of other cowbirds.

Odds are the sumacs are fine, at least in the sense that they aren't invasive species. They can be aggressive spreaders for sure, but they're native plants.

I agree with the rest of the commenters here that the Bradford should be cut down and replaced. If you're not sure what to go for, I'd recommend checking out this plant list from the North Carolina Extension Office. Right now it is filtered to native full-sun trees that aren't weedy and don't have weak wood. I'd recommend enabling the filter for USDA Plant Hardiness zone (find your zone here) and for soil drainage if you know it. There are more options you can filter by such as those that produce fruit or are ornamental or smell nice.

If the sheer number of plants there is overwhelming, you can instead check out this list of keystone plants by ecoregion. If you're east of Texas, you're most likely in the Eastern Temperate Forest ecoregion. That pdf will list just a few genera of trees (with some example species) that benefit local pollinators.

Finally, you can always see if your state has a Cooperative Extension Office or a Master Gardener Program. Often they have resources such as plant lists or nurseries, and some will help you decide on what to plant there! It stinks to lose a tree you've had for a long time, but this is also an opportunity to make a small improvement to the area around you!

I'm a force-a-nature!

You can get an idea of the distribution by baking some flour. Spread it evenly on a sheet and bake it at 300 F or so until it browns a bit. Then you can carefully pull it out and see which areas are hotter/cooler based on the color

I'm in the same boat. I've got three sarracenia and a handful of flytraps, plus the orchids all in one pot. The sarrs and orchids seem content, but I worry the flytraps are getting overwhelmed haha

Online description says they do spread, but so far I haven't noticed mine doing so. If it's already blooming I'd say let it be and enjoy the flowers.

If you ever get nodding ladies tresses on the other hand, that one seeds prolifically!

Mine wrapped up maybe 2 weeks ago. It was a really nice surprise because up to that point I thought they had died.

I like arepas as they're pretty flexible as far as what you add. You can add cheese or spices, or make them thicker, then slice them and stuff them with something. Takes about as long as pancakes to make (in my case). You can likely find the arepa flour either in the baking aisle, or sometimes in the Latin food section of your grocery store, assuming you have no Latin market nearby.

Yeah this will be just what you want then! I was really surprised the first time I made it. Even after a few days in the fridge it maintained its shape, and the texture just feels thicker, not like gelatin

I love mint, but I also hate when it just tastes like toothpaste. I've had exactly one mint ice cream that didn't taste like toothpaste. Turns out it's because they don't just add mint oil, they actually steep mint leaves to add the flavor. I guess there's an added complexity or something? Of course, shortly after discovering this, they stopped distributing that brand in my town -_-

I usually have to make it myself, but I love whipped cream frosting. I can make it not as sweet, and by adding a little gelatin (look up "stabilized whipped cream") I can even pipe it and it'll maintain it's shape!

Love all the variety! So you by chance know what those flowers are in the background of the third to last shot?

Of course! Can't believe I forgot about the hex debuff! Thanks!

Would you mind explaining to me how playing Leg Sweep reduces our chance of killing next turn? I can't wrap my head around how it could do that

I pay for someone to mow/edge, but do all the other yardwork myself for that reason. I never felt satisfied after getting the lawn mowed, just felt glad it was over with. I enjoy doing work on my beds and trimming things and whatnot. Also gives me an opportunity to appreciate my plants up close

Had a friend who planted a bunch of garlic this year. At some point a squirrel dug up each and every clove of garlic, took a bite, then dropped it and moved to the next. I'm just imagining their though process like "Let's try this one... blech! Okay, how about the next one?"