For me, it’s a few things.
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A way to burn time that doesn’t feel like a digital sugar rush.
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Support, camaraderie, and kindness, primarily from /r/stopdrinking.
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Niche stuff, like ideas for local hiking and backpacking trips, propaganda posters, and kayaking info.
Absolutely! I need to know more about my own local stuff (I’m in New England. We have trees and poison ivy, so that’s all I usually identify).
The Pine Barrens have a bunch of cool stuff! at least two different Drosera - Intermedia and Rotundifolia. Also Sarracenia (North American Pitcher Plants) and Utricularia (Bladderworts) - one of Charles Darwin’s favorite carnivores - those little dudes live around most of the world except Antarctica. That seems like a super hiking spot, I’ll have to visit there with the wife and go on a carnivore expedition.
Edit - wife is super excited to go, and we’re going to try to get there this year! Thank you so much! This is the kind of stuff I found on reddit, and I’m glad to find it here on Lemmy ;)
New England is so cool! I’ve spent brief bursts of time there, mostly in urban areas, over the years, but didn’t start hiking up your way until last year. Fell in love with the White Mountains last September and heading back in a couple of weeks. Also spent a few days hiking Acadia this spring. You guys have such an amazing place up there!
Wow – I had no idea there were two sundews in the pines. I totally agree with you: This is exactly what I used to get from Reddit. So thank you. And I love a good bladderwort! I saw a bunch when I was canoeing with my wife and daughter last weekend.
So cool that you’re gonna make the trip here. If you want to know about any cool spots to visit, I’m happy to share!
Off the top of my head, there’s an easily accessible bog with a boardwalk called Webb’s Mill (Google Maps has it by name – it’s in Forked River). I’ve seen a ton of pitcher plants and sundews there. Sometimes the entrance is flooded out because of a beaver dam.
Wharton State Forest has the Mullica and Batsto rivers, along with a bunch of wetlands. If you wanna take kayaks or canoes down them, Pinelands Adventures runs trips through mid-October.
Going off the beaten path is easy in the Pines, too. I have some bushwhacking spots that I love and am happy to share privately. The only problem is, I typically go when no carnivorous plants are out because the ticks and chiggers are brutal off trail this time of year.
Ah sorry for the novel. I grew up in what once was pine barrens but escaped the political designation and thus got super overdeveloped. And the culture escaped us, too – almost no one I know has spent much time in the Pines, even though we’re 20 minutes away. So I get excited when I meet a fellow traveler!