Caterpillars deserve a soft place to land when they fall from trees, don’t you think? Well, you can help make that happen with a bit of thoughtful landscaping. “Caterpillars drop from the tree and they pupate in the ground. And how we landscape under those trees determines whether or not those caterpillars will survive,” entomologist Doug Tallamy told the Associated Press. Tallamy suggested avoiding raking leaves under trees as a start, and then planting below a tree’s canopy so caterpillars aren’t crushed by lawnmowers and people walking about. Here are some plants to consider.
Must Reads
For suckerfish, humpback whales are the perfect mode of transportation — see their POV as they hitch a ride
Midland, Michigan, Ranked the No. 1 Place to Retire in the US
duckycards/ iStock
We wait for years to retire — but when the time comes, it can be tough to decide exactly where to spend our golden years. So to help point folks in the right direction, the U.S. News & World Report just released its rankings of the best places to retire in 2026. After analysts evaluated more than 850 U.S. cities and ranked the top 250, the No. 1 spot was awarded to Midland, Michigan. The city scored high in “quality of life, affordability, and the overall tax environment for retirees,” U.S. News contributing editor Tim Smart told WTOP, traits that helped it to slide into first place. Next on the list is Weirton, West Virginia, which also got high marks in quality of life, affordability, and retiree taxes, as well as happiness. It’s followed by Homosassa Springs, Florida, and then two Texas cities: The Woodlands and Spring. To determine the rankings and how to weigh the factors that went into them, the outlet consulted numerous databases and surveyed individuals who were at or approaching retirement age. It also expanded the number of cities assessed this year, which “enables retirees to have a more granular starting point when deciding where to spend their golden years,” Smart said in a news release. “Whether seeking a bustling city or a quiet town, retirees are now empowered with a more precise view of the best places to settle down.” See the complete rankings.
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Environment
New Novel Sheds Light on a Forgotten Florida Shipwreck, Keeping Families’ Heritage Alive
Monroe County Public Libraries
Most of us know the story of the Titanic, and the many rich and prominent folks who were among those onboard in 1912. But you may not have heard of the Valbanera, a Spanish steamship that sank in 1919 off the coast of Key West, Florida, the deadliest wreck off the Florida Keys to this day. The vessel carried 488 passengers, many of whom were emigrating from Spain to Cuba — and though they weren’t wealthy or famous, author Mirta Ojito believestheir story is one worth telling. In her first novel, Deeper Than the Ocean, which hit shelves Tuesday, Ojito chronicles how the steamship, known as the “poor man’s Titanic,” regularly sailed from Spain for 13 years before it sank in what was likely a Category 4 hurricane. All the passengers died, and their bodies were never recovered. “I was blown away by this story, because it was a huge tragedy for Spain and also for the Americas,” Ojito told NBC News. “These were all poor immigrants coming to the Americas to have a better life.” After she finished the novel, in which one of the central characters leaves Spain’s Canary Islands for a new life in Cuba, Ojito discovered a personal connection to the story: Her own DNA can be traced back to those very islands. “There is no doubt that this story has always lived inside me,” she said, adding, “When I finished, I kept thinking about how these were difficult, exhausting, but also wonderful lives.”
Humanity
Couple Marries at Animal Sanctuary Where They Met, With a Disabled Sheep as Ring Bearer
Tanya Holliday / SWNS
Bunny the disabled sheep has always been a “daddy’s girl,” according to owner Jake Ratcliffe — so when he and his bride, Rosie, tied the knot a few months ago, there was no better fit for the role of ring bearer than their beloved fluffy ewe. In 2018, Jake founded his animal sanctuary, Millington’s Magical Barn, in Yorkshire, England, while also working as an electrical engineer. Though a pet lover, the 34-year-old had no previous experience in the rescue world prior to establishing the sanctuary, but in the years since, he’s helped over 200 animals who needed a home. He met Rosie, a 28-year-old veterinary nurse, when she began volunteering there in 2020. After spending the summer “mucking stables out and looking after animals together,” the couple fell in love and Jake proposed in August 2023. They’d originally decided to get married in France — but once they delved further into wedding planning, the location “didn’t feel right,” Jake told SWNS. “We spoke about it more and thought, ‘We met here, fell in love here, and proposed here,’ so it was only right we got married here too. A sanctuary is not a wedding venue, so we had to come up with a solution of where [the ceremony] would be. I told Rosie I’d convert the cow barn into a wedding venue. Rosie was skeptical, but I’d like to say we pulled it off.” Watch Bunny walk down the aisle.
In Other News
Apple’s first low-cost laptop may be in the works, a potential option for schools and casual users (read more)
Libraries with new “play and learn” spaces are getting noisier — and creating community in the process (read more)
Want to wear Will Ferrell’s Elf suit? It’s going up for auction next month, where it could fetch over $250,000 (read more)
Novel smart homes are using technology to help adults with disabilities live independently(read more)
An albatross is flying free again after a surgeon removed fishing gear tangled in its stomach (read more)
Inspiring Story
Filling hearts and bellies
In Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library, visitors can browse the shelves, sit and read — and stock up on their weekly groceries. The institution houses The Pratt Free Market, Maryland’s first 100% free and full-service grocery store. On certain weekdays, customers can fill a library-supplied bag with food and household items. “No income requirements, no ID needed — judgement-free, just come as you are and fill a bag with groceries at no cost,” M’Balu Bangura, chief of equity and fair practices at the library, wrote on Instagram. “This market is for the city. All are welcome!”
Photo of the Day
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Make room, Santa Claus — Santa Jaws is coming to town. London’s Natural History Museum launched its fifth annual Christmas display this week, featuring this massive animatronic T. rex in a festive sweater and hat. The dino is serving as the primary model for the museum’s line of Christmas knitwear, with all profits helping support research and educational public programming.
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