Clinton Township Newsletter

3 o c t o b e r 2 0 2 5 Happy Halloween 5 Carol Beder's Sometimes, truth can be even scarier than fiction. Honestly, I'd take my chances with a zombie or Dracula before facing one of the ven- omous snakes or other critters featured on this month's cover. Also making an appearance are African death's-head hawkmoths. Accord- ing to AI (and we have to trust it, right?), it's "the largest moth in the British Isles (though not in Africa), with a wingspan of five inches. It's a powerful flier, sometimes even found on ships far from land… The most notable feature is a patch of short yellowish hairs on the thorax that gives the impression of a human skull. It's a striking insect, but is seldom seen because it flies late in the night." Not to be outdone, the beautifully colored poisonous frogs are true showstoppers. I decided to try out ChatGPT for the first time to come up with an analogy for these critters, and here's what it gave me: "They're nature's version of a neon 'Do Not Enter' sign — the brighter the color, the stronger the warning... Like a beautifully wrapped toxic chemical — their vibrant hues are evolutionary red flags.... They're evolutionary advertisements for danger — as if evolution said, 'If you're going to be deadly, you might as well be fabulous too.'" (Honestly, I don't think I could put it any better myself.) I also learned that the golden poison frog's potent toxins are strong enough to kill ten people. Their bright colors serve as a warning to predators—a concept called "aposematic coloration." And here's a fun fact: Poison frogs aren't actually venomous, since they don't bite like a snake would to inject venom. Instead, their toxins are on the outside, so they're only dan- gerous if eaten. (I'll make sure to not include them in our dinner.) And the flowers – so lovely, so poisonous. Foxglove, one of my fa- vorite flowers, "contains toxic cardiac glycosides that can be absorbed through the skin. Ingestion of any parts of the plant... can result in severe poisoning". ChatGPT makes the analogy, "like a toxic relation- ship — beautiful from afar, dangerous up close" and, "they're the kind of flowers witches plant. Lovely to look at, but touched only by fools." I've gotten sick from it myself while gardening them, once or twice. Guess that makes me the fool? Growing up in Florida meant frequent run-ins with gators, plenty of big spiders and snakes, the occasional shark and barracuda, and more giant bugs than anyone needs to see. Two words can still send shivers down my spine to this day: Fire Ants. If you haven't experienced them, you're lucky. Trust me, they're aptly named. Creeped out yet? I hope you all have a festive, safe, non- toxic, and imagination-filled Halloween! –Julie Flynn DAYS TO KEEP IN MIND Wed, Thur Oct 1-2 Yom Kippur Wed Oct 1 World Vegetarian Day Wed Oct 1 Breast Cancer Awareness Month Wed Oct 1 International Music Day Wed Oct 2 Rosh Hashanah Wed Oct 2 International Day of Non-Violence Sat Oct 5 World Teachers' Day Mon-Sun Oct 6-13 Sukkot Mon Oct 6 Child Health Day Wed Oct 8 National Stop Bullying Day Fri Oct 10 World Mental Health Day Mon Oct 13 Columbus Day (Most regions) Mon Oct 13 Native Americans' Day Thur Oct 16 Dictionary Day (/dik•SH•ner•ē/) Tues Oct 21 Diwali Fri Oct 24 United Nations Day Sun Oct 26 National Day of the Deployed Mon Oct 27 National Mentoring Day Thurs Oct 29 World Stroke Day Fri Oct 31 Halloween aandlpoolservice@gmail.com 908.638.9339 www.AandLPoolService.com 1 VAN SYCKLE ST, HIGH BRIDGE, NJ 08829 WINTERIZING SERVICES pool closings safety covers winter watch service POWER WASHING salt systems

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