Nostr notes by Megan Lynch (she/her)

Meet the Iowa State Fair’s Winningest Canning Competitor – ...

2026-08-23T11:58:28+02:00

Meet the Iowa State Fair’s Winningest Canning Competitor – Fair 2026

Hobby he learned on the side from his day gig as a doctor. He took lots of classes. Some counties in the US have a Master Food Preserver course where you can learn canning, drying, pickling, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsK2V_7BD68 #FoodPreservation #Gardening #Iowa

Just because I saw someone shouting out Tyndall as "even ...

2026-08-15T15:29:10+02:00

Just because I saw someone shouting out Tyndall as "even earlier" yet not shouting out Eunice Foote, I'm shouting out Eunice Foote.

"So for context, what you’re about to hear is a write-up of a presentation of Eunice’s work that was given at a meeting in 1856. And Eunice didn’t get to read the paper herself at that meeting. A man actually read it for her. It was 1856, so you know."

https://web.archive.org/web/20231110115346/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-woman-who-demonstrated-the-greenhouse-effect/

#Sexism #ClimateScience #ClimateChange

"Botanical illustrations by women shape our knowledge of ...

2026-08-14T21:03:25+02:00

"Botanical illustrations by women shape our knowledge of Australia's flora"

Stepping into Philippa Nikulinsky’s studio feels like a peek inside her mind.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/botanical-illustrations-by-women-shape-our-knowledge-of-australias-flora/ar-AA2a89T7 #Botany #BotanicalArt #Australia

Not sure if this is what someone told DW or if DW invented it, ...

2026-08-07T16:29:35+02:00

Not sure if this is what someone told DW or if DW invented it, but they defined phenotyping as "the science of measuring plants and their features". That is not how I understand phenotyping.

There is definitely a part of phenotyping that is about measurement. But I'm not sure all traits can be quantified. That is, can plant breeders, pathologists, etc always be sure that what they're measuring *is* the phenotype indicator they think they're measuring?

This approach to phenotyping lends

Crown Heights street wins Brooklyn Botanical Gardens' ...

2026-08-07T11:12:19+02:00

Crown Heights street wins Brooklyn Botanical Gardens' "Greenest Block in Brooklyn" contest

Looks great except for some accessibility issues... when you create works like this, remember to keep the sidewalks clear for wheelchair accessibility and accessibility for those who are blind/low vision.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af56p0oZQNo #NYC #Gardening #UrbanForest #BotanicalGarden #Accessibility

Goats are the brush clearance stars on the Universal Studios Lot ...

2026-08-07T10:22:53+02:00

Goats are the brush clearance stars on the Universal Studios Lot

Anderson makes the point that many miss when discussing using goats for brush maintenance - using power tools comes with risk of the tools themselves starting fires.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26TVfJ4HUZE #Gardening #Landscaping #Livestock #FirePrevention

Funded PhD position studying the impacts of exposure to soil ...

2026-08-06T20:26:02+02:00

Funded PhD position studying the impacts of exposure to soil pesticide residues on soil dependent bees

"part of the Horizon Europe funded ProPollSoil project. As such, this PhD position will be part of the larger project and network of researchers. The PhD student is expected to work closely with Dr. Dara Stanley and colleagues at University College Dublin, Ireland as part of this project."

https://1in3mouthfuls.org/join-the-team/ #Canada #Europe #Entomology #Soil

Understanding red needle cast in NZ forests (BDIS podcast series) ...

2026-08-04T08:35:09+02:00

Understanding red needle cast in NZ forests (BDIS podcast series)

"Red needle cast is one of the most significant diseases affecting New Zealand's radiata pine forests. In this episode of Scigest, scientist and host Darryl Herron sits down with forest pathologist Emily McLay to discuss why the disease is such a challenge for forest growers and how our science helps forest growers better predict, prepare for and manage it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS30x6pdVL4 #NewZealand #Forestry #PlantPathology

How Prairie Fires Restore Water to Soil & Why Prairies Need ...

2026-08-03T15:47:46+02:00

How Prairie Fires Restore Water to Soil & Why Prairies Need to Burn

"In this hour-long interview, Gerry Wilhelm, one of the 2 authors of the massive tome *Flora of the Chicago Region*, gives us insight into how fire is essential to prairie ecosystems - and many ecosystems around the globe."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDVcfSYcxc0

#Botany #Ecology #Illinois #NativePlants

"Mowed Turfgrass Along the Interstate is Killing Us" CW: ...

2026-08-03T15:44:30+02:00

"Mowed Turfgrass Along the Interstate is Killing Us"

CW: There *will* be swearing.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DojdhQynGzg #Landscaping #CarCentrism #ClimateEmergency

I cannot see quail photos without thinking of an old cartoon ...

2026-08-01T18:26:47+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…hauh
_________________________

I cannot see quail photos without thinking of an old cartoon where the quail is constantly blowing its forefeather up out of its face. You'd think I'd remember the name of the cartoon. Anyway, I love quails and wish I'd seen more in person.

RegisTREE of North America ...

2026-07-28T18:24:30+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…c52y
_________________________

RegisTREE of North America https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f2b89bb6ecfb4414af7bc99e4ba1e0d3 #FruitToot #Horticulture #GermplasmConservation

Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project ...

2026-07-28T09:43:27+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…vvxq
_________________________

Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project

https://montezumaorchard.org/ #Colorado #FruitToot #Horticulture #GermplasmConservation

Colorado's Gold Mountain Orchard preserves over a century of ...

2026-07-28T09:42:36+02:00

Colorado's Gold Mountain Orchard preserves over a century of historic apple varieties

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrrezIefgrM #Colorado #FruitToot #Horticulture #GermplasmConservation

Blairgowrie fruit farmers call for help "A Perthshire farmer ...

2026-07-25T14:05:06+02:00

Blairgowrie fruit farmers call for help

"A Perthshire farmer is opening his cherry orchards to the public, as he can't make a profit from selling the crop.
After more than 100 years growing soft fruit in Blairgowrie, the Thomson family is ending commercial production, saying rising labour costs and cheap imports have decimated the business."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CU5ko_rIHM

#FruitToot #Scotland #Horticulture

Working on almond at UC Davis kept me so busy that I fell behind ...

2026-07-22T13:45:38+02:00

Working on almond at UC Davis kept me so busy that I fell behind in my non-sponsored Ceratonia siliqua research. So I'm only now finding out that ambrosia beetle has emerged as an introduced pest in Italy and Spain.

This is a horrible shame because at least in many areas it grows, carob has faced remarkably low pest pressure compared to better-known crops.

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/10/3/82

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321915719_COEXISTENCE_OF_XYLOSANDRUS_CRASSIUSCULUS_MOTSCHULSKY_AND_X_COMPACTUS_EICHHOFF_COLEOPTERA_CURCULIONIDAE_SCOLYTINAE_IN_THE_NATIONAL_PARK_OF_CIRCEO_LAZIO_ITALY

https://www.foravila.net/foravilaverd/enguany-es-perdra-el-50-de-la-produccio-de-garrova/

#Entomology #PlantPathology #Carob #Biosafety

I had a raised bed at my parents' and their home was picked ...

2026-07-20T12:19:44+02:00

I had a raised bed at my parents' and their home was picked to be on a drought-tolerant neighborhood garden tour. What they got the most questions on was my wine cork mulch.

I wanted to reduce the risk of getting polyphagous shothole borer from free mulch (trees could look like they'd died of drought when they'd actually died of a PSB infestation) and the local reuse places had some wine corks, which would not have that risk. #Gardening #Bloomscrolling

Setting Fire to the Suburbs (for the sake of habitat) It's ...

2026-07-17T22:28:30+02:00

Setting Fire to the Suburbs (for the sake of habitat)

It's Joey, so there *will* be swearing

Once a year controlled burn to reinvigorate native Illinois species.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvjzE3Szi0g #Botany #Gardening #Chicago

For those in the US, these programs need your action now to keep ...

2026-07-16T16:53:36+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…sjus
_________________________

For those in the US, these programs need your action now to keep speaking up for funding. They do a lot of good work not just with pro farmers, but with gardeners, school gardens, small cottage businesses, etc.

Agricultural extension in the US includes Master Gardener programs, Master Food Preserver programs (canning, drying, freezing and food prep & storage safety...more needed than ever), and Master Composter programs. It includes plant clinics to diagnose problems. https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/what-we-do/extension

RE: https://zirk.us/@NanoBookReview/116927737056421350 Repeating ...

2026-07-16T16:50:43+02:00

RE: https://zirk.us/@NanoBookReview/116927737056421350

Repeating this in a quote because many people miss answers in the replies.

If you live someplace that hasn't completely defunded and erased public horticultural science, you likely have websites that are part of agricultural extension and many of them also feature information for home gardeners. Evidence-based information.

Pick the one closest to your area to get the right info for your situation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_extension

If reading text doesn't work for you, Sunset books have big photos.

quoting
note17gg…l02p

JFC trying to learn anything about conventional gardening is a nightmare in AI slop. Do any of you know of a good resource where I can learn about my damn peppers? Ideally one with tables and pictures and very little prose?

#Gardening #Peppers #Food #Farming #Backyard #Fruit #Websites #AI #Slop #MakeItStop

One of the things I like about Joey's recent videos is that ...

2026-07-16T06:51:51+02:00

One of the things I like about Joey's recent videos is that he's giving props to the botanists he's learned from (via their books).

CW: There *will* likely be swearing because it's Joey's thing.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/poyp6-UN7G8 #Chicaago #Botany #Science

I don't think conference organizers should be holding things ...

2026-07-15T17:04:01+02:00

I don't think conference organizers should be holding things in the US, but I have to say that if they live up to what they're promising here, it's better than a lot of societies in plant science/botany are doing for accessibility (this isn't the whole thing for accessibility, but it's helpful for many).

https://www.iscb.org/ismb2026/home

#ismb2026 #Accessibility #Biology #Science

Forest Ecologist Answers Tree Questions | Tech Support | WIRED ...

2026-07-14T19:09:38+02:00

Forest Ecologist Answers Tree Questions | Tech Support | WIRED

Dominick DellaSala, Ph.D.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLIZslgfIdQ #Trees #Forestry #Botany #PlantScience

How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Chicago River As ...

2026-07-14T07:24:49+02:00

How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Chicago River

As usual, with Joey there *will* be swearing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRRbspvheRc

#Chicago #Restoration #Botany

Joey shows an Eriogonum in bloom in the San Bernardino Mountains ...

2026-07-13T06:38:38+02:00

Joey shows an Eriogonum in bloom in the San Bernardino Mountains that is "new to science". Someone ran across it years ago, then Joey ran across it, but no one has yet described and given it its full scientific name.

Joey came to botany through his interest in geology and it shows here.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pT1HFfw5CSg #Botany #Geology #California

Return to Wolf Road Prairie It's Joey, so there will be ...

2026-07-12T07:42:51+02:00

Return to Wolf Road Prairie

It's Joey, so there *will* be swearing.

Remnant prairie near Chicago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqdlNsG8nww #Chicago #Botany

UC Master Gardener School Gardens Coordinator Alhambra, CA, Job ...

2026-07-07T15:05:20+02:00

UC Master Gardener School Gardens Coordinator Alhambra, CA,
Job ID 86303
$23.37-31.08/hr • Full-Time • Alhambra, CA (Hybrid)

https://careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psc/ucanr/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&JobOpeningId=86303&PostingSeq=1&SiteId=17&languageCd=ENG&FOCUS=Applicant&; #Agriculture #Horticulture #Education #Job #California

The good ol' days when it was front page news that the city ...

2026-07-06T21:48:02+02:00

The good ol' days when it was front page news that the city had created a City Forester position. And that it was going to allot resources to take care of the trees it planted, etc. etc.

From The Oceanside Blade, 12 August 1927.

Courtesy of a resource that needs your donations - the California Digital Newspaper Collection. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/

#Archives #California #UrbanForest #Horticulture #Carob

The Extinction of the Ft Worth Prairie CW: swearing as usual ...

2026-07-04T16:01:25+02:00

The Extinction of the Ft Worth Prairie

CW: swearing as usual

"Akash Munshi is doing all he can to save what's left and actively propagate these plants, ensuring that there are seedlings to plant for those who wish to savor a bit of this habitat. Akash is opening post-oak nursery in Paris, Texas in early 2027 and will be selling many of these plants"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD9fwlF2CX4 #Botany #Texas #Ecology

Not sure if they want to be listed, but ...

2026-07-01T14:48:19+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…2hyt
_________________________

Not sure if they want to be listed, but [@vagina_museum](https://masto.ai/@vagina_museum ) Punkrock History (npub1yfp…as68)

In English, we call Prunus fruits that have pits "stone ...

2026-06-30T17:21:06+02:00

In English, we call Prunus fruits that have pits "stone fruits".

I just found out they're "bone fruits" (fruta de hueso) in Spanish.

#FruitToot

"Adjuncts sue #California community college system, eight ...

2026-06-26T08:53:28+02:00

"Adjuncts sue #California community college system, eight local districts over unpaid work hours"

"...claiming their job requires that they work unpaid hours preparing lessons, grading and meeting with students, court records show.

They are demanding back pay, changes that will ensure they are paid for the work in the future, and for a judge to declare the suit a class action that could sweep in other part-time academics, commonly called adjuncts."

https://edsource.org/2022/adjuncts-sue-california-community-college-system-eight-local-districts-over-unpaid-work-hours/680287 #HigherEd

Oh, I remember the film (although I never saw it). I didn't ...

2026-06-25T15:32:05+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…0n9t
_________________________

Oh, I remember the film (although I never saw it). I didn't didn't remember any Letterman connection and looking it up didn't illuminate anything for me.

I must have missed that, but I just found this: ...

2026-06-25T15:17:19+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…x2sa
_________________________

I must have missed that, but I just found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmgHDp9VZqs

Pennsylvania fireflies stun viewers at Allegheny National Forest ...

2026-06-25T14:43:25+02:00

Pennsylvania fireflies stun viewers at Allegheny National Forest night displays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvMVw2BKw-w #Insects #Pennsylvania

Weather Whiplash Decimates Pennsylvania Fruit Crop This is one of ...

2026-06-25T08:51:39+02:00

Weather Whiplash Decimates Pennsylvania Fruit Crop

This is one of the challenges plant breeders and farmers face - for temperate tree fruit crops that go dormant for winter and emerge "when the coast is clear", what happens when the coast is not clear in Spring?

It's not unprecedented to have a crop emerge and get devastated by late frosts. What's new is how often it's happening and how dramatically...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTtWZnWgTME #FruitToot #PlantBreeding #ClimateChange

🧵 I'm going to be candid in this request: I need a mentor. ...

2026-06-24T16:33:13+02:00

🧵 I'm going to be candid in this request: I need a mentor.

I am a non-traditional student in science. No one in my family is a scientist, nor went to grad school for science. I'm doing it as an disabled older person who got her Bachelors in Art. So...there's still a lot of hidden curriculum for me.

The pandemic hit soon after I started grad school and much as I love my PI, I missed out on some of the structured mentoring I think I could benefit from. I applied for NSF GRFP and was turned down.

RE: https://eupolicy.social/@hpod16/116805303611256062 Short ...

2026-06-24T16:11:42+02:00

RE: https://eupolicy.social/@hpod16/116805303611256062

Short story time inspired by this:

I used to ride my cargo quadricycle out to the orchards west of UC Davis campus for exercise (and also to check on almonds I was observing). Nearby was a field of black poplar planted in tight rows. I usually saw them, but didn't get to ride by them because the gate was locked.

Davis gets VERY hot in summer.

I was roasting on the ride when I saw the gate was open so I rode that route, which took me past the poplars. It was as if I were standing next to AC.

quoting
note10j4…zm9p

Are trees just nature’s air conditioning? ❄️

Live in Mission, Texas? The City is apparently once more treating ...

2026-06-23T21:28:59+02:00

Live in Mission, Texas? The City is apparently once more treating native plant front yards as "weeds" and Joey Santore from "Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't" is urging folks from Mission to make sure they write in to the City Council about it.

https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx0RnqOcoZWukdc3Qx4WQZxmPwBZUN-fNT #NativePlants #Texas #ClimateChange #Sustainability #Gardening

Wildlife thrives after Castleton dam removal ...

2026-06-10T11:35:01+02:00

Wildlife thrives after Castleton dam removal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aMq84HHwAE #Vermont #Ecology #GoodNews

If you like Martinelli's (non-alcoholic) cider, I suggest you ...

2026-06-07T10:56:03+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…p8xd
_________________________

If you like Martinelli's (non-alcoholic) cider, I suggest you contact them and remind them that you like what 'Newtown Pippin' contributes to their apple cider blended flavor and you'd like them to keep supporting Watsonville growers of this cultivar.

If you live around that part of California, you can also support these growers by buying apples at their farm shops and support hard cider and other companies that use their crops. Let's keep 'Newtown Pippin'!

https://www.martinellis.com/contact/

#FruitToot

'Newtown Pippin' is sweet enough for fresh eating, but ...

2026-06-07T10:53:39+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…kzra
_________________________

'Newtown Pippin' is sweet enough for fresh eating, but has a tart kick for those of us who like our sweet on the tart side. It also has a white wine-like complexity to its flavor which is why it's a major component of Martinelli's famous taste.

It is also a good component of hard apple ciders, which is why the farmer being interviewed is trying to shift to selling his crop to the various craft cider makers around. #FruitToot

'Newtown Pippin' is a US variety of apple that originated ...

2026-06-07T10:47:27+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…cenk
_________________________

'Newtown Pippin' is a US variety of apple that originated as a chance seedling in NY in the 18th century. The fact that there are fewer and fewer acres of it in the US (in the places where it can be grown well) is a real tragedy.

If Martinelli's stops buying as much, there's a lot of pressure to convert the orchards to another crop, like wine grapes. Market pressures did that to 'Gravenstein' apples in Sonoma and Napa counties. We lose agrobiodiversity when that happens. #FruitToot

Martinelli's cancels contracts with Watsonville apple ...

2026-06-07T10:44:15+02:00

Martinelli's cancels contracts with Watsonville apple growers, raising concerns

The report doesn't mention it, but Martinelli's taste doesn't come from just any ol' apples. A major component of its tastes comes from my favorite apple variety - 'Newtown Pippin'. That is the variety those Watsonville growers are growing. Those used to be *the* green apple in stores when I was a kid, but it has been supplanted by the inferior (in my opinion) 'Granny Smith'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGGtDqBGe-o #FruitToot

Attorney General Bonta Sends Letter to Federal Judicial Center ...

2026-06-04T12:14:55+02:00

Attorney General Bonta Sends Letter to Federal Judicial Center Strongly Opposing Removal of Climate Science from Judicial Manual

#California AG Rob Bonta joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general, the Cities of New York and Chicago, and Harris County, Texas in a letter to the Federal Judicial Center strongly opposing its decision to strike the chapter titled, “Reference Guide on Climate Science,” from the Fourth Edition of its Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence.

https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-sends-letter-federal-judicial-center-strongly-opposing

A Pyro-Tourrettes Journey to the Carolina Sandhills & Venus ...

2026-06-04T08:58:13+02:00

A Pyro-Tourrettes Journey to the Carolina Sandhills & Venus Flytrap Savannas

It's Tony, so there *will* be swearing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66tE6s4YSNE #Botany

Notice a lot of specks on the floor. Then decided to sweep them ...

2026-06-03T18:26:01+02:00

Notice a lot of specks on the floor. Then decided to sweep them up and use a loupe to take a look. Not that I know my insects!

Looks like mosquitos, but I'm not sure whether these are young or full size.

#Albania #Insect

"Host Dion Mundy speaks to berry breeder Pauline Kerbiriou ...

2026-06-03T09:14:33+02:00

"Host Dion Mundy speaks to berry breeder Pauline Kerbiriou about her role, the importance of plant breeding, and the characteristics that breeders look for in a new variety. We also talk to Pauline about her journey so far as a scientist, and share some useful tips for young scientists in their careers."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnN8HihYxO4 #PlantBreeding #PlantScience #NZ

Because apples don't grow true to seed, most times someone ...

2026-05-30T15:58:04+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ekr6
_________________________

Because apples don't grow true to seed, most times someone runs across or breeds an apple that has superior qualities, they clone it. That could be something as smalltime as cutting off twigs during dormant season to share with friends to something as bigtime as mass vegetative reproduction via budding or plant tissue culture.

This is not to say you cannot run across local heritage varieties in a market you'd never see in the US. Of course you can. Just as there are heritage varieties in the US

Watching travel vloggers, they'll often extol the "higher ...

2026-05-30T15:55:29+02:00

Watching travel vloggers, they'll often extol the "higher quality produce" where they are, but do so using misinfo. For instance, they'll say something like "in the US, the apples are cloned...it's not like that here".

This is not true.

Very very few countries sell seedling apples in their marketplaces - that is...every single apple tree being unique seedling heritage.

Apples don't grow "true to seed". So when you buy a 'Fuji' apple, you are buying a fruit of a clone of the original tree.

Count the dead bugs on your windshield and contribute to science ...

2026-05-26T15:08:30+02:00

Count the dead bugs on your windshield and contribute to science • FRANCE 24 English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnGYkPEQozo #Entomology #CommunityScience #France

RE: https://botany.social/@botanyone/116563260952115102 This is ...

2026-05-14T09:51:16+02:00

RE: https://botany.social/@botanyone/116563260952115102

This is unusual in that it seems to want to use people's love of sports to increase tree canopy cover.

If you're familiar with the Forth Valley, like sports, like trees, and are good with people, this might be a good position.
nostr:note1a7q9akjprfz57t9hf0ueskumsrfxe7yx2df6eus2vvc3pkeak3mq2ypshu

Postdoc (m/f/d) in Silviculture and Forest Ecology 4 days left to ...

2026-05-11T20:14:30+02:00

Postdoc (m/f/d) in Silviculture and Forest Ecology

4 days left to apply!

1.5 year posting. University of Freiburg

https://uni-freiburg.de/en/job/00004965/ #Forestry #PlantScience #Botany

Plant Breeding Graduate Student Lightning Talks Combatting potato ...

2026-05-09T22:28:14+02:00

Plant Breeding Graduate Student Lightning Talks

Combatting potato cyst nematodes

Spring frost damage in grape budbreak

Mapping the genetic basis of fireblight resistance in apple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU7p7w03oqs #PlantBreeding #Botany #Horticulture #Agriculture

I didn't get enough of a heads up to post about this while ...

2026-05-09T12:35:31+02:00

I didn't get enough of a heads up to post about this while the call for papers was open.

"The conference will bring together scholars, artists and researchers from across disciplines to discuss the relationship between plants and human society, with a focus on culture, ecology and sustainability. Key themes include plant intelligence, biodiversity, climate change, food security and plant-based cultural heritage."

https://www.globalplanthumanities.com/2026cfp #PlantHumanities

On Friday is probably not the best time to look for answers, but ...

2026-05-08T19:31:10+02:00

On Friday is probably not the best time to look for answers, but here goes:

In its ideal form, I really like the land grant university - USDA-ARS partnership and the state and county extension agent system. But I don't want to assume this is the only or best way to disseminate research and other horticulture, agriculture, and public health information.

What other systems do folks have familiarity with that they think work well for getting publicly-funded hort/ag/food science info to the public

I wasn't taught much in the way of keying plants in graduate ...

2026-05-08T15:50:50+02:00

I wasn't taught much in the way of keying plants in graduate school. There's a lot of emphasis on molecular biology & genetics and not so much on old school botany. But I still want to learn the skill.

I'm taking a look at plants growing around me in Albania and comparing them to what I know from California (where we have a lot of introduced Mediterranean plant species).

In California, I am used to seeing Malva neglecta, but here I see Malva sylvestris (I think that's which species it is).

As I see my alma mater department graduate group continue to ...

2026-05-08T14:08:39+02:00

As I see my alma mater department graduate group continue to choose bars as venues for their socials, it reminds me of how little support my peers gave for my anti-ableist efforts.

Because planning to hold a mixer in a café with a variety of menu options is such a small thing to ask for inclusivity. It is such a LOW bar. Yet they refuse to do it.

There are people who for addiction or religious reasons cannot be in a bar. Yet so many will not choose anything more inclusive. #AcademicChatter

@npub1l6s…aq8f Thank you for relaying these job postings here. ...

2026-05-08T11:37:32+02:00

Botany One (npub1l6s…aq8f) Thank you for relaying these job postings here. Agristok and others try to monetize what should be freely available public listings and it swamps the search results on web search engines.

Thanks for making these more findable with direct links to institutional websites.

This Iowa Nonprofit is the Largest Nongovernmental Seed Bank in ...

2026-05-06T08:58:52+02:00

This Iowa Nonprofit is the Largest Nongovernmental Seed Bank in the Country | Iowa Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBQ5R9NVHHg #GeneBanks #Gardening

I can't get iNaturalist Classic to work well for me on the ...

2026-05-03T13:34:29+02:00

I can't get iNaturalist Classic to work well for me on the phone. Can someone with better access than me look up whether there are Ceratonia siliqua sightings in the neighborhood of the central train station in Bari?

Postdoc position: Contribution to a large European network to ...

2026-04-30T09:50:38+02:00

Postdoc position: Contribution to a large European network to identify the gaps and needs in Plant Breeding Research

https://eng-gafl.paca.hub.inrae.fr/news/postdoc-position #PlantBreeding #France #AcademicJobs

I hope to visit the garden at least one more time while I'm ...

2026-04-22T22:32:11+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…v3ke
_________________________

I hope to visit the garden at least one more time while I'm here. I will write up and post photos of other things and update here if I get to do that. #Botany #Accessibility

Gardens are good for our mental health. And as cities get noisier ...

2026-04-22T22:30:51+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…trty
_________________________

Gardens are good for our mental health. And as cities get noisier and noisier, aural peace becomes more of a luxury reserved for the wealthy. Which is why the relative calm of a large green space like a botanical garden should be within reach of people. Particularly people with PTSD, people with sensory issues, etc. It is restorative to be in a garden.

I donated to the donation box. But I appreciate that I was able to enter for free because it means others can.
#Botany #Accessibility

was that families get discounts, but childfree disabled people do ...

2026-04-22T22:28:25+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…8c2e
_________________________

was that families get discounts, but childfree disabled people do not. You don't have to jump through hoops to prove you're a family, but in most places you have to jump through many many hoops to prove you're disabled. And in the case of The Huntington, there was no disabled discount at all because they would have had to "see your papers" and that costs money to administer. Which is another reason the rationing & policing approach should be abandoned as much as possible.

#Botany #Accessibility

But it was a very pleasant green space with a nice sampling of ...

2026-04-22T22:26:19+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…a77h
_________________________

But it was a very pleasant green space with a nice sampling of plants from several continents...some of them in greenhouses of various humidities and temperatures so they could survive here near the Black Forest.

One other way they were accessible was that although I arrived prepared to pay an entry fee, I saw no booth to do so. One thing that always bugged me about The Huntington, which has a stiff admission fee,

#Botany #Accessibility

It was a beautiful and relatively warm day today. Many people ...

2026-04-22T22:23:42+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…vk0v
_________________________

It was a beautiful and relatively warm day today. Many people were enjoying the botanical garden as one would a park - which again is why accessibility is key. This shouldn't be an oasis only fully available to abled people.

Some of the paths seemed wheelchair accessible to me, but as I'm not a wheelchair user, I'm not the final word on that.

I didn't get a chance to visit the WC, so I don't know how good those were.

#Botany #Accessibility

My visit today was more hurried than I like to take things in. So ...

2026-04-22T22:20:22+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…mjwr
_________________________

My visit today was more hurried than I like to take things in. So I could be missing things. But I didn't see things meant to help blind folks nor Deaf folks, nor neurodiverse folks. Perhaps they're available but are things they mean you to call ahead about (which is an ableist thing on its own, but better to have it even available to be reserved than not available at all).

The website's accessibility link seems a bit more digital compliance-oriented. https://www.botanischer-garten.uni-freiburg.de/accessibility-info #Accessibility

different in some important ways. So credits for part of the ...

2026-04-22T22:16:27+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…hfv0
_________________________

different in some important ways.

So credits for part of the concept but demerits for the execution as far as accessibility.

Most signs were only in German. Monolingual signs can be an issue at US botanical gardens as well. The safety and rules signs, though, should be in major languages of several continents, though.

What accessibility there was seemed to mostly conceive of wheelchair users, but accessibility of botanical gardens should be considered more broadly.

#Botany #Accessibility

that most certainly would not be wheelchair or mobility scooter ...

2026-04-22T22:13:26+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…a4v3
_________________________

that most certainly would not be wheelchair or mobility scooter or walker-accessible.

So while walking people through the tree of plant life is a really neat idea to make this tangible to people, it is only tangible to *some* because of the inaccessibility of how it was designed.

Having a selection of plants of a shared family but different genuses in one bed makes one think through how botanists decided these plants were closely related despite being really

#Botany #Accessibility

quality, it does not have Braille nor alternate ways to classify ...

2026-04-22T22:09:17+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…0nrq
_________________________

quality, it does not have Braille nor alternate ways to classify than color, like shape. It's a missed opportunity when you're already partway there by creating a tactile map of sorts.

For folks without disabilities that affect their mobility, cobbles seem a lovely quaint way to pave something. But they really do create a tripping hazard for those of us with mobility disabilities. As I said, this was mostly narrow paths (like a tree, they were wider towards the trunk and thinner at the edges)

The garden has a legend at the top, as shown in the previous ...

2026-04-22T22:06:31+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…nt5u
_________________________

The garden has a legend at the top, as shown in the previous photo. But one of the disadvantages of creating beds around things that taxonomists still argue about is that you either have to move the beds as things get reclassified, or you have to change your legend. To the left, out of frame, is an additional cylinder plaque using the existing color codes to show which things were moved (as of 2014...who knows where it's at now).

While the display map has a 3D

#Botany #Accessibility

greenhouses (which close early) and part of the Plant Systematics ...

2026-04-22T21:58:18+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…srhr
_________________________

greenhouses (which close early) and part of the Plant Systematics garden before my coach turned into a pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo).

They had a very interesting idea for their Plant Systematics garden, but it was implemented inaccessibly, sadly. It's on the slopes of a bowl and is made of cobbles. It's not wheelchair accessible and even for me with my cane, I was worried I would fall. As I'm still dealing with injuries from a fall last Dec, that's not a minor threat for me.

#Botany #Accessibility

🧵 Today I got to indulge an intersection of my interests in ...

2026-04-22T21:52:13+02:00

🧵 Today I got to indulge an intersection of my interests in botany and accessibility - visiting the Botanical Garden of the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg. I've been critiqueing botanical gardens on accessibility since volunteering at The Huntington Botanical Gardens.

Gardens are mental health oases for people, which means they should be accessible to disabled people too, but they often are not.

I was low on spoons today so I only visited the

#Botany #Accessibility

Plant Systematics: An Aggressive and Abusive Approach CW: ...

2026-04-22T20:29:07+02:00

Plant Systematics: An Aggressive and Abusive Approach

CW: cursewords and Chicago accent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irn9oNZSuj0 #Botany #CrimepaysButBotanyDoesnt

Longshot here, but if you were in #Albania and wanted to find ...

2026-04-18T23:18:19+02:00

Longshot here, but if you were in #Albania and wanted to find used equipment like a dissection microscope and some very simple lab equipment like glass Petri dishes, forceps, and scalpels, where would you shop for them? #Botany

Sadly, apple-growing (and a lot of other fruit-growing) has been ...

2026-04-14T17:56:24+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…xyd4
_________________________

Sadly, apple-growing (and a lot of other fruit-growing) has been homogenized. Even if it's grown locally to you, it is likely a fruit bred elsewhere. This isn't always a bad thing, but it is bad when good local varieties become almost impossible to find.

So you can find 'Gala', 'Fuji', 'Cripps Pink' aka "Pink Lady™" apples and 'Conference' pears at most greengrocers I've been to in my EU trip so far, but it's harder to find local cultivars.

Here they have a couple less common ones.

#FruitToot

This is the best place to buy fruit I've found so far in ...

2026-04-14T17:32:06+02:00

This is the best place to buy fruit I've found so far in Bilbao. Note: I have not had a lot of ability to explore and I missed the Saturday open market.

This place had more less-usual apple varieties than other places I checked, including inside Erriberako Merkatua/Mercado La Ribera.

This is in contrast to València, where the best fruit sellers I encountered were in the Mercat Central. They carried more different fruits than the average greengrocer, including loquats and Alpine strawberries.

I was born too late for there to be wooden punnets or trays for ...

2026-04-14T16:33:18+02:00

I was born too late for there to be wooden punnets or trays for strawberries, I think, but there were still wooden crates for many fruits & vegetables when I was born.

I have a soft spot for them. While deforestation is not cool, sustainable harvesting and reuse seems a LOT better than plastic punnets and trays to me.

#FruitToot #Spain

Spank Me With Pandanus: Philippines Botany Episode 1 CW: Joey ...

2026-04-13T09:47:36+02:00

Spank Me With Pandanus: Philippines Botany Episode 1

CW: Joey swears. Every episode.

Good episode for seeing two self-taught botanists trying to key out species. You almost have to be self-taught these days because of how many universities got rid of their botany majors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F751iizg49o #Botany #Philippines

Are there folks from the US who've done PhDs in Europe and ...

2026-04-10T13:13:16+02:00

Are there folks from the US who've done PhDs in Europe and then gone on to find a path to EU citizenship (within the last 10 years) who'd be willing to grant me an informational interview?

I have a lot of tough decisions ahead of me and would rather go into things as informed as I can manage.

American science is at risk not because of budget cuts, but ...

2026-04-09T20:59:28+02:00

American science is at risk not because of budget cuts, but because of executive interference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiE93b-jT-E #USpol #Science

The trunk is hollow, as are several large branches. Look how ...

2026-04-07T16:01:11+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…acu8
_________________________

The trunk is hollow, as are several large branches. Look how something girdled this branch (girdle = chewed, cut, or tore off a semi-circle or entire circle of bark & phloem, which cuts off nutrition flow in the plant), yet the remaining bark seemed to grow right back over it.

Carob is tough, man. Carob wants to live.

#Bilbao #Spain #Espana #Carob #Algarrobo

Here you can see the young pods developing. Carob flowers at ...

2026-04-07T15:44:44+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…39th
_________________________

Here you can see the young pods developing.

Carob flowers at about the same time the pods are ripe. Pods are on the tree ripening about one year, more or less.

The pods this tree gives, from what I could see on the ground, are not likely standout for eating traits, but the fact that this tree has survived this rainy environment makes it worth propagating for that trait. #Bilbao #Spain #Espana #Carob #Algarrobo

Made time today to walk up & down hills & stairs to get ...

2026-04-07T15:38:51+02:00

Made time today to walk up & down hills & stairs to get to this old carob tree growing in a roundabout near the Basilica Begoña. This has to be at least a couple hundred years old.

It's very rainy in Bilbao so it is not the ideal environment for Ceratonia siliqua, yet this one survives, albeit hollow and with many fungi on it. And it's either female or hermaphrodite because it is bearing young pods. #Bilbao #Spain #Espana #Carob #Algarrobo

RE: https://union.place/@ufwupdates/116359537193054917 This is ...

2026-04-06T22:05:25+02:00

RE: https://union.place/@ufwupdates/116359537193054917

This is unquestionably skilled labor.
#Horticulture
nostr:note1hlnv3tvhq5pyw63ugjgjzsztxu8jpvnpg9tnrpmzj0m0kcgvh6aq64lu8f

RE: https://ecoevo.social/@UPressSalesBot/116335365624166939 This ...

2026-04-02T23:55:41+02:00

RE: https://ecoevo.social/@UPressSalesBot/116335365624166939

This can be applied to Stephen Heard (npub16z4…k4lz) 's "The Scientist's Guide to Writing" although the 3rd Ed is due out later this year, I think.

Unfortunately, an app is required for the epub or PDF.

quoting
note1w90…pz38

From Princeton University Press (npub1dd4…ex5p):

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Explore new books from Princeton University Press for readers captivated by the beauty and brilliance of the living world. Enjoy 30% off with code PUP30.

More info: https://email.press.princeton.edu/e3t/Ctc/OQ+113/cYn4T04/MVSYQZ7499nW2_12ZJ24k8xgW74N_GZ5MnmDyN9h9bHK5nR3bW7lCGcx6lZ3pYW4zCTyH35H8mkW5z3r0t1j-_ZRW4DfWJ_3ChBQSW7-Kjp634V16ZW5Vn_mj3g2RhCW3d0c-l7rk52yN3xMqJPLHMpFW3PdxGC7kJVRVW6hFJS08WJZTLW4tK-5v1wn64QV76rkq61hS8wW7WGnKw1Y75DQW2WGyKf7Hkf05N7d9VhXsw4qRN7nSsV-DKK8hW6Hjf6w6SN5LyW8CBwqC6JzW_KW5FYxV31xFNdbN8mXr292TphHW2vrM0D6rGC_wW83LdH57RhsS4W24bx2944Yv6cW5SlszB18Y48TMqFjFYJJ3tmW8x8HMS6z-stpN6vvvFF9ttjjW8phJbm1pw7-6W568GCH3KfjkxW19chpd3W9cr7W3ySbjk8Bs9g8W1LGg6W2S1pq6Vv1Hm88L5dDHW3frY9j6GPJRVW5nRR_-4PCpGHW71Dm7q3N-MD5W6ryNzg3-5KSdW2CtB4q7_x0kwV9_KZd5qYQxxN4MflFlF2RnPW1xv1yS9k1GVbf2kbDX604

New bee species discovered in Washington ...

2026-04-02T10:36:36+02:00

New bee species discovered in Washington

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dswEnJzW9c #Entomology #Washington

Red squirrels rise again as Aberdeen begins to eliminate greys ...

2026-03-28T16:41:48+01:00

Red squirrels rise again as Aberdeen begins to eliminate greys

"Alien greys"...one has to be careful when discussing introduced species, IMO, because xenophobes love to apply this rhetoric to humans based on race, color, ethnicity, and creed...

Eastern Grey Squirrels, native to the Eastern US and Canada, were introduced to the Western US and to the UK, where they are outcompeting endemic squirrel species in rapidly urbanizing environments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwnuz56T_jY #Scotland

Worcester 7th grader earns national recognition for solar panel ...

2026-03-28T16:19:58+01:00

Worcester 7th grader earns national recognition for solar panel invention

I wish they'd covered his design in more detail. He's come up with a way to get the solar panel to move, tracking the sun for better efficiency. Of course there are already many systems that do this. His improvement was using water flow and gravity to do it without motors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eK79UpoXro #STEM #SolarPunk

Last day of the conference and of the carob workshop. We were led ...

2026-03-27T21:02:01+01:00

Last day of the conference and of the carob workshop. We were led out of the auditorium and to a theatrical space outside by a duo of Valencian musicians, one playing a double reed instrument made of carob wood.

The best thing about this conference/workshop is it was largely about carob, but the second best thing is that it was interdisciplinary in many ways.

#Carob #Valencia #Spain #STEAM

I gotta get in bed since tomorrow the conference venue changes ...

2026-03-26T22:30:46+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…d5p8
_________________________

I gotta get in bed since tomorrow the conference venue changes again and I have an hour commute to get to it.

This is the prize-winning carob tree. The guide says it's at least 350 years old but could be as old as 500.

Carob is a tough as hell tree. Beautiful and underappreciated. #Carob #Horticulture #Spain #ThickTrunkThursday

When we got off our buses, the first thing I noticed was the ...

2026-03-26T22:18:37+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…gz86
_________________________

When we got off our buses, the first thing I noticed was the carob espalier although I suppose it's more like carob pleaching. That's a first for me!

I've seen carob clipped to grow like a box hedge or topiary. I've seen carob bonsai. But I've never seen a pleached line of carobs.

It was in such a weird place, too! Normally you'd do this to grow fruit in a small space or to provide a living fence or cover an unsightly wall.

One of the things about the farm area we were in that differs a ...

2026-03-26T22:11:59+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…cf0g
_________________________

One of the things about the farm area we were in that differs a lot from CA farm areas I've been in is that the farm plots are much smaller and the crops grown more diverse. So in a small area we saw carob, almond, olives, and various citrus. And the "weeds" along the roads were volunteers of these species.

Outside the factory were two crates of grafted carob saplings. ...

2026-03-26T22:01:00+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…v2u3
_________________________

Outside the factory were two crates of grafted carob saplings. This one is labeled 'Duraio', which is one of the cultivars grown locally in València and is traditional to this area.

I'm guessing these are one year old saplings, maybe two. Carob is a slow grower and that's partly why it's so drought resistant.

Because of missing the earset for live translation, I didn't ...

2026-03-26T21:55:19+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…xvzj
_________________________

Because of missing the earset for live translation, I didn't get details of certain things...including what gets separated where.

It appeared to me that some rougher stuff falls onto the floor in piles to be sold as cow, pig, goat or horse feed (depending on coarseness). I didn't spot where the seeds went, but it's common for seeds to be sent to a specialty locust bean gum processor. This seems like a fairly fine product with good color, so I'm guessing this goes on to become carob powder.

Carob harvest time starts in August and can go into December. Not ...

2026-03-26T21:45:39+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…0sq2
_________________________

Carob harvest time starts in August and can go into December. Not only do the various cultivars get ripe at slightly different times, but once the harvest is in the warehouse, it can take a while to process. So this pile we're seeing in late March, large as it is, is just a fraction of what it can get to and you can see the marks on the walls from previous piles.

They have to control humidity in the warehouse so the sugars in the pods don't ferment.

One of the longer pods in a pile in front of me. I missed the ...

2026-03-26T21:32:02+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…90k8
_________________________

One of the longer pods in a pile in front of me. I missed the handout of the audio tour earsets so I didn't get a lot of what was said. I understood about 1/3 of the Spanish tour. I got the impression that the factory has its own carob sources, but that some local farmers also bring their product to sell them and so the cultivars used can vary.

You could see marks on the side of the warehouse from how high the piles can get during a bumper harvest.

Conference field trip to a carob factory then to a 12-year old ...

2026-03-26T21:17:54+01:00

Conference field trip to a carob factory then to a 12-year old test orchard of carob, then to a ~350 year old carob that won a Best Carob Tree in Spain contest in 2025.

After we took the tour, the machinery was turned back on and this is video from that. After the pods have been kibbled, the seeds are separated out and the flesh is processed into various levels of product - even livestock feed can vary with pigs and goats able to handle coarser carob than what goes to racehorses.