a small, evergreen plant with a distinctive pale green stripe down the center of the leaf, nestled at the root of a beech tree

beech drop (a remnant): brown, stick-like stems against a background of fallen leaves in a forest in winter

From last week's field trip for class, where my undergrads are learning about plant community ecology: Beechdrops (Epifagus virginiana) and Striped Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata).

an illustration of an ivory billed woodpecker sitting on a tree saying “extinction is forever” surrounded by the words “protect our lands”

OUR LANDS ARE NOT FOR SALE!

#conservation #publiclands

I want to connect with and highlight more trans voices working with plants, wildlife, and the natural environment so I've created a starter pack!

If this sounds like you, introduce yourself by quote-posting this skeet and I'll add you to the list 🏳️‍⚧️

I'm looking forward to being in Athens, GA later this month for #Evol2025! I'll be looking to meet folks and learn about the big questions (and new, exciting answers) in evolutionary biology for possible stories in @quantamagazine.bsky.social. Hit me up if you'll be there and want to chat.

#WithoutNSF I wouldn't have had the opportunity to complete a formative NSF-REU, where I encountered the weird and wonderful Polygala lewtonii (see: my cover image), a mixed-mating plant with below-ground (!) flowers which launched my research in plant reproductive biology and took me to my PhD

I will take any excuse to post this again.

The Earth seen from Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve 1968. Picture taken by Bill Anders.

At an Earth Day event this evening, I was asked to talk about the 'Overview Effect' - the profound sense of awe many people feel when seeing the Earth from space.

I'm compiling a #Botany2025 #StarterPack to help bring together our Blue Sky community for the upcoming conference: go.bsky.app/Gu9T4st

Once you submit your abstract and/or registration, reply here and I'll add you!

🙋I'll be there. What a great idea to put this together - thank you!

Hello, Bluesky 💙! Here's a little intro post! 📌

I'm Elena, and I'm a PhD candidate at VCU! I'm a botanist at heart, working on self-fertilization and sexual system variation in plants. 🌱 Currently based in #RVA. 🌇 Ride-or-die for #rstats 💻 My inbox is open - I'm on the hunt for a postdoc! 👀