This Is Just To Say
I have turned off
the AI features
that were in
the update
and which
you were probably
hoping
to monetize
Fuck you
they were stupid
so unnecessary
and so annoying
A black-and-white studio portrait photograph of Emma Lucy Braun, the pioneering American botanist and plant ecologist widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists in the study of eastern North American forests. Shown from the shoulders up against a soft, neutral gradient background, Braun appears in her later years with a calm, intelligent gaze directed straight at the viewer. Her white hair is neatly styled and swept back from her face, and she wears delicate round wire-rimmed glasses. A gentle, knowing half-smile softens her expression, conveying quiet authority, warmth, and scholarly poise. She is dressed in a light-colored, pleated blouse with a gathered neckline and a prominent dark floral brooch pinned at the center of her chest; the visible sleeve features subtle decorative patterning. The tight, centered composition focuses entirely on her face and upper torso, creating an intimate and dignified mood that emphasizes intellect and dignity over ornamentation.
Botanist/plant ecologist E. Lucy Braun is one of the most influential ecologists in North American history.
+ First woman President, Ecological Society of America, 1950
+ Helped establish plant ecology as a rigorous academic discipline
She was born #OTD in 1889. #WomenInSTEM #conservation #ecosky
The Gather and Sow: April 2026 newsletter is out, just in time for Easter. We write about betalains, the pigments that impart brilliant colors to beets and their relatives. And we dye Easter eggs with plant dyes, make violet syrup, and learn about pH.
gather-and-sow.ghost.io/gather-and-s...
My students are so great! Today in my course on humans and plants (only the 2nd mtg of the qtr) they were as excited about @berondam.bsky.social and Ross Gay (poets.org/poem/fig-tre...) as I am. Finding shared themes, thinking deeply about science writing, belonging, community, etc. Great start.
You can find instructions here: www.bep.gov/services/mut...
In the form, there is a field where you can write "On X date I marked through the signature with a Sharpie (highly recommended as the best pen!) and then burned that half of each bill."
One of my favorite secret landscaping snacks!
Happy St. David's Day and Women's History Month. The Botanists in the Kitchen celebrate both in this month's newsletter. gather-and-sow.ghost.io/gather-and-s...
Leeks and extreme "female" plant parts saffron & corn silk. And don't miss our love for Katherine Esau and Barbara McClintock near the end.
Or a feminist? He paid special attention to that girls' school in Iran, after all.
Thick, highly branched Douglas fir
And have you ever seen such a chonky Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)? I had to confirm this big boy through its leaves and cones. Has apparently tangled with many a coastal storm and fought its way back. Pomo Canyon trail near Jenner, Sonoma coast.
grove of lichen-covered redwood trees along a stream near the outlet of the Russian River (Pomo Canyon). Understorey of sword ferns.
Redwoods in Pomo Canyon, near Jenner, Sonoma coast. These coastal riparian groves look almost nothing like those found farther inland. Covered in lichens, closely packed, and presiding over an understory of mostly sword ferns. Such a gorgeous hike this weekend!
So cool! And just in time for my annual revamp of the readings for my course on humans and plants!
I also try to impart to students that the goal is not to transcribe texts or seminar discussions but to build a capacity for isolating critical aspects of each.
First day a student asked, “So, you really mean notebooks—like notebooks?”
I said yes, and there has been no mention of it again.
In SF Bay Area, Mtn View fmrs mkt and a San Carlos shop www.papachay.com Max and Julianna roast and sell what their Peruvian farms grow. The site doesn't say, but they use a microbial system to filter processing water before releasing it. No pesticides. Essentially worker-owned.
This is the BEST combination! So glad you chose to start your special day with us listeners.
close-up photo of a teosinte inflorescence
Check out this cute teosinte inflorescence that a very brave plant managed to push out against all odds: capricious autumn planting, small pot, atmospheric river damage, no attention, low expectations. I'm so impressed (and can't wait to do a "real" planting this spring). The tassel never matured.
Great suggestions! These questions would be useful for seminar courses, too, especially for advanced undergraduates. Thank you!
In Your Name
They steal from you
Enrich themselves
Kill your neighbors
Lie in your face
Do it in your name
And dare you to disagree
They are corrupt and thuggish goons
Cowards
Unfit to govern
The country they claim is theirs and theirs alone
That’s who they are
Who are we?
I am optimistic that @petergs.bsky.social knows the answer or can point you in the right direction
Got Weds' Letterboxed in 2 happy words: Phenomenal-lifecycle. The official 2-word answer was malefic-cacophony. It hurts just to read that! I think I'll stay in my positive frame of mind, thank you. (And to be honest, bragging about solving in 2 words probably helps)
The fascists are organising a carol concert in London to "draw attention to unchecked immigration and the fading of our cultural heritage".
What would Woody do?
Write an anti-fascist Xmas carol and sing it at the counter demo.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=liRd...
I started getting reports of an unseasonal Joshua tree bloom in the last few weeks, and looking over records on @inaturalist.bsky.social it's pretty widespread! So we're putting out the call for folks to record this "bonus bloom" and help us study it 🌿
lab.jbyoder.org/2025/12/10/w...
Plate with food.
Do you look at this and see at least 10 plant species? Then you are ready for #Plantsgiving 2025!
How many species will be served during your meal??? It ain't a competition, it's just about recognition.
#iamabotanist @botsocamerica.bsky.social @nybg.bsky.social
Do! And then you can check what I saw. It goes by kinda fast. It's also possible that the cuttings belong to Willa and the scraggly plant is Bob's. We don't know. Anyhow, I love the combination of Bob's nurturing instinct for Willa/cuttings/(ideals?) and his neglect otherwise.
Watched One Battle After Another last night. The window in Bob and Willa's kitchen is 100% metaphor for Bob's life. A row of plants from cuttings getting established OK. And the one full grown plant is etiolated, losing its leaves, obviously allowed to dry out too often. Brilliant details.
Uncut.
Unrated.
Experience
KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR -
Exclusively in Theaters
December 5.
lionsgate.app.box.com/s/3j69mvj5kz...
Yikes! Don't people realize that these things are still alive and breathing? It's not like those lenticels are just there for decoration.
I love my town!
I'm going on Sunday and....I don't understand German. Should I bring something to read?
Sometimes the universe just clicks
![Billy Bragg - The Buck Doesn't Stop Here No More [Official Audio]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:lwmnwcca35gu5dttx77xrk6t/bafkreichngkcbzk3mgy6zzwtoepzqfbjdgk7posvxqqru7n5v5g7d5sy2m)
If history teaches us one thing
Never trust a man who would be king
Who seeks all power for himself
To burnish his prestige and wealth
And a nation born in revolution
Should know this offers no solution
For there can be no liberty
Where one man rules with impunity
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfeY...