Megan Lynch (she/her)

MSc in Hort & Ag, UC Davis. Frugiphile. Vegetative almond bud development. Ongoing interdisciplinary research on carob (Ceratonia siliqua). Disabled. Advocate for accessibility. she/her

Banner description: Carob botanical illustration by Pierre Joseph Redouté Profile photo description: Me looking over my bifocal glasses. #NoBot

Ologies Episode: https://www.alieward.com/ologies/carobology
Demandifesto: https://archive.org/details/disability-equity-and-justice-demands/mode/2up
Guide for my ASPB workshop: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hgAVLfEhV9dNbF1Z8j3djudb0xXlwjKY21R45NhfJL4/edit?usp=sharing
Masters Thesis: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/364965n4

Public Key

npub1fn55qh554rv250653jcvtut9g38g7sywd2nf8g9p0zx0n347tmyqls2e3g

NIP-05 Address

ml_at_ecoevo.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsye62qt6223k928a2gevx979j5gn50gz8x4f5n5zsh3r8ec6l9ajqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsz5k6gh

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1fn55qh554rv250653jcvtut9g38g7sywd2nf8g9p0zx0n347tmyqls2e3g

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Last Notes

2026-05-06 06:58:52 UTC

This Iowa Nonprofit is the Largest Nongovernmental Seed Bank in the Country | Iowa Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBQ5R9NVHHg #GeneBanks #Gardening

2026-05-03 11:34:29 UTC

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?

2026-04-30 07:50:38 UTC

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

2026-04-22 20:32:11 UTC

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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

2026-04-22 20:30:51 UTC

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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

2026-04-22 20:28:25 UTC

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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

2026-04-22 20:26:19 UTC

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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

2026-04-22 20:23:42 UTC

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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
https://ecoevo-social.s3.de.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/116/450/276/875/193/459/original/ed439039b50c059a.jpeg

2026-04-22 20:20:22 UTC

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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

2026-04-22 20:16:27 UTC

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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

2026-04-22 20:13:26 UTC

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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

2026-04-22 20:09:17 UTC

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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)

2026-04-22 20:06:31 UTC

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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
https://ecoevo-social.s3.de.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/116/450/131/478/511/327/original/689561d05a6944f6.jpeg

2026-04-22 19:58:18 UTC

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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
https://ecoevo-social.s3.de.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/116/450/117/136/335/391/original/23d76dd83279278e.jpeg

2026-04-22 19:52:13 UTC

🧵 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
https://ecoevo-social.s3.de.io.cloud.ovh.net/media_attachments/files/116/450/092/657/002/476/original/f8df5045bfe934ea.jpeg

2026-04-22 18:29:07 UTC

Plant Systematics: An Aggressive and Abusive Approach
CW: cursewords and Chicago accent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irn9oNZSuj0 #Botany #CrimepaysButBotanyDoesnt

2026-04-18 21:18:19 UTC

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

2026-04-14 14:33:18 UTC

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
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/403/536/985/836/985/original/b128000a0029887f.jpeg

2026-04-13 07:47:36 UTC

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

2026-04-10 11:13:16 UTC

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.

2026-04-09 18:59:28 UTC

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

2026-04-07 14:01:11 UTC

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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
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/363/757/652/173/765/original/8d3177d593dc6820.jpeg

2026-04-07 13:44:44 UTC

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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
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/363/705/471/237/448/original/fc87d7e7b8e62b1c.jpeg

2026-04-07 13:38:51 UTC

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
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/363/670/353/856/578/original/a9ee2a6f56cd20a6.jpeg

2026-04-06 20:05:25 UTC

RE: https://union.place/@ufwupdates/116359537193054917
This is unquestionably skilled labor.
#Horticulture
#note1hln…lu8f

2026-04-02 21:55:41 UTC

RE: https://ecoevo.social/@UPressSalesBot/116335365624166939
This can be applied to @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.
#note1w90…pz38

2026-04-02 08:36:36 UTC

New bee species discovered in Washington
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dswEnJzW9c #Entomology #Washington

2026-03-28 15:41:48 UTC

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

2026-03-28 15:19:58 UTC

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

2026-03-27 20:02:01 UTC

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
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/302/904/409/515/341/original/b9094851eb5a7cb8.jpeg

2026-03-26 21:30:46 UTC

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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
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/297/595/614/489/271/original/64e1f070635478c5.jpeg

2026-03-26 21:18:37 UTC

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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.
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/297/538/638/141/463/original/6662bd7df51984ad.jpeg

2026-03-26 21:11:59 UTC

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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.
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/297/520/615/155/882/original/9712f9991f5bf93b.jpeg

2026-03-26 21:01:00 UTC

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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.
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/297/476/574/305/507/original/ed5360391c6ab91c.jpeg

2026-03-26 20:55:19 UTC

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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.
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/297/452/824/613/483/original/b670f1940195fce3.jpeg

2026-03-26 20:45:39 UTC

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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.
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/297/410/471/181/985/original/f76af25bd8215495.jpeg

2026-03-26 20:32:02 UTC

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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.
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/297/358/901/930/599/original/e3b9afa2b01e8527.jpeg

2026-03-26 20:17:54 UTC

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.
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/297/301/962/750/883/original/93aa64fcf7504045.mp4

2026-03-25 16:45:33 UTC

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Additionally, they really seemed mystified that I'd use a cane. Lots of cultural difference in who identifies as disabled, I guess.
Could I tell carob if the cut didn't also include some heartwood? Maybe not. But I think I can tell the difference between carob wood and oak.
One of the interesting features of the venue (Universitat Politècnica de València) is that there's a wood library in displays right outside the meeting room! These are rare to find nowadays.
And carob wood is in there:
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/290/814/298/598/496/original/4788743c5bc8e6b2.jpeg

2026-03-25 16:39:51 UTC

Got several questions on my cane today (actually a "walking stick", taller and higher quality than many medical canes).
Because I'm at a carob workshop, folks thought I'd brought a carob cane. What I found interesting was that they weren't able to immediately tell it was not carob. It shows that people can work with one product of a species and not know what other products look like.
https://www.brazos-walking-sticks.com/collections/oak-walking-sticks/products/twisted-oak-hitchhiker-walking-stick?variant=42487290364113

2026-03-24 19:15:19 UTC

Whatever social nervousness I have about attending this conference/workshop, I have to say I'm enjoying the subject matter a lot and how the organizers brought in more than just academics.
https://efi.int/efimed-network-forum-2026/programme
#Climate #Forest #Europe #Mediterranean #Botany #AcademicChatter

2026-03-23 21:17:19 UTC

Mangosteens and passion fruits at Mercat Central in València this afternoon.
Many booths had already packed up for the day, their fruits sold. #Spain #FruitToot
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/280/551/906/951/383/original/7c4bd135561f4cbb.jpeg

2026-03-19 10:39:14 UTC

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Thank you for refusing to take those AI training jobs. I see them everywhere and worry that many desperate students and recent grads will train themselves & their colleagues out of a future while spreading more AI skew and errors.

2026-03-19 06:11:04 UTC

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Quantitative Genetics – Predictive Breeding at Universität für Bodenkultur Vienna, Austria
"You have a passion for quantitative tools in plant breeding? You like to work with big data? You like to teach and support students in handling plant breeding data?
If yes, please apply."
https://boku.ac.at/en/agri/ipzg/newsitem/90087 #PlantBreeding #PlantScience

2026-03-17 22:16:19 UTC

Move over maple: Other tree saps are just as sweet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjV23inZQPE #EconomicBotany #Agroforestry #Food

2026-03-17 19:43:57 UTC

Meet the YouTube Botanist with a Thick Chicago Accent and Foul Mouth
6 year old local news report. Lots has changed since then...Joey/Tony's in TX now, for one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BT8XHJaDm0 #Botany #Trains #Hobo #Chicago

2026-03-17 10:41:06 UTC

I know academic science likes to specify exactly which font and font size to use in grant and other applications, but is it common to specific uniformity in scientific posters to the point of specifying font sizes within the poster?
Everything looking the same is a recipe for visual boredom, which is antithetical to getting folks interested in the info you're trying to convey, IMO.
#Design #SciComm #AcademicChatter

2026-03-17 10:27:36 UTC

It's good to remember there is no algorithm here and part of what that means is that boosting becomes that much more important.
I sometimes boost toots of things well outside my field, especially when they're about conferences, grad school opportunities, and events because I want those who are trying to get the word out to feel that the Fediverse is at least as good a place to do that as the billionaire-owned walled gardens are.
I would like more of them to establish here.

2026-03-13 14:34:39 UTC

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- Carob (US history of it, wider history of it, as street trees, what I think are opportunities and challenges).
- Accessibility/ableism in academia, particularly in STEM/Hort/Ag. What the situation is, tools for changing it.
- Similarly, accessibility in cycling. I have extensive experience as a disabled cyclist of uprights, recumbents, and folders, as well as an activist for accessible cycle infrastructure.
https://www.alieward.com/ologies/carobology

2026-03-13 14:31:05 UTC

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I’m trying to make a slow trip from Spain to #Spezi2026 in Freiburg as affordable, accessible, and joy-inspiring as I can given the circumstances.
I’m in my 60s and taking risks I was too cautious to take in my 20s, including asking Mastodonians if they know of or can offer ways I can make this month-long sojourn more affordable (and hopefully academically rewarding…got a good Pomology/Botany Department at your local university or research institution?)
Things I can present on:

2026-03-13 14:29:46 UTC

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As a disabled woman who lost most of her stuff exiting the US to look for a funded PhD in Europe, I am actually broker than I seem. I'm SO GRATEFUL for the help of Mastodonians so far in helping me in this journey and survival.
I got late notice of a Mediterranean Forest conference/ Carob workshop right up my alley. The fares to go were already high, but I felt I had to take the risk. Other things have happened since to keep the costs high. So I'm looking for some way to make this work.

2026-03-13 14:27:06 UTC

:boost_requested: 🧵
In the spirit of "you can't get what you don't ask for" and "trying to be more positive about online community just like the old days", I have an immodest proposal for kind Mastodonians in Spain, France, Germany, and other European countries I might pass through.
I start in València and need to move on starting March 30, eventually arriving in Freiburg im Breisgau on April 23, then back to Albania. I'm somewhat flexible about where I go in between using my Eurail pass.
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/222/308/271/512/726/original/7b94c9f1acae9086.jpg

2026-03-13 13:05:29 UTC

I'm looking forward to taking part in the EFI Mediterranean Network Forum 2026 in Valencia, a space to connect, learn, and exchange knowledge and action across the Mediterranean region. I'm especially looking forward to the #Carob Workshop, which will get scientists, carob growers, carob processors & more together.
(I needed to "amend" my conference bio photo here...)
More about the event and you can register here:
https://efi.int/efimed-network-forum-2026
#EFIMNF26 #MediterraneanResilience #Forest
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/221/988/987/454/609/original/2daff8a716377e7a.png

2026-03-06 16:22:47 UTC

Believe it or not, there are some things the US has done well and that the current regime hasn't totally destroyed yet.
One of those things is agricultural extension and the Master Gardener program is part of that. Here's a detail for those in Alameda County, California. (Check to see what your local US county might offer.)
https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardener-program-alameda-county/alameda-county-demonstration-gardens
https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardener-program-alameda-county/master-gardener-help-desk
#USpol #California #Horticulture #Gardening
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/183/135/297/990/183/original/16395dd95949b791.png

2026-03-04 15:53:33 UTC

I wish there were more plant scientists here because I'd really love to see some brackets: "Best journal", "Best professional society", "Most money-grubbing professional society", "Professional society with most members on the Epstein List"... #Botany #PlantScience #Science #Ethics #AcademicChatter

2026-03-04 11:09:49 UTC

LA’s Green Arrow Co-Lab heals people by teaching one plant at a time
In this paid fellowship, people impacted by incarceration learn self care and gardening skills.
https://lapublicpress.org/2026/03/la-garden-incarceration-justice/ #LosAngeles #Gardening

2026-03-04 06:28:47 UTC

Want more ‘Buy Canadian’ food? These companies are trying to help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwPppkdD_p0 #Canada #Agriculture

2026-03-03 19:56:37 UTC

Strangely enough, I still haven't had to have a scientific poster printed - I never got funding for it in my Masters (and the pandemic got in the way of my attending places I might have submitted to). The couple posters I've done so far have been hand-made interdisciplinary approaches more like artworks...
Can folks in Valencia, #Spain tell me of ways I might be able to bring a digital file with me and have a scientific poster printed at a local printer? Are there printers you'd recommend?

2026-02-28 16:10:47 UTC

The Mendelianum was a little disappointing - in most of the exhibits, it was like walking through a basic bio textbook.
It also engaged in a LOT of botanical erasure. The entrance talked about molecular biologists - Mendel made his most famous discovery by classic plant breeding, noting phenotypes, and using math. The English audio tour called him "primarily a physicist" but also "mostly known as a meteorologist". Anything but a botanist or natural scientist, I guess... #Botany #Brno #History
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/149/108/012/894/567/original/be220031327a8996.jpeg

2026-02-26 15:34:51 UTC

Apple cultivars I saw for sale at Kaufland in Brno, Czechia:
Granny Smith
Golden Delicious
Jonagold
Red Delicious
Red Prince
Braeburn
Cripps Pink ("Pink Lady")
Gala
"Cosmic Crisp"
Eva (I think...I might be misremembering this one).
Didn't see any Czech cultivars per se. #FruitToot #Agrobiodiversity #Czechia

2026-02-24 17:13:32 UTC

"Here Gregor Johann Mendel lectured on his discovery in 1865"
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=226439 #ScienceHistory #PlantBreeding #Botany #Brno #Czechia
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/126/683/174/169/225/original/ed2f915c8ac2c4f3.jpeg

2026-02-12 17:47:39 UTC

"City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado led the ceremony and said the trees will be replaced two to one. "Anytime DTLA has had a downturn, it comes back stronger," she said.
Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services General Manager Ana Tabuena-Ruddy called it an instance of eco-terrorism. "We are planting Oak trees, Desert Willows, Catalina Cherry, and in locations we couldn't plant natives, we are identifying drought-tolerant trees to plant," Tabuena-Ruddy said." #UrbanForest
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/losangeles/news/downtown-los-angeles-tree-vandal-sentenced-2-years-prison/

2026-02-11 10:49:35 UTC

"TREES (Training, Research & Equity in Environmental Sciences) is a dynamic new programme for doctoral training designed to equip the next generation of environmental scientists to tackle today's critical global challenges.
Register for Funded PhD Opportunities in Environmental Sciences"
https://www.trees-dla.ac.uk/
#GradSchool #UK #Ecology #Botany #PlantScience

2026-02-10 09:30:36 UTC

"This seasonal position offers varied, rewarding work, from monitoring and mapping noxious weed populations using GPS technology to applying herbicides, manually removing weeds, and responding to public reports. You’ll collaborate with partner agencies on eradication efforts and may assist with pest detection by placing and inspecting insect traps and checking nursery shipments."
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/edcgov/jobs/5202021-0/agricultural-biology-technician-extra-help #Agriculture #Jobs

2026-02-08 07:29:54 UTC

"In this special series, Edge Effects seeks to diversify, complicate, and proliferate Botanical Imaginations. How do communities around the world relate with plants? How do plants shape our understandings of nature and ourselves? How might the principles of ecological justice apply to plant relationalities?
We invite methodologies and perspectives at the edge between humanities and social & natural sciences, as well as between cultures, ages, and time"
https://edgeeffects.net/botanical-imaginations-call/ #PlantHumanities

2026-02-07 23:02:32 UTC

"...we invited scholars from across academic disciplines to share something plant-y they are excited to read/view and teach this academic semester. Their varied recommendations speak to the diversity of human-plant relations, taking us from the roadside hedge to the garden, from the plate to the lab, and from accounts of speculative fiction to physical, historic furniture."
https://edgeeffects.net/faculty-recommendations-plants/ #PlantHumanities #History #Botany

2026-02-05 19:53:50 UTC

This is a longshot, but I'm between my Masters and being accepted to any PhD programs. There's a conference that's right up my alley and I'd like to attend, but money is an issue. (EDIT: not just like to attend...could possibly network into a PhD while at the conference if I can afford to get there & attend)
Does anyone know of grants or awards that would help a non-traditional disabled woman in science get travel funds?
#AcademicChatter #Science

2026-02-04 18:37:02 UTC

I'd like to see the scientists who are here (especially plant scientists/botanists, of course, but...) try to increase the amount of helpful things we're sharing.
I post the PhD openings because I'm looking at them anyway. I relay postings here so that others may see them. Yes, it takes extra time out of my day, but I know that I've benefited from and appreciated the things scientists & academics shared with me before.
I am still learning the hidden curriculum & I'm sure others are too.

2026-02-03 14:19:56 UTC

A carob farmer kindly let me know about this European Forest Institute event "Carob Days".
They have a student rate, but as I'm not currently enrolled I have to pay the full whack if I want to attend...
https://efi.int/efimed-network-forum-2026/carob-days #Horticulture #Agriculture #Carob #PlantScience #Science #Spain

2026-01-30 15:36:21 UTC

Any folks familiar with the German PhD system able to explain what "A gross salary up to 65% E13 TV-L." means in practical terms for an immigrant PhD student in Gatersleben?
What would that be net, and is it enough to live there without struggling? (They seem open to recruiting disabled scientists, so I also wonder whether an immigrant's access needs will be covered or whether that will be an additional cost to figure into how far the pay might go...)
#AcademicChatter #Germany

2026-01-30 15:23:58 UTC

PhD Funded Position in the field of Plant Biotechnology in Germany
The aim of this project will be the characterization and mobilization of unique genetic diversity from Hordeum bulbosum, a perennial relative of Barley.
https://www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/en/careers/jobs/detail/job/show/Job/phd-student-fmd-in-the-field-of-plant-biotechnology #PlantBreeding #GeneBanks #GradSchool #Germany

2026-01-30 15:17:21 UTC

Fully Funded PhD Scholarship in Danish Insect Biodiversity, DNA Barcoding at the University of Copenhagen
https://employment.ku.dk/phd/?show=155978 #Entomology #Denmark #GradSchool

2026-01-28 09:49:01 UTC

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https://quarto.com/books/9780760391884/concrete-botany
https://www.indiebookstores.ca/book/9780760391884/

2026-01-28 09:46:07 UTC

Joey Santore's announcing that pre-orders are available for his book Concrete Botany and that there's an audiobook version available as well.
I think the audiobook *may* outsell the print version because what first brought Joey to fame was his exaggerated Chicago accent and his swearing...
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/M5JlX5NGxRk #Botany

2026-01-27 08:02:02 UTC

Update on the Annenberg Wildlife Crossing bridge
"Beth Pratt, NWF regional executive director, discusses progress in the Wildlife Crossing bridge project."
They had to redesign the project because the effect of the tariffs made the cost of the approved designs left to construct soar out of range. Even with the redesign, it cost $21M more than it would have before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyjZQt57Kac #LosAngeles #Ecology #Infrastructure #USpol

2026-01-27 07:49:41 UTC

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The seedlessness of 'Washington Navel' means that it *must* be propagated by clonal methods (grafting, and others), but that doesn't mean that the seeded citrus already in the US could not also be grafted to or propagated by grafting. Of course it could. #FruitToot #Horticulture

2026-01-27 07:48:00 UTC

The Rise and Fall of California’s Citrus Empire/ Hiking a Historic Orchard
I always wanted to visit this historic park but at the time I went, they were closed.
The vlogger got something wrong off the bat. He talks about 'Washington Navel' as if it were the first orange that could be grafted. The USDA would not have bothered importing budwood if previous oranges in the US could not have been grafted to.
The big deal about 'Washington Navel' was that it was seedless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7dI4WjrHcs

2026-01-26 18:03:09 UTC

Kew's top 10 new species of 2025
Kew's scientists and international partners share their favourite species named as new to science in another big year for nature
I'm late on reposting those kinds of year-end lists...
https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/top-10-species-2025 #Botany #Biology #PlantScience

2026-01-25 19:56:59 UTC

Given that web search engines aren't showing me much that isn't crud, can someone link me to their favorite web resource for formatting & content hints for doing a European style academic CV?
Do we still have to provide photos on them (bleagh)? #AskFedi #AcademicChatter

2026-01-23 17:11:59 UTC

Does anyone know of a book like "Getting into Graduate School in the Sciences
A Step-by-Step Guide for Students" that is more geared towards the EU grad school situation? The book here is apparently geared almost entirely to how it's done in the US and sadly that is less my bag these days...
#AcademicChatter #Science #Biology #Botany
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/getting-into-graduate-school-in-the-sciences/F93AAA9441C31462F6B789A970F5C852

2026-01-20 10:03:55 UTC

Guerilla gardening goes official when needed.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2bJvQnn_v00 #UrbanForest #Ecology #Texas

2026-01-20 08:11:39 UTC

Possible horizontal gene transfer: Virectaria stellata (Sabiceeae-Rubiaceae), a new sandstone cliff species from the Republic of Guinea with stellate hairs recorded for the first time in the Rubiaceae.
https://kew.iro.bl.uk/concern/articles/b9eb6574-7f63-41da-8b4f-ae844d86dc78 #Botany #Science #PlantScience #Africa #Guinea

2026-01-18 10:11:56 UTC

As I lament once more that 'Granny Smith' pushed 'Newtown Pippin' out of markets, I wondered what the reason for that was (because it certainly could not be taste & texture quality). I took a mini-break from world events stress to search for any analysis of this from the decades I saw it happening. No help.
While I could find a few papers documenting that there was lower production of 'Newtown Pippin', nothing mentioned *why* there was lower production. #Agriculture #Horticulture

2026-01-16 21:14:19 UTC

The Largest Poison Ivy in Suburban Cleveland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4czY3umhMrs #Botany

2026-01-15 16:40:39 UTC

I've seen a rise in Albanian businesses using AI trained on stolen creative works for generating their signs, ads, YouTube, infographics...
As I looked at an Uncanny Valley-dwelling graphic of an anthropomorphized potato wearing a chef's hat, another shitty thing about AI use hit me:
The majority of what AI stole from did not including Albanian creative works. So not only is it this shitty slop created from grand theft autocorrect, but it helps erase any Albanian-ness from these businesses.

2026-01-15 13:08:14 UTC

Can anyone who has experience with US grad school and Finnish grad school give me your take on the major differences between them? Does Finnish PhD funding actually stretch well to covering the Finnish cost of living? #AcademicChatter

2026-01-09 08:16:59 UTC

Tijuana River Trash Boom proving its worth after recent rain storms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt7SpLGuHAo #Pollution #Prevention

2026-01-04 13:12:43 UTC

Has anyone bought an audiobook from University of Wisconsin Press? If so, do they let you download MP3 files or is it something where there's DRM and you need a special app to hear it?
https://uwpress.wisc.edu/Books/D/Discovering-Albanian-I-Audio-Supplement2

2025-12-28 21:33:07 UTC

Welp.
Ran into another ageist thing in academia.
https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/en/swiss-government-excellence-scholarships#Research-scholarships
#Ageism #AcademicChatter
https://ecoevo.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/799/326/785/004/734/original/86b55042b7b2b73a.png

2025-12-28 18:05:44 UTC

How a stray cat turned into pest control at The Dawes Arboretum
Looks like they keep her as an indoor cat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5ErZtktFxk #Botany #Cats

2025-12-28 12:04:01 UTC

One of the fixes we're in right now is that having trees next to your home keeps it cooler, but having trees next to your home is a fire/storm risk in a time when climate change isn't just making things hotter (thus the need for shade), but intensifying fires, storms, tree pest infestations, and droughts.
There's a HUGE need for science communication & education on landscaping choices & maintenance. And policies that get the balance right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36fmkvlnmlw #Horticulture #ClimateChange

2025-12-26 17:02:09 UTC

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Do you mean a post here on Mastodon or a blog post elsewhere?
If the latter, was it this? https://d-shoot.net/cohostfinance.html

2025-12-26 16:11:14 UTC

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Thanks so much! That would be excellent. (I don't know how much it would help, but I'm intermediate in Swedish and low intermediate [from lack of practice] in Danish.)

2025-12-26 15:55:51 UTC

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Location-wise, those are definitely programs I have an interest in. I was poking around their sites earlier this month. I'd love to end up working at Nordgen, I think.
The trick is finding a plant science place that isn't only interested in molecular and genetics...one that still has some interest in old school pomology, botany, and horticulture. Or at least has an interest in someone like that on their team.

2025-12-26 15:28:32 UTC

Is there such a miracle as funding for a "roll your own" PhD in EU, UK, Canada, NZ?
I'm finding that most funded PhDs in plant science are slanted towards computation (either bioinformatics or remote sensing or AI) and that's not my forte nor my interest. I'd really like to be able to construct a research topic of my own given I'm not finding what I'm hoping for in advertised PhDs.
I'll never know if I don't ask, right?
#AcademicChatter #Science #PlantScience #Botany #Pomology

2025-12-18 12:09:21 UTC

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Honestly, it would be great to just have replies anyway since I'm sure this is going to have many variables, but one is which field one is in.
Biology, post-baccalaureate community college.
Not a whole course. I have never been req'd to take a single whole ethics course. But I did have a prof who introduced ethical questions for discussion while teaching the genetics chapter of Gen Bio.

2025-12-18 12:08:20 UTC

If you're in STEM, at what level did you first get taught ethics (in general, and as specifically relevant in your field)?
Mastodon only allows 4 poll choices so please write in the comments if these choices don't cover you.
#Ethics #Science #AcademicChatter #STEM

2025-12-16 11:36:34 UTC

Re last boost:
Honestly, I think it's well past time that academics get rebellious and build ethical institutions from the ground up.
People are already giving free labor - better to give it to building a better world than giving it to Elsevier, IMO. #AcademicChatter #Science #FuckAI

2025-12-16 11:11:00 UTC

RE: https://ecoevo.social/@ml/115723236071615979
Thanks to everyone who boosted this so there could be more participation. The results point at one possible reason why I haven't been getting much participation when I try to get folks contributing to efforts to disseminate grad school info from their schools.
The replies to this were interesting, too! #AcademicChatter #GradSchool
#note1zss…w736

2025-12-15 13:33:47 UTC

While looking around for better-than-average fruit to send as gifts, I found that Cuyama Orchards near Ventura now has some mail order options.
Cuyama Orchards grows some of the best 'Cripps Pink' (marketed under the trade name Pink Lady™) apples I've ever tasted. Not every year tastes the same because it depends on weather in these climate change times, but they grow organic and if you're in CA, it's great to support CA businesses.
https://www.cuyamaorchards.com/ #FruitToot #Food #Apple