Desirée L. Narango
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dlnarango.bsky.social
Desirée L. Narango
@dlnarango.bsky.social
Conservation Scientist @VTecostudies studying ecology of plants, insects, and birds. Crazy Cat(erpillar) Lady #urbanecology #forestecology #speciesinteractions #conservation #globalchange
what I'm up to --> http://www.desireelnarango.com
Check out this amazing fall migration track from our female Gray Catbirds we studied this summer! This lady picked up on that big night of Sept 29th and made a nice 40 miles per hour flight from western massachusetts down to Philadelphia! We're excited to see where she is picked up next!
October 15, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Honestly it’s writing more grants 🤷‍♀️
TFW you submit a big grant and now have to remember what used to fill your days at work.
September 23, 2025 at 7:09 PM
We’re up on the Mt this week for Bicknell’s Thrush but the spruce-fir is buzzing with migratory birds! Surprisingly the top is very dense with migrants (mostly young) despite the low food and cold conditions. Here’s a few of our bycatch friends. (All birds captured under USGS BBL and state permits)
September 12, 2025 at 12:59 PM
I love how the default description for white male ecologists is ‘quantitative’ while for everyone else it’s ’so good with people!’
September 11, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Resting up this #caturday with some needed naps
September 6, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Amazing what a week of full bellies and warm snuggles will do
#catlove
August 27, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Not ever day that longhorn cuckoo bees (Triepeolus sp.) out number the bumblebees during surveys! Three species yesterday on one plot. All on blue vervain (verbena hastata) which appears to be heavily favored by this genus
August 27, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Reposted by Desirée L. Narango
Worked from home this week to play catch up on papers but the cat distribution system had other ideas. Needless to say I haven’t gotten anything done because snuggles took priority.
August 23, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Now that you’re super stoked about #moths from #mothweek, check out a paper I published this year that I’m very proud of.

Spoiler alert: the tree composition in a forest fragment predicts the abundance of specialist and generalist moths. More #keystoneplants = more moth diversity

#plantanoak
July 28, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Fascinating!
Why do treehoppers look so weird?! Our latest paper, out this week in @pnas.org, suggests a perhaps unexpected reason - static electricity ⚡ We show that treehoppers can detect the electrostatic cues of predators and that their crazy shapes may boost their electrosensitivity! doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Electroreception in treehoppers: How extreme morphologies can increase electrical sensitivity | PNAS
The link between form and function of an organism’s morphology is usually apparent or intuitive. However, some clades of organisms show remarkable ...
doi.org
July 25, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Grumbling that lots of concept & opinion papers on urban sustainability/biodiversity get published all the time without real data.

We submitted a data-driven paper on plants, inverts, birds, and soil and get rejected because none of the invited reviewers agreed to review it.

Frustrating.
July 24, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Fall migration has started! Techs caught a bay-breasted warbler this morning. The start of the molt migrants that don’t breed on Mt. Mansfield, but spend 2-3 weeks molting fresh plumage for the rest of their journey.
#mansfieldsongbirds
July 23, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Here’s 1 year of blue vervain (verbena hastata) growth from plugs planted in our experimental #nativeplant gardens last year. Lots of activity!

#vceecotypeproject
#pollinators
#buglove
#gardensforwildlife
July 18, 2025 at 1:52 PM
If you’re having the kind of day I am, you might need this.
The baby playground has been disassembled since our last big storm, but it's up again and the new goats are trying to figure it out.
July 17, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Reposted by Desirée L. Narango
Tis the season for fun field work, awesome data collection, learning and mentorship, beautiful days on the mountain, and baaaaaabies
#vcemansfieldsongbirds
#ornithology
#pollinators
#vermont
July 15, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Reposted by Desirée L. Narango
Hi, I'm a climate journalist for the Boston Globe.

If you're a federal employee working in New England for EPA or the Forest Service (or you were, until last week..) I'd love to hear from you.

My colleagues and I at @bostonglobe.com are dedicated to protecting our sources.

Signal: erinmdouglas.23
February 19, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Reposted by Desirée L. Narango
Freedom from kings.
Freedom from fascism.
Power to the people forever. ♥️

Happy Independence Day 🇺🇸
July 4, 2025 at 9:20 PM
You can’t understand bird declines without also understanding insect declines.

Grateful our work on insect-bird interactions was highlighted by Smithsonian Mag. If you love birds, think about whether your actions are helping the insects they need to survive.

www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
Scientists Are Tracking Worrying Declines in Insects—and the Birds That Feast on Them. Here's What's Being Done to Save Them Both
In Vermont, researchers have investigated the types of creepy, crawly bugs that their avian predators consume and may have found the answers to keeping them both alive
www.smithsonianmag.com
July 1, 2025 at 11:29 PM
The pollinators we’re seeing in the garden plots are good and all, but dang was I excited to see this gorgeous creature 💚💚💚

Black swallowtail caterpillar on Zizia aurea
June 25, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Fun day of Saturday field work! Helped my mentee Kevin band and find gray catbird nests. Getting around the habitat is no joke, but the weather was gorgeous!

#femalebirds #ornithology #vceinthefield
June 21, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Heck ya white river junction @dunkindonutscoffee.bsky.social . Love the native plant landscaping! Way to go supporting biodiversity! Take my money! 🌱🐛🐦
June 20, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Reposted by Desirée L. Narango
A right-winger -- a registered Republican, a Trump voter, an evangelical anti-abortion activist -- assassinates a Democratic official.

Republicans respond by blaming the left.

Democrats respond by blaming ... no one.
The words “Republican,” “right wing,” or “Christian nationalist” aren’t uttered. The “political extremists” aren’t defined.

If you can’t name the enemy I don’t see how you can fight it, or beat it.
bsky.app/profile/hake...
The culture of violence that has been created by political extremists in this country must end.
June 15, 2025 at 8:39 PM
I’ve never had a photo selected for a journal cover before 💜

So glad my first was a caterpillar! 🐛

many thanks to @earlynerdgetbird.bsky.social for her beautiful photography!
The June issue cover of "Ecosphere" is here! With a shot from @dlnarango.bsky.social & Straley's study of the value of native vs near-native vs non-native plants for insect wildlife

Browse the issue: esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/21508925...
June 4, 2025 at 8:31 PM