🍂MtBotany
@mtbotany.bsky.social
Botanizer. I'm not mad, just irresponsible. Also not a person made of plants or a killer robot pretending to be human, honest.
Wikipedia editor that writes about plants. Posting about plants 92.8% of the time. But I comment about other things.
Wikipedia editor that writes about plants. Posting about plants 92.8% of the time. But I comment about other things.
Pinned
If you have a request for a plant (that is not a moss or algae) article, reply here or on my Wikipedia talk page. I will make an attempt on any plant species, genus, or family.
#Wikipedia #NativePlants #Botany
#Wikipedia #NativePlants #Botany
Well, I went and fixed most of the problems I found with the article on western bistort. And was interested to learn that the species will grow at sea level on the Pacific Coast. Though apparently not reproducing by seed.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bistort...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bistort...
November 13, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Well, I went and fixed most of the problems I found with the article on western bistort. And was interested to learn that the species will grow at sea level on the Pacific Coast. Though apparently not reproducing by seed.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bistort...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bistort...
Well... I fulfilled a life list thing tonight. I saw the northern lights with my own eyes. It looked like everything to the north was on fire. Quite the show. Very much worth pausing Nature on PBS to go outside for some real life nature.
November 12, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Well... I fulfilled a life list thing tonight. I saw the northern lights with my own eyes. It looked like everything to the north was on fire. Quite the show. Very much worth pausing Nature on PBS to go outside for some real life nature.
The list of the largest genera of flowering plants relates an interesting idea that on the whole a genus tends to be smaller if described earlier.
Not proven science, but intriguing.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Not proven science, but intriguing.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
List of the largest genera of flowering plants - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 11, 2025 at 2:35 AM
The list of the largest genera of flowering plants relates an interesting idea that on the whole a genus tends to be smaller if described earlier.
Not proven science, but intriguing.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Not proven science, but intriguing.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Reposted by 🍂MtBotany
*laughs*
Now I'm getting bilingual autocorrect mistakes. Who knew learning a second language would cause such problems?
Now I'm getting bilingual autocorrect mistakes. Who knew learning a second language would cause such problems?
November 10, 2025 at 10:26 PM
*laughs*
Now I'm getting bilingual autocorrect mistakes. Who knew learning a second language would cause such problems?
Now I'm getting bilingual autocorrect mistakes. Who knew learning a second language would cause such problems?
Want to help Wikipedia but don't feel like you can get deep into research? Add alt text to images. It takes minimal coding and you just need to be able to do a simple description of the image.
See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility/Alternative text for images - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 7, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Want to help Wikipedia but don't feel like you can get deep into research? Add alt text to images. It takes minimal coding and you just need to be able to do a simple description of the image.
See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
Since Halloween month is over I'm back to a flower icon. Working on Rocky Mountain wildflowers again, as per usual today.
I am finally happy again with sidebells penstemon. I created the article 2.5 years ago and my writing has improved.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstem...
I am finally happy again with sidebells penstemon. I created the article 2.5 years ago and my writing has improved.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstem...
Penstemon secundiflorus - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Since Halloween month is over I'm back to a flower icon. Working on Rocky Mountain wildflowers again, as per usual today.
I am finally happy again with sidebells penstemon. I created the article 2.5 years ago and my writing has improved.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstem...
I am finally happy again with sidebells penstemon. I created the article 2.5 years ago and my writing has improved.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstem...
Okay, so vulture bees are a bit of a @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social subject. Bees that forage in corpses.
But as of this AM they illustrate the Wikipedia gaps. One of them is still a red link because we don't have enough insect editors.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture...
But as of this AM they illustrate the Wikipedia gaps. One of them is still a red link because we don't have enough insect editors.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture...
Vulture bee - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 5, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Okay, so vulture bees are a bit of a @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social subject. Bees that forage in corpses.
But as of this AM they illustrate the Wikipedia gaps. One of them is still a red link because we don't have enough insect editors.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture...
But as of this AM they illustrate the Wikipedia gaps. One of them is still a red link because we don't have enough insect editors.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture...
Here is a solidly good article. Some problems have crept in over the years since Peter Coxhead, one of the most important plant editor on Wikipedia, worked on it in 2012, but overall a joy to read.
Though I deplore the use of cacti as a plural rather than cactuses.
en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Though I deplore the use of cacti as a plural rather than cactuses.
en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Cactus - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 3, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Here is a solidly good article. Some problems have crept in over the years since Peter Coxhead, one of the most important plant editor on Wikipedia, worked on it in 2012, but overall a joy to read.
Though I deplore the use of cacti as a plural rather than cactuses.
en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Though I deplore the use of cacti as a plural rather than cactuses.
en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Down the rabbit hole of research. I really hope there is not some hidden landmine of wrongness in Grinnell's The Cheyenne Indians. It has a fair amount about specific plant usage, but it is old (1923) and old anthropology... yeah.
November 3, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Down the rabbit hole of research. I really hope there is not some hidden landmine of wrongness in Grinnell's The Cheyenne Indians. It has a fair amount about specific plant usage, but it is old (1923) and old anthropology... yeah.
Hey. Hey. You!
Are you worried about losing access to JSTOR or other digital libraries? Maybe you left college, but you still want to read reaserch papers.
Learn to edit Wikipedia. If you do 500 or more edits over six months you get access.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
Are you worried about losing access to JSTOR or other digital libraries? Maybe you left college, but you still want to read reaserch papers.
Learn to edit Wikipedia. If you do 500 or more edits over six months you get access.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
Wikipedia:The Wikipedia Library - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 2, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Hey. Hey. You!
Are you worried about losing access to JSTOR or other digital libraries? Maybe you left college, but you still want to read reaserch papers.
Learn to edit Wikipedia. If you do 500 or more edits over six months you get access.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
Are you worried about losing access to JSTOR or other digital libraries? Maybe you left college, but you still want to read reaserch papers.
Learn to edit Wikipedia. If you do 500 or more edits over six months you get access.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
Reposted by 🍂MtBotany
Private equity destroys 200-year-old book distribution company that libraries around the country rely on and now libraries are having trouble getting new books:
www.404media.co/libraries-sc...
www.404media.co/libraries-sc...
Libraries Scramble for Books After Giant Distributor Shuts Down
Why it might have been and may continue to be harder to get new releases from your local library.
www.404media.co
October 30, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Private equity destroys 200-year-old book distribution company that libraries around the country rely on and now libraries are having trouble getting new books:
www.404media.co/libraries-sc...
www.404media.co/libraries-sc...
It is cold and dark in November.
But it was stupidly beautiful on a closed forest service road above Gothic in July.
But it was stupidly beautiful on a closed forest service road above Gothic in July.
November 1, 2025 at 1:33 PM
It is cold and dark in November.
But it was stupidly beautiful on a closed forest service road above Gothic in July.
But it was stupidly beautiful on a closed forest service road above Gothic in July.
I cannot believe I was not aware of this species until Tuesday. A penstemon endemic to just the alpine tundra of Colorado. The genus is one of my favorites and somehow it did not already have an article.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstem...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstem...
Penstemon hallii - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
October 30, 2025 at 5:37 PM
I cannot believe I was not aware of this species until Tuesday. A penstemon endemic to just the alpine tundra of Colorado. The genus is one of my favorites and somehow it did not already have an article.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstem...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstem...
I want to talk about how good the article for the squash/pumpkin genus Cucurbita is. It was a featured article 10 years ago and continues to be one of the best articles about a group of plants. And I didn't do this.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita
Cucurbita - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I want to talk about how good the article for the squash/pumpkin genus Cucurbita is. It was a featured article 10 years ago and continues to be one of the best articles about a group of plants. And I didn't do this.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita
Back in September I happened to encounter an arborist injecting the ash trees with insecticide. It was an interesting process. Denver trying to slow down the loss of street trees.
October 28, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Back in September I happened to encounter an arborist injecting the ash trees with insecticide. It was an interesting process. Denver trying to slow down the loss of street trees.
Thanks @hankgreen.bsky.social
I have heard the Gros Michel quite a bit as a plant person and it was great to see someone reviewing how they taste.
I have heard the Gros Michel quite a bit as a plant person and it was great to see someone reviewing how they taste.
October 27, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Thanks @hankgreen.bsky.social
I have heard the Gros Michel quite a bit as a plant person and it was great to see someone reviewing how they taste.
I have heard the Gros Michel quite a bit as a plant person and it was great to see someone reviewing how they taste.
The idea of the Latin-ish two part name is great. Similar things with similar names and less confusion because everyone uses the same name.
The reality can be a giant mess. On average the earlier something was named and the more common it is, the more names have been applied. Especially in plants.
The reality can be a giant mess. On average the earlier something was named and the more common it is, the more names have been applied. Especially in plants.
October 26, 2025 at 1:45 PM
The idea of the Latin-ish two part name is great. Similar things with similar names and less confusion because everyone uses the same name.
The reality can be a giant mess. On average the earlier something was named and the more common it is, the more names have been applied. Especially in plants.
The reality can be a giant mess. On average the earlier something was named and the more common it is, the more names have been applied. Especially in plants.
Going to stand up here like Harvey Milk and say, "I'm a Wikipedia Editor and I want to recruit you!"
Not just for Wikipedia, but for you to be a happier human being or human shaped entity.
🧵 1/4
Not just for Wikipedia, but for you to be a happier human being or human shaped entity.
🧵 1/4
October 25, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Going to stand up here like Harvey Milk and say, "I'm a Wikipedia Editor and I want to recruit you!"
Not just for Wikipedia, but for you to be a happier human being or human shaped entity.
🧵 1/4
Not just for Wikipedia, but for you to be a happier human being or human shaped entity.
🧵 1/4
New tea mug at work. I like it.
October 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM
New tea mug at work. I like it.
Reposted by 🍂MtBotany
🪲🌿 REVIEW 🌿🪲
Beyond bitter: plant triterpenoids in the battle against herbivorous insects. Mathur et al. explore triterpenoids as key players in plant defence & crop protection 🪲
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪
Beyond bitter: plant triterpenoids in the battle against herbivorous insects. Mathur et al. explore triterpenoids as key players in plant defence & crop protection 🪲
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪
October 17, 2025 at 9:44 AM
🪲🌿 REVIEW 🌿🪲
Beyond bitter: plant triterpenoids in the battle against herbivorous insects. Mathur et al. explore triterpenoids as key players in plant defence & crop protection 🪲
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪
Beyond bitter: plant triterpenoids in the battle against herbivorous insects. Mathur et al. explore triterpenoids as key players in plant defence & crop protection 🪲
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪
I will say this: this book explained something saw and did not understand in the 1980s.
All the toads and lizards disappearing in the forest where I grew up. Just the few quiet dirt roads with less than one car in an hour can wipe out communities of slow moving animals.
All the toads and lizards disappearing in the forest where I grew up. Just the few quiet dirt roads with less than one car in an hour can wipe out communities of slow moving animals.
Well. This book was way less fun than I thought it would be. The opening anecdote had me thinking it would be part fun facts as well as sadness of animals. But it was about 85% misery by weight. Some good news and fixes, but just very grim. It was a good book but it made me very sad.
October 22, 2025 at 2:40 AM
I will say this: this book explained something saw and did not understand in the 1980s.
All the toads and lizards disappearing in the forest where I grew up. Just the few quiet dirt roads with less than one car in an hour can wipe out communities of slow moving animals.
All the toads and lizards disappearing in the forest where I grew up. Just the few quiet dirt roads with less than one car in an hour can wipe out communities of slow moving animals.
Well. This book was way less fun than I thought it would be. The opening anecdote had me thinking it would be part fun facts as well as sadness of animals. But it was about 85% misery by weight. Some good news and fixes, but just very grim. It was a good book but it made me very sad.
October 22, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Well. This book was way less fun than I thought it would be. The opening anecdote had me thinking it would be part fun facts as well as sadness of animals. But it was about 85% misery by weight. Some good news and fixes, but just very grim. It was a good book but it made me very sad.
Unusually, I got to start an article about a tree today.
Pinus stormiae used to be considered a variety of the Arizona pine, but got species rank in 2024.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_s...
Pinus stormiae used to be considered a variety of the Arizona pine, but got species rank in 2024.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_s...
Pinus stormiae - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
October 21, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Unusually, I got to start an article about a tree today.
Pinus stormiae used to be considered a variety of the Arizona pine, but got species rank in 2024.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_s...
Pinus stormiae used to be considered a variety of the Arizona pine, but got species rank in 2024.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_s...
At the top of every Wikipedia page there is a link to see the history. A list of every edit by every editor.
So you could see that Utah penstemon looked like this before I started working on it this year. Very short and no references.
en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
So you could see that Utah penstemon looked like this before I started working on it this year. Very short and no references.
en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Penstemon utahensis - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
October 20, 2025 at 2:09 PM
At the top of every Wikipedia page there is a link to see the history. A list of every edit by every editor.
So you could see that Utah penstemon looked like this before I started working on it this year. Very short and no references.
en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
So you could see that Utah penstemon looked like this before I started working on it this year. Very short and no references.
en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Don't step on any plant if you can help it. Yeah, plants cover the earth. Yes, grass mostly recovers, but it feels wrong to me when I see people just stepping on a plant as if that is fine.
Watch where you put your feet people!
Watch where you put your feet people!
Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?
October 20, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Don't step on any plant if you can help it. Yeah, plants cover the earth. Yes, grass mostly recovers, but it feels wrong to me when I see people just stepping on a plant as if that is fine.
Watch where you put your feet people!
Watch where you put your feet people!