Ben R Lee, PhD
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benrlee.com
Ben R Lee, PhD
@benrlee.com
3.5K followers 1.3K following 250 posts
Assistant Prof of Forest Ecology in southern Appalachia. Interested in climate change effects on forest plants, especially phenology, ecophys, and species interactions. He/him

Views my own

🧪🌎🌱📜🌐

More at https://peacchlab.com
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benrlee.com
Super excited to have three students present posters at the SOCON Undergraduate Research Forum this past weekend at Wofford College. One of them (Sidney Booher) even won second place in the poster competition! Incredibly proud of them all!

#Research #Ecology #Botany
A man in a blue shirt and khaki pants stands in front of a blue and yellow poster titled "Effects of phenological mismatch on reproductive success in northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin)" A woman in a floral dress stands in front of a green poster with pictures of trees on it. The poster is titled "Elevational and environmental variation in tree seed production" A woman in a floral dress and holding a tree core mounted to a square dowel stands in front of a blue and yellow poster titled "Effects of pest-induced hemlock mortality on growth in neighboring trees". Not shown: the second place award she received in the poster competition! Four people in business casual garb stand in front of a blue and yellow banner with a large letter E on it and the abbreviations "SOCON" and "ETSU".
October 27, 2025 at 7:40 PM
benrlee.com
Pumpkin carving day today in lab meeting 🎃🎃

#Fall #Halloween #SpookySeason
Several people work on carving faces and artwork into the sides of pumpkins in a dark room A row of 8 jack-o-lanterns sits on top of a long table. The room is dark, but illuminated by candles from inside the hollowed out pumpkins. Designs include ghouls, leaves, flowers, faces, and acorns Two jack-o-lanterns, a trillium and an acorn, sit next to each other on a table, illuminated by interior candles
October 21, 2025 at 3:57 PM
benrlee.com
Saturday site visit today at Abram's Falls with @ryanbstephens.bsky.social, beautiful fall weather, and the onset of fall colors in southern Appalachia 🍁🍂
Water cascades down a shallow creek over large slate rocks. Yellow and orange leaves mix with some still green in front of a pale blue sky Two men leaning on hiking sticks are deep in conversation standing at the base of a large waterfall. Leaves in the foreground are starting to transition from green to the yellows and oranges of fall. Deeply variegated leaves of wild ginger with pale green patterns overlying a dark mint green stick out against the browns of the forest floor Pale purple aster flowers pop next to leaves in the midst of fall colors change
October 11, 2025 at 8:56 PM
benrlee.com
🚨 Please repost widely!🚨

I am recruiting a PhD student to join my lab next fall to work on forest and climate change ecology projects in southern Appalachia! Come join me in one of the most beautiful, biodiverse, and understudied parts of North America. Details below and happy to answer questions
An ad for a PhD position to start fall 2026 working with me at ETSU. For more info, please email at LeeBR1@etsu.edu. A close-up picture of dimpled trout lilies active in early spring, still largely surrounded by the previous year's senesced tree leaves. A beautiful vista of the Blue Ridge Mountains from on top of Carver's Gap on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee.
October 3, 2025 at 4:45 PM
benrlee.com
Fall vibes from Bays Mountain Park

#Fall #phenology #wildflowers
A close up picture of a bright red cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) with a green and brown blurry forest floor in the background Trees whose leaves are starting to turn yellow and orange are reflected in a still pond in front of a baby blue sky Two turtles sit on a log floating over the water. The turtle in the back is fully stretched out in fall sunlight Red maple leaves are suspended crimson over a marshy wetland looking out over the Kingsport Reservoir. A bright blue sky hangs above a tree-lined lake in the background
September 28, 2025 at 8:54 PM
benrlee.com
What's the large compound German word for the joyous satisfaction of starting work on a new study?

#invasives #ecology #restoration
A woman kneels down in the middle of a forest among a large population of invasive stilt grass. A large log and dappled sunlight lies on the the forest floor Two pvc quadrats lay next to each other on the forest floor, largely obscured by a near monoculture of invasive stilt grass. A large log and many standing trees can be seen in the background A small section of bare ground in the center of a quadrat lies exposed after being cleared of invasive stiltgrass
September 14, 2025 at 8:40 PM
benrlee.com
Love seeing trees emerge from low-hanging clouds
Spruce trees emerge from the clouds and fog Spruce trees line the puddle-lined path into the clouds and fog A line of spruce lies barely-visible in the clouds on Roan bald Spruce line a trail thay appears to lead to the edge of a cliff and clouds
August 3, 2025 at 6:06 PM
benrlee.com
And a very cloudy #WildflowerHour as well along the #AT!
Bright pink flowers hang suspended in front of a thick cloud bank in the background Bright yellow flowers hang in the foreground above a carpet of green leaves and grey stones Flowers with a gradient of red, orange, and yellow petals hang in front of greenery with clouds and fog in the background White ghost pipes (a parasitic plant) burst forth from the dark brown forest floor
August 3, 2025 at 6:06 PM
benrlee.com
Sunday Fun(gi)day up on top of Roan Mountain this morning. #mushrooms #hiking #appalachia #AT
A light brown and white mushroom bursts up from a dark brown, moss-covered forest floor A small mushroom the color of a ripe cherry tomato and covered with yellow-white flecks bursts with color against a dark brown forest floor covered with old spruce needles A chestnut brown mushroom as seen from above imposed over a dark brown forest floor covered with spruce needles and twigs Filamentous white coral fungi reach up to the sky from beneath the root of a spruce tree. Moss and dark brown soil can be seen in the background
August 3, 2025 at 6:06 PM
benrlee.com
Missing conferences for field work, but at least there's fresh chicken-of-the-woods at our sites!

#mushrooms #foraging
Bright orange and yellow, umbrella-shaped fungus (chicken of the woods) grows out the side of a black cherry tree. Bright orange and yellow, umbrella-shaped chicken of the woods fungus grows out the side of a log on the forest floor surrounded by bright green ferns and forbs
July 29, 2025 at 10:49 PM
benrlee.com
And because #IAmABotanist (at least partially), my wife was gracious enough to encourage me to bring my press to the wedding as well!
A blue hydrangea, clipped about 8 inches below the flowers, lies on top of some newspaper before it is pressed flat for preservation in a plant press
July 25, 2025 at 1:11 PM
benrlee.com
Bummed to be missing #Botany2025 this week, but it's for a good reason! I spent last weekend solidifying and celebrating my longest, most important, and most meaningful collaboration with my favorite person in the world in a place we both love 🤵‍♂👰‍♀
A man in a black tuxedo kisses a woman in a white wedding dress on a lawn under trees. Groomsmen and an officiant clap in the background A bride, a groom, and ten grromsmen/bridesmaids pose for a group photo holding bouquets under a wooden lattice A man and woman smile at the camera in front of a beige wall Two hands are interlaced showing off some new wedding rings. The background is a lawn shaded by trees in front of a beautiful blue sky and the Azure waters of lake Michigan
July 25, 2025 at 12:59 PM
benrlee.com
Dune climb botanizing at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore #USNPS #Botany #Flowers #FindYourPark
Dune grass and other plants grow along the sides of a candy trail that leads out past the dunes to Lake Michigan. The sky above is bright blue with wispy clouds Bright red and yellow fruit hang down below bright green leaves amongst a background of various plants Bright white flowers bloom in front of a background of sand dunes and other plant life Pale pink milkweed flowers blossom amongst broad green leaves
July 15, 2025 at 7:48 PM
benrlee.com
The Queen in blue
Mount Rainier, as seen from a plane, rises in the midst of the cascade mountain range. Rainier is white and snow capped but surrounded by shades of blue on land and in the bluebird blue sky
July 13, 2025 at 5:39 PM
benrlee.com
Always love coming back home to Washington
A morning view of the Spokane River with willows and other trees lining a broad river. Large stones compose the banks and the sun is shining in a bright blue sky Pink flowers of a narrow-leaved milkweed open in front of long, crescent shaped leaves Bright blue-purple flowers open in the foreground with blurry leaves and stones behind An unopened, white flower is surrounded by floral buds and river stones
July 12, 2025 at 3:48 PM
benrlee.com
High school #STEM day at ETSU. Teaching kids to core trees!
A man in a blue shirt stands in front of about a dozen other people. His hands are on a metal tube sticking horizontally out of a tree.
June 11, 2025 at 12:24 PM
benrlee.com
Find friends who will take time out of their busy #AT through-hike schedule to grab some grub at the local trail hostel

#WhereverYouGo #GoBlue
Three people stand close together, taking a selfie in front of an otherwise empty beer garden
June 5, 2025 at 1:45 AM
benrlee.com
New lab who dis?

#NewPI #Appalachia
A group of six people stand with arms around each other's shoulders and smiling. Behind them are layers of blue mountains fading into Robin's egg blue sky.
June 4, 2025 at 12:28 AM
benrlee.com
Found a 145cm DBH Quercus rubra out in the woods today. Absolute unit

#Nature #Trees 🌿🌎
Three people stand at the base of a massive oak tree in the middle of a forest. The oak is wider than all three of them combined. A massive oak towers above the camera, which is pointed directly up the side of the tree's trunk. Snarled branches cleave off the tree near the top and silvery streams of bark flow down the sides. The leaves in the canopy are the bright green of early summer
May 29, 2025 at 11:54 PM
benrlee.com
Happy 6th birthday to the goodest boy Hendrix! A very well-deserved birthday cheeseburger 🍔
A black and white dog looks up toward his food dish which contains a cheeseburger and sweet potato fries A frankly way-too-good-looking black and white dog appears to pose for a glamor shot while let by the sun during golden hour. His left ear is extended A black and white dog is hugged and kissed by a woman in a grey sweatshirt while the two sit together on the couch A black and white dog looks straight into the camera while upside-down on the couch with ears flopped open
May 24, 2025 at 9:36 PM
benrlee.com
Was doing some stand mapping today and one of my undergrads saved me from stepping on this absolute beauty of a timber rattle snake (which for some reason didn't rattle). Very cool nature but no closer please
A timber rattlesnake lays coiled under some green blueberry bushes, camoflaging in with the brown leaf litter below it on the forest floor.
May 22, 2025 at 9:05 PM
benrlee.com
Nearly burning out on new class design is worth it some times 🥹

#NewPI
Text that reads: Hey Ben! I just wanted to reach out to you about our Field Eco class. This has been by FAR one of my most favorite classes I have ever taken, I could just about take it again. I appreciate you providing us with hands on experience and efficiently lecturing us, I feel like I have been able to take home a ton of new information. I don’t think there was ever a field day that was not enjoyable! Most professors cannot provide education like that, and again thank you! You’re genuinely an amazing professor, I’d love to have you again for another class!
May 4, 2025 at 2:43 PM
benrlee.com
My last speaking engagement for the year! If you're near Akron tomorrow, come drop in!
A picture of a poster that reads: "2025 integrated bioscience seminar Climate change effects on biotic interactions in temperate forests With Dr. Ben Lee Assistant Professor, East Tennessee State University 2:45-3:45 Friday, May 2 UA [University of Akron] Field Station"
May 1, 2025 at 11:33 PM
benrlee.com
Happy #CityNatureChallenge2025 @inaturalist.bsky.social! Come join me in logging as many different observations as you can by Tuesday!

#Wildflowers #iNat #phenology #Tennessee #Appalachia 🌿🌎
Two red flowers are positioned on top of broad green leaves and in front of a blue sky partially obscured by trees A flower with three white petals and a purple center is held up by a man's fingers Small bright blue flowers with yellow centers are visible against a background of green vegetation Bright pink flower petals emerge from a short stalk held above a bed of moss and leaves
April 26, 2025 at 9:28 PM
benrlee.com
A masterclass of a presentation today by Natalia Umaña at the ETSU biology seminar! So many ideas I want to apply now toward understanding how Appalachian forests are responding to damage from Helene!
A woman stands in front of a screen on which is projected a graph labeled "Species responses to drought in 2015 and Hurricane Maria". She points to the screen using a long stick.
April 24, 2025 at 1:36 AM