Hunter Lindsay
LightNews LightNews
banner
cfollicularis.bsky.social
Hunter Lindsay
@cfollicularis.bsky.social
200 followers 420 following 340 posts
Research Aide at the GEP (thegep.org) | Supporting #GenomicsEducation & #UndergraduateResearch | Native plant gardener & #CarnivorousPlant collector | Botanical artist (ink & watercolor) | #STEMeducation & #BotanicalArt | He/him/his 🏳️‍🌈
Posts Replies Media Videos
cfollicularis.bsky.social
The Rudbeckias still offer a few patches of bright color despite the bitter cold. 🥶🌻

A few photos from July and one from this week.
Bright yellow Rudbeckia flower bathed in warm golden light. Rudbeckia flower with petals just beginning to unfurl. Rudbeckia flower bathed in bright, early-summer light. The direct light casts hard shadows on some of the petals. Late season Rudbeckia flower in cool, indirect light. The petals have been damaged by frost, but the bright yellow color remains.
November 13, 2025 at 2:53 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
#Aurora #Minnesota
Vivid aurora with red and green streaks in the mid-sky and an intense blue-green glow near the horizon. Stars glint in the distance. The silhouette of several trees fill in the bottom corners of the shot. Aurora viewed through the tree canopy of a nearby wooded area. A thinner section of branches allows reddish-purple light to penetrate. View of the aurora through the trees; the reddish hues are very pronounced in the upper two thirds of the sky. The lower third is grayish-green. The long exposure blurred the tree branches, generating an almost ethereal quality.
November 13, 2025 at 5:08 AM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
I’ve had this ant plant since 2019. It produces icy blue flowers periodically.

#Myrmecophytes live in close association with ant colonies, providing shelter (and sometimes food) in exchange for defense. See the enlarged stem (caudex) with channels running through it in the last picture. #AntPlants
Small, light blue, six-pointed flower. The petals are fleshy and angular. A top view of the flower more clearly shows its reproductive structures. Enlarged stem (caudex) covered with spiky projections. Notice the numerous small holes on its surface; these are entrances to the network of channels running throughout the caudex. They form with or without ants. 🐜
November 12, 2025 at 1:41 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
#Alsobia dianthiflora grows well in similar conditions to African violets. It does not, however, flower as easily as African violets for me, so this is a real treat! 🌸

Its common name is Lace Flower, which requires no further explanation here.

#Flower #Gardening #Houseplants
White, infundibular flower with lacy-margined petals. The flower’s throat is speckled pink. The petals sparkle subtly. Side profile of the flower with its opening to the right. Its conical form is clearly visible. Side profile of the flower with its opening to the left.
November 11, 2025 at 5:31 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
#Maxillaria cocosoma flowered yesterday, and it appears there is another bud on the way! Like M. tenuifolia, this species’ flowers smell strongly of coconut. 🥥

#Orchid #Flower #Gardening
Yellow orchid flower with red speckles and splotches on its labellum (lip) and column. The lateral petals are held close to the column. Second view of the flower with a brown bud visible behind it. The flowers are borne close to the plant on short spikes.
November 10, 2025 at 1:40 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
A spray of goldenrod flowers. A yellow Partridge Pea flower. The plant’s compound leaves and reddish stem are easily visible, as are the extrafloral nectaries near the bases of the leaves. Metallic green sweat bee visiting a cluster of White Snakeroot flowers. A purple Anise Hyssop flower spike with several yellow Rudbeckias in the background.
November 10, 2025 at 2:54 AM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
A bumble bee collects nectar from a cluster of purple Wild Bergamot flowers. Several small, daisy-like flowers with numerous, exceedingly narrow petals. Likely Erigeron annuus. A stand of bright yellow Rudbeckia flowers, each facing into the sun. Two bees visiting a flower spike belonging to Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum).
November 10, 2025 at 2:54 AM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
With the growing season coming to an end, here are a few pictures from the garden this year! 🌱🌸🌼🍂🍁🪾

#Gardening #Garden #Flowers
Yellow cactus flower of Opuntia cf. macrorhiza growing amongst some sedges, Partridge Pea, and several other herbaceous species. Cluster of dull pink milkweed flowers (Asclepias syriaca). Bright red Scarlet Beebalm flowers. The flowers of Monarda didyma are so vibrant, they almost seem to vibrate. Monarch caterpillar munching pink Swamp Milkweed flowers.
November 10, 2025 at 2:54 AM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
This was the first COLD cold day and the woodland strawberries (Fragaria vesca) are still trying their best. They taste better (my opinion) in the fall when the daytime temps are a little cooler. We had about a month of very sweet fruit this year!

#Gardening #Garden #Minnesota
Strawberry flower, untouched by frost. The surrounding leaves are beginning to fade as colder nighttime temperatures and early morning frosts become more frequent. Bright red, ripe strawberry nestled amongst leaves and stems. Its skin is subtly wrinkled and the fruit looks slightly squishy after a frosty night. Unripened strawberry. The achenes have blushed pink, but the fruit’s flesh is still white. Backlit strawberry flowers. The petals are slightly curled.
November 9, 2025 at 9:10 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
#Caturday
A gray tabby yawns, her jaw unhinged such that her chin merges with her chest. Her breath reeks of “loaf in sauce.”
October 25, 2025 at 2:19 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
Happy #Caturday! 😸
A gray tabby looks at the viewer—her picture is being taken on a phone. The cameraman’s awkward grip on the phone can be seen reflected in the cat’s eyes.
October 11, 2025 at 2:25 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
Bees adore Anise Hyssop. However, I should warn you, it spreads! (The seedlings are not difficult to pull if you get them early in the season). This has been a staple in my garden for several years. It is very easy to grow from seed and pollinators love it!
October 9, 2025 at 5:41 AM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
#Gardening
October 7, 2025 at 12:42 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
Did you know that Gray Treefrogs can withstand partial freezing? That probably won’t be an issue for at least a few more weeks, but fall is approaching quickly in the Upper Midwest! Say hello to this little green garden visitor. 🍁 🍂
October 6, 2025 at 1:12 AM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
I don’t see as many Monarch Butterflies as I once did, so this is a real treat!
October 4, 2025 at 7:54 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
Happy #Caturday! Look at all those little teeth. 🦷🙀
A gray tabby yawns, revealing her sharp teeth. The details of the cat’s tongue and palate are clearly visible. Only the back of the throat is obscured by shadow. A gray tabby yawning, viewed from a slight angle. Light glistens off of the moist inner mouth surfaces and lips—and also illuminates the papillae on the cat’s tongue.
October 4, 2025 at 3:35 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
#MyGarden
October 2, 2025 at 1:23 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
Wishing everyone a wonderful #Caturday!
A gray tabby looks down at the camera approvingly.
September 20, 2025 at 2:30 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
Happy #Caturday!
🐾
🐾
September 13, 2025 at 2:45 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
#Smilax sp. 🌱
Clusters of green male flowers (Smilax spp. are dioecious; male and female flowers are borne on separate plants). Leaves, flowers, and tendrils.
September 12, 2025 at 4:02 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
I know of only two patches of Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) within walking distance—one being right behind my house. They are one of the first plants to pop up each spring, their distinctive leaves like umbrellas. I finally got photos of the flowers this year!

#Mayapple #PodophyllumPeltatum
Mayapple flower pictured from below the plant’s umbrella-like leaves. The flower is predominantly white with yellow anthers surrounding a yellow-green columnar ovary. Close up of the flower—the individual veins are visible on some of the seven white petals. A second flower. The greenish ovary in the center is clearly visible.
September 10, 2025 at 11:20 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
Potter Wasp Nest
4 September 2025

Potter Wasp Nest (study in graphite)
3 September 2025

Yesterday was the first time I’ve seen potter wasp nests in my garden.

#InkDrawing #PenAndInk #NaturalHistoryArt #PotterWasp #MasonWasp #Eumeninae #Vespid #Art
Pen and ink drawing of three potter wasp nests clustered on a thin twig. Each nest has a flared neck (like a vase) which has been sealed by the parent wasp, as well as a second hole in the side through which its young adult offspring emerged. Graphite study of three potter wasp nests clustered on a thin twig. The textures of the nest and the twig are conveyed with a variety of different stroke types and patterns to test their effectiveness in preparation for the final work in ink.
September 5, 2025 at 9:01 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
Happy #Caturday! 🐈‍⬛
August 30, 2025 at 3:04 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
The outdoor potted plants receive fertilizer every other Wednesday during the summer. 🌱

#Gardening #WateringPlants #PlantWatering #FertilizingPlants #ASMR #PlantASMR
August 27, 2025 at 12:40 PM
cfollicularis.bsky.social
August 19, 2025 at 7:40 PM