Ilana
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ilanameanstree.bsky.social
Ilana
@ilanameanstree.bsky.social
PhD candidate studying mycorrhizal fungi and how they impact prairie plants and pollinators. Artist, animal shelter volunteer, guineapig lover, geek. LLAP
Are you a scientist (grad students count) sign up to be a pen pal through Letters to a PreScientist fir this upcoming school year. It's my 4th year being a penpal!
prescientist.org/volunteers/?...
For STEM Professionals - Letters to a Pre-Scientist
Pen Pal Program Overview We encourage STEM Professionals of all kinds to get involved with Letters to a Pre-Scientist! STEM professionals send and receive letters throughout a school year from ...
prescientist.org
July 23, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Ilana
Well, this is disheartening, to say the least. I was beginning to show my budding science loving daughter how to use this app out on trail walks. Then they go and do this.

Don't get FOMO on us, techbros love to push this idea on board members if their not doing it. Someone else will and better. 🧵
Over the next 6 months, iNaturalist will be participating in the Google.org Accelerator: Generative AI program to help build tools to improve the identification experience on iNaturalist. Learn more: www.inaturalist.org/blog/113184-...
June 11, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Haven't shared any of my recent paintings. I've been taking classes in sumi-e. Here is my recent Peony painting plus some of the peonies from a research project I've been helping with.
June 2, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Reposted by Ilana
This project is ~$2k over budget, bc... well, I paid artists & printed 3000 copies. "MY BAD" (not bad, good actually).

I've distributed ~10% of the zines. I want to have a broader footprint in the city!

Want to help get zines to more neighborhoods? 🫣

Donate here: givebutter.com/phillybiodiv...
May 3, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Had my yearly committee meeting today. Might have to add an extra year to my PhD or work even harder to finish in 5. Not sure yet what to do, just feeling burnt out. #PhDlife
April 6, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Called my senators today. I hate phone calls but I did it anyway. You can too! Please make a call, use a script if you need to, I did plus some at the end. Stop CR
March 13, 2025 at 9:05 PM
For a local little fundraiser. Might add some words later along the lines of "trust science not lies...and trans lives matter" or something. Might hold off for a larger canvas.
March 13, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Hey any #mycologists who study Arbuscular #mycorrhizae interested in chatting/sharing photos? I am working on some mycorrrhizal colonization counts and something always tends to appear that I am not positive identifying... Mostly self taught and would love to chat.
February 17, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reposted by Ilana
Hello, internet!

Things are bad for our trans & queer friends in the US, so I teamed up with bsky's nature artists to create this pack containing 80 wallpapers and growing.

1. Donate to one of the two orgs below
2. DM me your receipt
3. I'll give you a download link

Valid til the end of the month
February 7, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Everything is a lot. Enjoy the first flowers of the year.
February 5, 2025 at 2:01 PM
I wish I could focus on my art for a bit but I'm stuck doing my science. I love my science but I miss my art.
-tired grad student
January 24, 2025 at 3:35 AM
When I tell people I have a lot in the green house and they don't understand until they see the pictures. This is 1 of 2 rooms. In the summer I also had a third room about 3x as large... #phdlife #ecology plus each pot was individually mixed with 4 components.
January 18, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Happy #fungalfriday
Please enjoy :)
Quarter for scale.
I believe it's Phyllotopsis nidulans aka stinking orange oyster.
December 6, 2024 at 1:12 PM
I miss playing D&D and my tiny mushroom fairy druid.
December 2, 2024 at 6:48 PM

Are there any cool science podcasts with accounts on here?
(Besides @queerlynatural.bsky.social )
#podcast #science #scicom
November 27, 2024 at 2:25 PM
My newest art medium... ethanol.
Practical, temporary, functional. It's a snail. #sciart
November 22, 2024 at 6:28 PM
For the fungis, fungals, and fun-nonbinarypals my #fungalfriday contribution
November 22, 2024 at 2:41 PM
In progress. Linocut of one of my research systems. Tag line, why study one organisms when you can study 6. Chamaecrista fasiculata, Bumble bee pollinator, ant defenders, rhizobia bacteria, mycorrhizae (to be added). Flowers, extra floral nectaries, nodules and hyphae! #sciart
November 22, 2024 at 2:36 PM
What's the reason behind you pet's name?
Buttercup and Butternut - i wanted to keep calling them Butter boys and Butter brothers
Peanut butter - his name at the shelter, plus I love PB
Butterscotch - he didn't look like a jelly
#guineapigs #pets
November 21, 2024 at 5:19 PM
I wasn't ready for this, this morning but I love it, so I'm sharing it. #startrek
youtu.be/mgOZFny7F50?...
765874 - Unification (4K)
YouTube video by OTOY
youtu.be
November 20, 2024 at 1:49 PM
If you ever see me post, delete, and repost, I forgot to add image descriptions for the millionth time... I get to excited sharing nature and piglet photos
November 19, 2024 at 3:26 PM
Please enjoy some wolf's milk from a weekend walk. Plus a bonus wasp nest slime mold. #slimemold #inaturalist
November 19, 2024 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Ilana
Again literally begging people on here:

By all means, criticize how the politicization of combatting antisemitism.

But please do so without denying the very real problem of growing antisemitism, in the United States and elsewhere.

Your Jewish friends and colleagues are terrified.
November 15, 2024 at 1:56 PM
Haven't seen enough mushroom and fungi photos on here in the past couple days. Figured I would add some. I also have determined i need to get some new #fungi photos. #mushroom hike time!
November 14, 2024 at 4:28 AM
Hey #art and #sciart people. I am mostly experienced in traditional 2D and 3d art but want to get better at digital art. Any suggestions for tutorials or such? I just tend not to be happy with whatever I try to make.
November 10, 2024 at 7:41 PM