🍂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.
It has been a strange and unaccountable year. Earlier today I was looking at gentians and wolfsbane.
November 12, 2025 at 4:20 AM
It has been a strange and unaccountable year. Earlier today I was looking at gentians and wolfsbane.
Though also unlucky. My tripod was at home so I did not do a long exposure.
November 12, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Though also unlucky. My tripod was at home so I did not do a long exposure.
I did not get any good photos. I was away from home and did not have my tripod. But I did get this snapshot.
With my eyes it was twice as bright. I'm sure I could have gotten one of the bright photos with a second or two of exposure.
With my eyes it was twice as bright. I'm sure I could have gotten one of the bright photos with a second or two of exposure.
November 12, 2025 at 3:51 AM
I did not get any good photos. I was away from home and did not have my tripod. But I did get this snapshot.
With my eyes it was twice as bright. I'm sure I could have gotten one of the bright photos with a second or two of exposure.
With my eyes it was twice as bright. I'm sure I could have gotten one of the bright photos with a second or two of exposure.
Although, a note of caution. Beware some of our kindred, even some that you hairless apes have taken into your lands. They— have other good qualities, but are powerfully hostile to the joys of being eaten.
Beware the autumn crocus!
;)
Beware the autumn crocus!
;)
November 8, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Although, a note of caution. Beware some of our kindred, even some that you hairless apes have taken into your lands. They— have other good qualities, but are powerfully hostile to the joys of being eaten.
Beware the autumn crocus!
;)
Beware the autumn crocus!
;)
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.
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.
New tea mug at work. I like it.
October 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM
New tea mug at work. I like it.
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.
Alpine sandwort (Cherleria obtusiloba) blooming in July atop Cottonwood Pass. Nice little plant.
Unfortunately the Wikipedia article is what we call a stub. Very short giving almost no information.
Unfortunately the Wikipedia article is what we call a stub. Very short giving almost no information.
October 19, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Alpine sandwort (Cherleria obtusiloba) blooming in July atop Cottonwood Pass. Nice little plant.
Unfortunately the Wikipedia article is what we call a stub. Very short giving almost no information.
Unfortunately the Wikipedia article is what we call a stub. Very short giving almost no information.
Yes, but two cones is a very different version of color vision. It means reds blend into the background giving no evolutionary advantage to red fruits for most mammals.
Here is an example picture from the Wikipedia article on color blindness which is similar to dichromacy.
Here is an example picture from the Wikipedia article on color blindness which is similar to dichromacy.
October 14, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Yes, but two cones is a very different version of color vision. It means reds blend into the background giving no evolutionary advantage to red fruits for most mammals.
Here is an example picture from the Wikipedia article on color blindness which is similar to dichromacy.
Here is an example picture from the Wikipedia article on color blindness which is similar to dichromacy.
I like the seeds of Rocky Mountain ponderosa pines. Funny enough right now Plants of the World Online regards this as a separate species as Pinus scopulorum. I grew up with this as one species from the Rockies to the Pacific.
October 14, 2025 at 2:17 AM
I like the seeds of Rocky Mountain ponderosa pines. Funny enough right now Plants of the World Online regards this as a separate species as Pinus scopulorum. I grew up with this as one species from the Rockies to the Pacific.
Also, I feel like everyone is sleeping on the hatnote. What an intriguing name for a scientific paper.
October 12, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Also, I feel like everyone is sleeping on the hatnote. What an intriguing name for a scientific paper.
Sooooo......
I went to one of those farmer's market thingies. I bought too expensive apples because I like trying apple varieties.
I rather like Firecracker, but is it normal for them to taste quite different on opposite sides? Not in a bad way, just in a "this could be a different apple" way.
I went to one of those farmer's market thingies. I bought too expensive apples because I like trying apple varieties.
I rather like Firecracker, but is it normal for them to taste quite different on opposite sides? Not in a bad way, just in a "this could be a different apple" way.
October 7, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Sooooo......
I went to one of those farmer's market thingies. I bought too expensive apples because I like trying apple varieties.
I rather like Firecracker, but is it normal for them to taste quite different on opposite sides? Not in a bad way, just in a "this could be a different apple" way.
I went to one of those farmer's market thingies. I bought too expensive apples because I like trying apple varieties.
I rather like Firecracker, but is it normal for them to taste quite different on opposite sides? Not in a bad way, just in a "this could be a different apple" way.
In the book of Mtbotany, thou shall not suffer an ailanthus tree to live outside its natural range.
October 7, 2025 at 7:44 PM
In the book of Mtbotany, thou shall not suffer an ailanthus tree to live outside its natural range.
I think you might need a random wildflower from a plant fiend.
"Do you mean friend, because..."
Shush. I said what I said.
This is a little pink elephant flower by a stream. Behold the silliness!
"Do you mean friend, because..."
Shush. I said what I said.
This is a little pink elephant flower by a stream. Behold the silliness!
October 6, 2025 at 4:09 AM
I think you might need a random wildflower from a plant fiend.
"Do you mean friend, because..."
Shush. I said what I said.
This is a little pink elephant flower by a stream. Behold the silliness!
"Do you mean friend, because..."
Shush. I said what I said.
This is a little pink elephant flower by a stream. Behold the silliness!
And now they are food. More of a tomato salad with pasta rather than a sauce.
October 5, 2025 at 12:56 AM
And now they are food. More of a tomato salad with pasta rather than a sauce.
A neighbor gave me garden tomatos.
October 5, 2025 at 12:51 AM
A neighbor gave me garden tomatos.
When I say, "Let's hang out," this is totally what I mean.
October 3, 2025 at 9:25 PM
When I say, "Let's hang out," this is totally what I mean.
Photograph I just added to the Wikipedia article on western red columbine (Aquilegia elegantula).
Thanks to @alanrockefeller.bsky.social for sharing nice photos
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquileg...
Thanks to @alanrockefeller.bsky.social for sharing nice photos
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquileg...
October 3, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Photograph I just added to the Wikipedia article on western red columbine (Aquilegia elegantula).
Thanks to @alanrockefeller.bsky.social for sharing nice photos
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquileg...
Thanks to @alanrockefeller.bsky.social for sharing nice photos
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquileg...
It sucks that this is what we are living with.
Wildflower chaser?
Wildflower chaser?
September 30, 2025 at 12:07 AM
It sucks that this is what we are living with.
Wildflower chaser?
Wildflower chaser?
The opening story about Cliff swallows evolving to be better at avoiding vehicles is so striking it makes me want the unthinkable: to edit a fact into a non-plant article on Wikipedia.
😱
😱
September 28, 2025 at 3:49 PM
The opening story about Cliff swallows evolving to be better at avoiding vehicles is so striking it makes me want the unthinkable: to edit a fact into a non-plant article on Wikipedia.
😱
😱
A pair of books about tigers preying on humans.
One where it seems a tiger was angry and possibly was punishing humanity and another where a tiger was treating humans as food without any particular hatred.
Both are great reads, particularly for authors.
One where it seems a tiger was angry and possibly was punishing humanity and another where a tiger was treating humans as food without any particular hatred.
Both are great reads, particularly for authors.
September 24, 2025 at 9:44 PM
A pair of books about tigers preying on humans.
One where it seems a tiger was angry and possibly was punishing humanity and another where a tiger was treating humans as food without any particular hatred.
Both are great reads, particularly for authors.
One where it seems a tiger was angry and possibly was punishing humanity and another where a tiger was treating humans as food without any particular hatred.
Both are great reads, particularly for authors.
Just learned about Adoxa moschatellina. It was an evolutionary loner, by itself in a family, until 2018 when a second species was described
Closest relatives are the honeysuckles.
Closest relatives are the honeysuckles.
September 21, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Just learned about Adoxa moschatellina. It was an evolutionary loner, by itself in a family, until 2018 when a second species was described
Closest relatives are the honeysuckles.
Closest relatives are the honeysuckles.
And now with an iNaturalist photograph. Thanks to Athena Philips.
September 21, 2025 at 1:31 AM
And now with an iNaturalist photograph. Thanks to Athena Philips.