Paula Whyman
@paulawhyman.bsky.social
Author, BAD NATURALIST: One Woman's Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop, Jan 2025 from Timber Press/Hachette. Website: https://paulawhyman.com Newsletter: https://badnaturalistnewsletter.beehiiv.com/
Just fixed up my late uncle's old banjo uke. Now I just have to figure out how to play it.
November 8, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Just fixed up my late uncle's old banjo uke. Now I just have to figure out how to play it.
Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree NP
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November 6, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree NP
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Happy Halloween, quoth the raven
November 1, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Happy Halloween, quoth the raven
A poodle face for you.
October 24, 2025 at 12:07 AM
A poodle face for you.
For the accused in the case of the missing eye shades, the evidence could not be more damning.
October 6, 2025 at 2:55 PM
For the accused in the case of the missing eye shades, the evidence could not be more damning.
Not exactly the eensy weensy spider. (I think it's a rabid wolf spider)
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August 10, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Not exactly the eensy weensy spider. (I think it's a rabid wolf spider)
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"One weed to rule them all"
Pulling goose grass and found one that had grand ambitions
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Pulling goose grass and found one that had grand ambitions
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August 9, 2025 at 9:59 PM
"One weed to rule them all"
Pulling goose grass and found one that had grand ambitions
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Pulling goose grass and found one that had grand ambitions
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Sphinx moth on the patio
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August 7, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Sphinx moth on the patio
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This is how my dog looks when she's happy. In this photo, she's at the vet waiting for her shots, and she just had blood drawn. Have you ever seen a dog this happy to be at the vet?
August 5, 2025 at 9:24 PM
This is how my dog looks when she's happy. In this photo, she's at the vet waiting for her shots, and she just had blood drawn. Have you ever seen a dog this happy to be at the vet?
Exciting development! A little hard to see in the photo, but the black widow is preying on a spotted lanternfly. I've been watching these spiders for a few weeks, and when the SLFs got caught in their webs they were being ignored. Not this time. 🌿
August 4, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Exciting development! A little hard to see in the photo, but the black widow is preying on a spotted lanternfly. I've been watching these spiders for a few weeks, and when the SLFs got caught in their webs they were being ignored. Not this time. 🌿
"Outdoor cat"
(Bobcat walking up the driveway.)
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(Bobcat walking up the driveway.)
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July 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM
"Outdoor cat"
(Bobcat walking up the driveway.)
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(Bobcat walking up the driveway.)
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These barrels are full of seeds collected from native plants on the 2400-acre Shaw Nature Reserve in St. Louis. They collect 285 species, over 1100 lbs of seed, and sow them in the meadows as part of a massive ongoing ecological restoration.
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July 25, 2025 at 4:39 PM
These barrels are full of seeds collected from native plants on the 2400-acre Shaw Nature Reserve in St. Louis. They collect 285 species, over 1100 lbs of seed, and sow them in the meadows as part of a massive ongoing ecological restoration.
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Prairie blazing star, Shaw Nature Reserve, St Louis
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July 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Prairie blazing star, Shaw Nature Reserve, St Louis
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So much fun speaking at Missouri Botanical Gardens this week--and look at the cool art they made out of the Bad Naturalist book cover! Plus I got to see the beautiful gardens and the incredible ecological restoration work they're doing at Shaw Nature Reserve (pics coming soon). Highly recommend!
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July 23, 2025 at 8:50 PM
So much fun speaking at Missouri Botanical Gardens this week--and look at the cool art they made out of the Bad Naturalist book cover! Plus I got to see the beautiful gardens and the incredible ecological restoration work they're doing at Shaw Nature Reserve (pics coming soon). Highly recommend!
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Spotted lanternfly nymphs massing on a small witch hazel that we recently planted. I will kill them with my bare hands
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July 9, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Spotted lanternfly nymphs massing on a small witch hazel that we recently planted. I will kill them with my bare hands
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This eastern velvet ant did not want to pause for a photo. Also, this is not an ant but a parasitoid wasp. The female has no wings but apparently its *half-inch* stinger delivers a painful sting. Its nickname is "cow killer."
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July 8, 2025 at 11:52 PM
This eastern velvet ant did not want to pause for a photo. Also, this is not an ant but a parasitoid wasp. The female has no wings but apparently its *half-inch* stinger delivers a painful sting. Its nickname is "cow killer."
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Less than half of the spotted knapweed we pulled and bagged this week--45-lb bags. We made a dent but there is at least as much that we didn't get to.
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July 6, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Less than half of the spotted knapweed we pulled and bagged this week--45-lb bags. We made a dent but there is at least as much that we didn't get to.
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Spotted St John's wort--a new native plant discovered in the meadow
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July 2, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Spotted St John's wort--a new native plant discovered in the meadow
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A sulphur on my window makes me happy
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June 30, 2025 at 2:47 PM
A sulphur on my window makes me happy
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I was pulling invasive spotted knapweed and found this little native plant, Venus' looking glasses, growing defiantly amid a dense patch of the weeds. Seems like a metaphor.
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June 18, 2025 at 12:09 PM
I was pulling invasive spotted knapweed and found this little native plant, Venus' looking glasses, growing defiantly amid a dense patch of the weeds. Seems like a metaphor.
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I've named her Spot. I know, original.
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June 9, 2025 at 5:29 PM
I've named her Spot. I know, original.
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