Sunguramy

I am happy to announce our latest paper! "Surprising cryptic cavefish diversity in a long-studied karst cave ecosystem of northern Alabama"

I absolutely love our name for it too, an entire new genus, not just species: Demogorgonichthys arcanus

https://rdcu.be/fsgWT

Why did it take so long to find, in a highly monitored cave? Well just take a look at the mud with water channels and low ceilings, and we cannot typically even get into the water because of other protected and highly endangered species. So visual surveying is difficult, and limited. The paper is an excellent read even for not-biologists, and the images are *amazing*. So proud of our lab!

#cave #caves #biology #fish #nature #speleology #science #animals

Almost exactly a year ago, I was worried about losing her as medical stuff cropped up. And now she is having medical issues again. Appointment next week. Hopefully new meds will fix it. I took a photo of her by these same flowers last year before her vet appointment too! Ahhh cycles of life, eh? This time I'm not worried about losing her, just, general old dog problems.

I wish I could find a light purple harness I liked for her the same color as these flowers...she'd look so good in it!

#dog #dogs #dogsOfMastodon #flowers #bloomscrolling #cute

No luck this year finding any spotted skunks, but I did spot this! Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa, Common Coral Slime. Also, our vernal pool is back. So. Many. Salamanders!

#slime #fungi #nature #macro #bloomscrolling

Text Warning: melancholy (and I cannot figure out how to cw text but not the adorable photo!)
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Sometimes I wonder how much longer we will have together...
...some weird medical issues are cropping up and I'm worried it involves her spine. She tries to act like she is two, and she is over a decade beyond that now, but her *body* knows even if her brain doesn't! And lets hope I can afford whatever it is going on...because funding keeps being cut for science for *some reason*. And I have a feeling MRI's for dogs are not cheap.

#dog #dogs #dogsOfMastodon #forest #nature #bloomscrolling

Because I know we all need good news: the new National Forest logging plans that increased logging without any safety rails were just overturned/rejected by federal court ruling. It effectively voids the Nantahala and Pisgah Forest Plan that in particular we were really worried about and is a huge step towards a plan that truly protects these precious places.

Now let’s see if we can stop them from drilling in the Gulf! (Yeah, if you haven’t heard, screw marine protections, there is a war and we need oil so Gulf drilling is back open.)

#forest #goodNews #environment #nature #protect #caretakers #wePersist

Some tiny red Chanterelles for you to enjoy :) Often too small for many to bother with, they do taste great!

And for #juneteenth let me drop some knowledge on you. Are you ever annoyed by lack of ability to forage due to laws, or someone yelling at you to leave no trace?

Well guess what, those laws and concepts - that we cannot forage anything and must always attempt to have no impact (*tries to not digress at what a weird idea it is that we can possibly exist and never affect anything ever*) including not foraging for food is racist! Yup! Most these laws and rules all have their roots in preventing Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples from obtaining food.

If you are interested in learning about foraging, I highly recommend looking to folk like The Black Forager (sorry, they're only on corporate socials) and others who have knowledge of how to be a part of the earth without over taking.

A general rule of thumb I was taught is "never more than you/family that relies on you need for this meal, and never more than half of what is there". This ensures others can have some, that there is some left, and that what is taken will be used timely and not hoarded.

#forage #nature #NaturePhotography #mushroom #mushtodon #fungi

Some cool rock with cuprite.

#geology #rock #science #mineralogy

Happy #Baturday (hashtag inspired by @mycrowgirl@flipping.rocks )

A tricolor bat rests in a cave. Don't worry, we didn't disturb it and it is not hibernation season.

...we often call tricolours "flying chicken nuggies" because of their color and size as they are utterly adorable.

#bat #bats #biology #nature #ecology #caves

Small cave last week, but still easy to maneuver in. For certain values of easy when that ceiling got a lot lower!

#cave #caves #caving #speleology #SIlentSunday #explore #nature #photography

Our field crew last week unanimously voted for meeting a bear in the woods over a man. Confirming our choice we saw this beautiful bear this is a cell phone photo I got (no zoom, close!), just wandered out and back in. Later, a dude who showed up, yelled, reported us (not believing we had permission to be there and claimed besties with property manager - also a lie lol) confirmed we chose Bear correctly.

#bear #man #BearVsMan #fieldWork #biology

The bluebells were not as showy this year; while it may be because we are a little early, honestly I saw a lot that were clearly frost killed. The cold snap a week ago got probably 25% or so 😔 Still, we enjoyed our hike!

#dog #dogs #DogsOfMastodon #bloomscrolling

A beautiful Scarlet King Snake the team found the other night.

Please know that Coral Snakes are very venomous and look quite similar. And note, the cute saying is not foolproof, there are Coral snake color morphs that fail the “red touch black, friendly jack, red touch yellow kill a fellow” saying. Handled by trained biologists briefly, who can accurately identify snakes beyond cute sayings, and then promptly put back to where it was found.

#snake #snek #red #yellow #black #nature #herp #herps #herptology

Looking for life in the dark places. It always exists.

By the way, if you need a new way to get around blackout words, instead of "biodiversity" try "species richness". Not exactly the same thing but close enough...and talking about getting rich seems to excite these people. :blobupsidedown:

#cave #caves #caving #biology #speleology #science #geology #photography

Ya'all look like you could use a smile.

#dog #DogsOfMastodon #puppy #snow #winter #nature

Milkweeds are starting to bloom.
And someone had the audacity to call this “milkweed” and not “marshmallow flowers”. How do we get a common name redo??

#milkweed #plant #garden #bloomscrolling

All the SPACE FEELS. Humans are farther from Earth than ever before. Integrity (*) about 10 minutes ago broke Apollo 13’s record. The crew includes a Canadian, a Black man, and a woman. Their wish upon breaking the record is that future astronauts & scientists are inspired and that their record does not last for long.

*“The Artemis II crew members named their Orion spacecraft Integrity during a news conference Sept. 24. The name Integrity embodies the foundation of trust, respect, candor, and humility across the crew and the many engineers, technicians, scientists, planners, and dreamers required for mission success. The name is also a nod to the extensive integrated effort – from the more than 300,000 spacecraft components to the thousands of people across the world – that must come together to venture to the Moon and back”

Images are screenshot from the livestream.

#artemis #artemis2 #artemisII #space #science

I didn't have the best of views as we were not VIP-enough for a causeway pass, nor do I have the best of lenses (300mm...heavily cropped here). But, I am so excited that some came out well! I wanted to experience it so I just set up my tripod and stood next to it, mindlessly clicking away while I watched with my own eyes. This was my first launch ever and I am so glad I got to see it, and you can bet I want to go to every SLS launch here on out!

Some cool things of note that you probably don't know or notice unless you go in person:
1. You don't hear it. Yes, you read that right! You don't hear it for quite a while! See, you are *miles* away, so your eyes see it far before you can hear it! It was way up in the air before any rumbles hit. Remember the whole "every 3 seconds between seeing lightning & hearing the thunder means it is 1 km away" shorthand? So where we were, it was about 30 seconds before sound started to reach.

2. I don't hear bass, so these rumbles were below my ears, but it *feels* powerful even when far from it. The kind that shakes you. And the vibrations in the air change from leaving the pad to being airborne, to when the SRBs taper off, to when they jettison and it moves to RS25's. It all feels different. I'm sure it sounds different too!

3. If you hear audio for these launches, maybe like me you thought the higher pitched popping/crackling noise was audio overload to the mic. LOL NO. It's legit. That I heard. It's called what happens when sound meets air 😂 (to be plain about it).

*2 if you have been to the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, in the Davidson Center they have a mock-up of a Saturn V launch with audio and vibration to mimic what it feels like. If you have been there, you have felt close-ish, but it is still different actually being there and feeling it in the air vs vibe floor and big speakers.

#nasa #artemis #ArtemisII #Artemis2 #photography #space

If you DMd me I was in field all week so you should have a reply now (or as soon as it federates however the computer majiks work!). Got home to a lovely treat!
#bloomscrolling #moth #Saturniidae

A large formation chamber earlier this year.

By the way, if you'd like to oppose a huge datacenter being built right next to the Nashville Zoo, where it will adversely affect all the animals who call it home and draw power in ways that will be harmful to the inhabitants as well, maybe go sign this petition, and contact the city council? You don't have to be a Tennessee resident to sign! Please get involved especially if you are local enough where this affects you (eg; traveling from other areas for the zoo, etc.) https://www.change.org/p/nashville-zoo-says-no-to-proposed-data-center

More info from the zoo: https://www.nashvillezoo.org/our-blog/posts/say-no-to-the-proposed-data-center

#datacenter #ai #tech #biology #ecology #cave #caves #caving #environment #photography

Some beauties from today.
#TheWorldIsStillBeautiful

Spring is in full force and I am adoring all the widlflowers. Yes the sunlight was extremely green-yellow on the forest floor today. I decided I didn't want to do any "color correction" because, well, this is correct. I suggest peeking at the alt text for info.

#flowers #bloomscrolling #forest #nature #photography

Documenting life underground...no not the human, although he is practically a troglodyte as well 😜

#cave #caves #caving #waterfall #speleo #speleology #stream #creek #water #photography #explore #nature

#FungiFriday

I am so exhausted by not having outdoor gear made for femme body types. I just spent my afternoon shopping (which i hate) in stores (around people, ew, there is a reason I cave!) only to find absolutely nothing that fit. I cant even get my calves into waders as they are cave lass beefy, same as any runner, biker, etc. who has some muscle legs. I needed like a mens 9 before they would fit on my legs, but that meant I had a couple of inches of extra shoe space in front of my toes. I make all my own caving gear because nothing fits a shorter human who needs lateral space. But I don’t have rubber and sealing techniques for waders so Im just out of ideas.

(Eta: because it seems like it may go “viral” with boosts: the fact proper gear doesn’t exist is also racism & fat-phobia driven, not just misogyny! There are more reasons which is why when gear does exist, its for tall skinny chicks only…)

Happy Mother's Day to this bat, because a few that we documented last week were pregnant, so we are just gonna pretend this was one of them.

*all bats handled with permit by trained biologists

#bat #bats #Mother #MothersDay

A day late but happy international bat day!

A small early cluster of Gray Bats in a recent cave. Gray Bats are endangered as they have very specific needs and roost together in the tens of thousands or more. This means they are reliant on just a couple of very specific caves, and also susceptible to disease because of the tight clustering in large numbers. Luckily, they have been generally resistant to the fungus that causes White Nose Syndrome.

(Photographed with permission, using low light, during a period when they are not hibernating or nursing young)

#bat #bats #nature #cave #caves #caving #biology #BatAppreciationDay #Baturday

Looking for cave fish and crayfish. Just a usual day in the field. This cave was small, and this was about the largest it got.

#caves #cave #caving #nature #speleology #karst #geology #science

@futurebird@sauropods.win a few beads and stitching and you can put ants on your pants! saw this and thought of you, i don't know where it came from to credit.

As a special treat, have a cave ant beetle :)

#invertebrate #beetle #cave #caves #entomology #speleology #biology

Ya’all. I cried.

Humans exploring…a Black man and a woman are heading towards the Moon for the first time ever.

If you think this isn’t important, fucking block me now. (Ill post better photos later)

#artemis #nasa #space

I now have frogs on my mind so enjoy this Cope's Gray Treefrog from the other day, enjoying it's wee perch. Working through some photos from the field from last week!

#frog #herp #herps #herptology #nature

So Smol!
This is a globular springtail, cave adapted, in Pygmarrhopalites but don't ask for species because I have no clue! But it *is* a lot of fun to say! I'll try to spell it out for you..."pig-mawf-fah-light-ees" uhm that's about the best I got, Give it a whirl! No accuracy promises implied :P

#springtail #springtails #Soil #ecology #invertebrates #Collembola

In Caring for Snails

For all that is wrong in the world, know that beauty still exists. People working every day to make it better. People who care. For all the environment destruction, there are people like us who care about even things like snails in the water, that many would not even notice. But everything is connected. To care about a snail is to care about the water quality. Is to care about climate change to make sure that creek doesn't run dry. It is caring about pollution not entering that watershed.

Little things are tied to the big things. Remember that. Even if the thread you can pull on or repair is small, it is entwined with the rest, and the world is better for your efforts.

Did you have success with a small help lately? Share it in the comments :)

#nature #water #TheWorldIsStillBeautiful #care

Sooo…who wants stickers?
Photo from NASA, taken by Artemis II crew. Tiny sliver is Earth. I added the text.
3”
How to get one:
1. If you contribute $15 or more to someone’s MA I will send you one for free (us shipping only)
2. $2 each. $3 international.
Not looking to make any money just spread good vibes.

(Please DM me, very limited number as its a test run)

#moon #artemis #copymoonjoy #stickers

Splashdown success! 7:07::27 (central)
Stable 1: they are upright
Green 4: all crew members are good
:)
#artemis2 #artemisII

Encryption FYI because many don’t realise this: just because you use encryption doesn’t mean that the software environment it’s running in doesn’t have loopholes. For example, if you have notifications with preview turned on, your operating system handles that. So incoming messages may be seen and stored. Do you have some AI allowed to learn from aps? Well it may be reading what you think is secret. Screencaptures? Yup it will see it.

So. Check your settings. Don’t assume.

PSA brought to you by this article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/larsdaniel/2026/04/10/fbi-pulled-deleted-signal-messages-from-an-iphone-without-breaking-encryption/
“When a Signal message arrives on an iPhone with content previews enabled, the operating system handles that notification. The operating system displays it. And the operating system, not Signal, decides what to do with the contents of that notification afterward. Signal's promises about disappearing messages, encryption, and deletion apply to the data Signal controls. They do not, and cannot, apply to the data the operating system has already taken a copy of for its own purposes.”

Would you like to see some adorable babies? Check out these cuties, just-hatched Hesperochernes mirabilis, a pseudoscorpion found in caves, riding momma around :blobaww: :blobbigheart:

#invertebrate #baby #spring #mom #mother #nature #macro #macroPhotography #cave #caves #biology #ecology

RE: @sunguramy@flipping.rocks

Quote boosting an older post of mine about NASA as I see people who believe lies already posting today as we gear up to launch Artemis II. Things are just as true now - well the budget is even less - but NASA continues on working towards better futures for all. Technology that NASA develops goes for others to use. Images NASA takes others can use and enjoy. A lot of what NASA does is geared towards climate research and weather so of course on this level they would love for people to hate NASA so they can further defund.

But really, it is like a giant community science project, which is also why “they” would love to turn public opinion against it. Don’t take the bait. Don’t let hate win.

Yes it is a little sad we are not aiming for Mars directly - the SLS was built for Mars (2016 T thought he could get a quick win if he changed it to moon, but Moon and Mars are quite different - and no you cant get to Mars from the Moon anyone with orbital mechanics 101 knows that is a fools game). But, the ability to once again break free of LEO is amazing and I hope all is successful today and I am very excited! Honestly if you are gonna hate on the care and love of humanity, Imma just gonna block you today. ✌🏼

Does anyone have suggestions for a (lake) water level monitoring system? Ideally it would be nice to have one that can do readings and record it (data downloadable by bluetooth or something?) manual stick-in-lake method is somewhat feasible, but I would be interested in more consistency. Problem is, no grants for this, so needs to be quite affordable.
@Andbaker@aus.social maybe you would have ideas?

#water #groundwater #science #data #lake #pond #hydrology #river #climate

RE: @sunguramy@flipping.rocks

Quote boosting this post because HR3930 - Roadless Area Conservation Act - is still stuck in committee. See the quoted toot for a bunch of information and facts and how-to-write! If we can get this one thing passed, we can save in one act millions of acres that is being threatened currently.

Please contact your senators *especially* if they are on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee which is where it is stuck currently. Those committee members are:
Mike Lee, Utah, Chair
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
Tom Cotton, Arkansas
Ruben Gallego, Arizona
John Hickenlooper, Colorado
Alex Padilla, California
Mazie Hirono, Hawaii
Jim Risch, Idaho
Bill Cassidy, Louisiana
Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi
Steve Daines, Montana
Angus King, Maine
Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada
John Hoeven, North Dakota
Martin Heinrich, New Mexico
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Dave McCormick, Pennsylvania
Jim Justice, West Virginia
Maria Cantwell, Washington
John Barrasso, Wyoming

#nature #US #forest #conservation #science #environment #action #park #hike #camp #hiking #camping #explore #roadTrip

I am in need of someone with a cricut and yellow and purple heat press vinyl who can cut something for me and send it. I have SVG files ready (if thats not right I can prolly make whatever file you need, i was told cricuts need SVG). US only please. Obviously will pay, or will trade photography print for it! DM me!!

Getting a small test run on some new stickers...stay tuned...
#CopyMoonJoy

Longshot, but does anyone have a EF, F, or MF 14k nib from a Sailor Slim, Slim Mini, or 1911s they don't need? Ideally rhodium plated but open if price (or trade for photography?) is right... Because I'm not sure I'm ever getting mine back to how it needs to be, and surely someone has broken a pen and thus has a spare nib, right? I just want to get my favorite pen working again :( I don't have $150+ to do it with (and if I did, there are some $140 options for colors I can't stand I can steal the nib out of...I'm looking for sub-$100 here...trades even better!)

PLEASE BOOST!

#fountainPen #fountainPens #sailor