Julia Mlynarek 🇨🇦

A dragonfly resting on a purple sign with a toddler index finger pointing to it.

My kiddo points out all the #dragonflies since I started doing some more serious research on them. Here you see a late season Sympetrum vicinium 🐲🪰.

Small water strider at the edge water almost climbing on a rock

Water boatman underwater with beige sediment in the background.

Dragonfly nymph hiding in sediment, legs can barely be seen.

Water associated insects! Really lucked out to see the ones underwater and to catch the water strider while it zoomed around on water. The dragonfly nymph was especially exciting for me ! But the water boatman just floating and hanging out was very cool too. #nerdingout. #aquaticlife

Wish I was going... I would have brought an extra bag!

Thanks :) I got it this year and couldn't be happier although I have to pay more attention to potential piercing objects in the water.
I chose it because it can be tandem (kiddo loves kayaking) or solo (I can go do fieldwork) and easy to pack up.

A woman in a baseball cap and a yellow life vest at the edge of a river with a blue kayak behind her. The river is bordered by trees that are changing colours to yellow and red.

Some of my last days of field work for the year. It's nice to get out on a river to collect some water samples for eDNA work. Fingers crossed the results will be as enjoyable as the the time spent on the river.

The Canadian government is considering cutting funding to science and research in the new budget. This petition started by a friend of mine is asking them to reconsider. Please consider signing win.newmode.net/canadianasso...

I have an excel file for each project with a bunch of columns about requirements and nice-to-haves to tease the information apart. That helps me figure out which students I'll initially contact for interviews and which ones I'll contact to tell them they haven't been selected.
It's not easy...

A mother and her child by a slow river sampling the water for future eDNA analysis.

3 year old girl looking I to a sweep net on the shore of a slow flowing river.

Mother and child flipping rocks to look for insects at the edge of a slow river

Mother showing toddler how to work soft tip forceps standing in water at the edge of a slow flowing river.

It's a day off but I really needed to get out to sample a site. So I brought my F1 as an assistant; she asked so many good "why" questions. This kid has a future in research!

A mother and her child by a slow river sampling the water for future eDNA analysis.

3 year old girl looking I to a sweep net on the shore of a slow flowing river.

Mother and child flipping rocks to look for insects at the edge of a slow river

Mother showing toddler how to work soft tip forceps standing in water at the edge of a slow flowing river.

It's a day off but I really needed to get out to sample a site. So I brought my F1 as an assistant; she asked so many good "why" questions. This kid has a future in research!

A 3 year old girl in a pink t-shirt and blue baseball cap holding a dead dragonfly in her open palm hand.

An elusive clubtail (Stylurus notatus) found in great condition but dead in the fountain pool.
Still a learning experience for my little one where she could have a close look at it.
I'm Mama dragonfly to her now.
#toddlerlife #stem #entomology.

Two rusty-tipped page butterflies resting on a fruit feeding station. The one on the right with a little tag glued to the thorax.

Research at the Insectarium de Montreal. Our assistant entomologist (Thierry) & the technical team are tagging butterflies (Siproeta epaphus or rusty-tipped page) in the greehouse to see if the tags have an effect on activity & longevity of individuals.
They're easier to follow in a greenhouse! 🦋

PDF document describing the postdoc project

Document PDF décrivant le projet

Looking for a postdoc researcher to study odonates as bioindicators in restored mining sites. Comme join the team!

À la recherche d'un.e stagiaire postdoctoral.e pour étudier les libellules comme bioindicateurs des sites miniers restaurés. Vennez vous joindre à l'équipe 😀

Looking for a PhD student for a biodiversity and insect health on restored mining sites project. Some really neat questions to answer.

À la recherche d'un.e étudiant.e au doctorat pour étudier la biodiversité et santé des insectes sur des sites miniers restaurés.

I took the day off to spend a day by a lake/nature with my kiddo.
I overheard two kayakers conversing and my heart sank for humanity & biodiversity.
I overheard the following:
Kayak1: do they put chlorine in this lake?
Kayak2: no they don't.
Kayak1: so we can get sick in this water?
My reaction: 🤯

4 exuviae of damselflies on a stick with a river in the background.

Exuviae pile-up! This piece of broken reed is very popular with young damselfliesnfor their #emergence to adulthood.
#aquaticinsects #fieldday #Stem

Trois sacs en de trichoptères sous l'eau attaché à une roche.

Beaucoup d'insectes aquatiques sur de l'île de Montréal.
Les plus belles trouvailles de cette semaine: ces exuvies de la demoiselle Argia moesta et les maisons larvaires du trichoptère Neureclipsis. @espacepourlavie.bsky.social

2 Damselfly exuviae on a grey vertical rock

A cone shape looking silk bag stuck to a rock underwater

I've been doing quite a bit of aquatic insect sampling around the island of #Montreal this summer.
Here are two cool finds from this week : Argia moesta damselfly exuviae and a Neureclipsis caddisfly larval casing. @espacepourlavie.bsky.social

3 year old girl in a dolphin print blue dress looking down at a book open to a page with a big orange butterfly.

Being #toddlersplained #butterfly colours is one of the cutest things ever. I may have a budding #lepidopterist on my hands.
#stem #toddlerlife

My kiddo found a butterfly book and now she's #toddlersplaining #butterfly colours is one of the cutest things ever. I may have a budding #lepidopterist on my hands.
#stem #toddlerlife

Are there more fireflies in Montreal this year? - Weekends with Joanne Vrakas | iHeart <p>Julia Mlynarek is and entomologist at the Montreal Insectarium. She joined Sue Smith to talk all things fireflies.</p>

Are there more fireflies in Montreal this year? @espacepourlavie.bsky.social's @jjmlynarek.bsky.social- joined Sue Smith with the answer:

A little green beetle in a toddler's right palm. The index of the toddler's left hand poking the beetle. The toddler is wearing a blue and white striped dress

Teaching my kid to poke nature when it is safe to do so from a young age, even if it's an emerald ash borer.
Her curiosity is infectious:) #stem #insect #toddlerlife

Tony yellow and black caterpillar with a black head on a big green leaf.

Very hungry Caterpillar : 1st instar monarch larva on milkweed. It's tiny and you can just make out the two little bumps on the back of the head. #butterfly
You got this!

The Xerces Society - Science Illustration Intern &nbsp;&nbsp;JOB TITLE: &nbsp;Science Illustration InternLOCATION: &nbsp;Remote position. Candidates must have a personal office location suitable for work purposes, with broadband internet access, and must work from a city/state location approved by Xerces as their assigned work location.COMPENSATION: $24 per hourSTATUS & SCHEDULE: Part time, approximately 20 hours/week.DURATION: &nbsp;September – December 2025 (Flexible based upon student’s academic schedule)APPLICATION DEADLINE: &nbsp;July 14, 2025APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:&nbsp;All applications must be submitted via our application website at: xerces.org/jobsXerces provides accommodations for the job application process if needed. If you need an accommodation to complete the job application process, please email reasonable.accomodation@xerces.org with your specific request.JOIN US!The Xerces Society's science illustration internship program is generously supported by funding from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation.&nbsp;At Xerces, we harness the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of the public to implement conservation programs. We take action by helping farms and public agencies develop conservation plans for pollinators and beneficial insects, producing ground-breaking publications on insect conservation, training thousands of farmers and land managers to protect and manage habitat for beneficial insects, protecting endangered species and their habitat, and engaging the public to raise awareness about invertebrates found on farms, forests, prairies, deserts, streams, wetlands, towns and cities. Our methods focus on habitat conservation planning, education, scientific analysis, advocacy, and applied research to conserve invertebrates, such as bees, butterflies, mollusks, and fireflies.&nbsp;WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING:&nbsp;As the Scientific Illustration Intern for the Xerces Society, you will build your portfolio and gain experience in science illustration through creating visual media that advances public understanding of invertebrates and advocacy for their conservation. This is a remote position at 20 hours per week from September through December. The intern will be supervised by the communications director and work directly with many Xerces Society staff.ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: &nbsp;Produce scientific illustrations, animations, and/or data visualizations of invertebrates and the conservation issues impacting them. Projects will include developing print and digital media for the Xerces’ Bring Back the Pollinators campaign.Work with the &nbsp;communications team and conservation program staff to identify and produce visual storytelling opportunities for Xerces conservation initiatives.&nbsp;Participate in relevant staff meetings and events.Participate in occasional community science field work.Present and exhibit final illustrations through a Xerces Society venue.&nbsp;

Job! Paid scientific illustration internship.

It's devastating news.
She was such an advocate for equity and inclusion in entomology and science and such a great pollination researcher. Plus a really wonderful and easy person to talk too.
She will be sorely missed...

My kid enjoying my poster before the poster session started. The poster is in French but I'll gladly talk about the study in English 😀 #CSEE2025 #SCEE2025

Aussi, venez voir mon poster mardi après-midi pour discuter d'un potential avenir d'échantillonnage d'insectes pollinisateurs non-létale. #SCEE2025

Contente d'être au congrès #SCEE2025 avec ma fille.
Merci aux organisateurs de faciliter la participation avec des enfants par une garderie. Ce n'est pas facile d'être un parent solo et se présenter à des congrès.
Mes soirées vont être occupées mais la journée je serais contente de dire bonjour.

And come by my poster Tuesday afternoon to talk about a potential future of non-lethal sampling in pollination ecology.

Happy to make it #CSEE2025 with kid in tow.
Grateful to the organisers for providing childcare because it's not easy to balance conference-life balance as a solo mom. I won't be able to make the evening nights out but I'll gladly chat during the day. #worklifebalance #STEM

General adult Dragonfly on a branch with an empty exuviae under it and a last stage larva on a twig beside it.

A happy woman, wearing an orange life vest and bucket hat, leaning on a log on a river with trees in the background.

Great day watching Stylurus spiniceps become adults from my kayak with a new collaborator. Feeling so lucky I can spend time on a kayak helping find ways to #survey for odonates on rivers.
#odonata