And our state road signs!

Please give Charlotte my very warmest wishes. That tree has taught me more than probably any single plant. Planted it in about 2003 in habitat not remotely appropriate for a buttonbush. But it flourished, even long after I quit caring for it ca. 2007.

While I'm on the record as generally hating AI (and trying in vain to turn it off in Google), lookey what I saw the other day.
@tropicalbotany.bsky.social @mobotgarden.bsky.social

An early leader for the most tone-deaf higher-ed article of the year? I'll be sure to pass out Amherst, Davidson, Smith, and Vassar brochures to the working class (and working) kids we're fighting tooth and nail to serve here at Wichita State.

How did I miss this yesterday? Somewhere Gary Larson is feeling mighty satisfied.

I typically tell people I'm an architect.

YouTube video by MrMisterVEVO Mr. Mister - Broken Wings (Official Video)

I assume that when this hits the radio in an avian rehabilitation center the place is just electric for 3 minutes.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKhN...

Never say Basal Again

Oh the cognitive dissonance of a "center for resilience" housed in one of the most unsustainable cities in North America. If the truth hurts just say ouch and be done with it.

First met Lúcia back in grad school days, and was really excited to see her take the reins of the garden. All of us used to walk by the President's house there on Tower Grove and think how cool it would be to run the place. GenX power!

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell jumps into Minnesota governor’s race The Trump ally has repeatedly come under scrutiny for spreading conspiracy theories about election fraud.

In dark times, there is always comedy.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...

You know how you tell your students that one should bring as many datasets to bear as you can? This is a study you should show them.

Mamdani vowed to lower class sizes. But he’s facing major financial and logistical hurdles. The city is projecting up to $1.7 billion for teacher salaries and $18 billion for school construction.

That didn't take long. The only difference between this and Trump's "Mexico will pay for the wall," is that hiring more teachers is actually a good idea. But both are lies that people told to get elected.

www.politico.com/news/2025/12...

This is an astonishingly cruel position to take on the dilemma of homelessness.

Iran Asks For Help As UNESCO-Listed Forests Burn Iran has urgently requested international assistance to combat a devastating wildfire that has been raging for nearly three weeks in the ancient Hyrcanian Forests, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2...

If any of you have ever been to the Hyrcanian forests of Iran and Azerbaijan, this is really bad news:
www.rferl.org/a/iran-hyrca...

Remember that the legal definition of bribery requires an actual exchange of goods.

Essentially the soundtrack of my high school life.

Have the students use AI to search all of those admin's theses for plagiarism.

Mixed feelings today about starting my Gen Bio II lectures on natural selection dressed as Jim Jones.

You likely already know about it, but if you're in Tower Grove Park, you might as well cross the park to Hartford Coffee Company (Hartford and Roger) for well, coffee. My friend James Fox started that place in 2005 when I was in grad school.

Enjoyed running a chromosome counting workshop for @mossmatters.bsky.social and his students at TTU this weekend. Also enjoyed working with Xanthisma texanum, which has one of the lowest chromosome numbers in plants (2n = 8).
#GunsUp

This #*&*@ thing, which my grandmother called cypress vine, is perhaps the fastest growing species I have even seen.

Purple thumb Thursday- meiotic chromosome count of Iva annua (Sedgwick Co., KS). 34 chromosomes at prophase I, then 17 chromosomes in the haploid cells of anaphase II.

If you've never seen any of Teri's exquisite cytological work, you should start now.

This is great to see. I've long admired Harvey's work on Viola, and these UG experiences can sometimes be transformative for students. Certainly were for me.

Thoughtful piece, but this is a "cover your mouth" understatement: "...using an LLM is easier, faster, and cheaper than most previous temptations; but that’s a difference in degree." No previous version of having someone else write for you is in the same galaxy as a free, instant, web-based LLM.

l'm sure your grad/undergrad students and colleagues are surprised (and sorry) to hear this. I'll genuinely miss you as well. I'll stick around to fight this garbage though.

Those Democrats tired of getting their teeth knocked down their throats should read this. Those that are fine with that should feel free to ignore it.
www.thirdway.org/memo/was-it-...