@maxfontaine.bsky.social
Botanist & PhD student @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social & @rbgkew.bsky.social | Interested in the chemical defences of tropical trees and the origins of plant diversity π³ππ
Flower with 5 imbricate (overlapping) white petals. Reduced stamens forming a faint yellow ring around the inside of the corolla tube.
Kopsia pauciflora, Apocynaceae. One of the first flowers we found in the forest π.
09.05.2025 11:08 β π 3 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
πΎ Itβs #PlantHealthWeek! Think youβve got what it takes to keep our plants healthy? Try our Plant Doctor quiz and prove it! π©βπ¬πΏ
π‘ Learn, play, and celebrate plant health π www.bspp.org.uk/plant-doctor...
#BSPP #PlantPathology #PlantsMatter
Face shot of a reptile, possibly a skink. The upper surface is brown/grey with black spots
Top shot of same reptile amongst some moss and rocks
Think this guy is some kind of skink? Made me jump, thought I almost stepped on a snake until I saw the tiny legs π #herp
08.05.2025 13:23 β π 11 π 2 π¬ 1 π 0
One apocarpous (unfused) fruit with bright red/pink fruitlets hanging from stem of shrub
Pendulous flower with large pale pink petals
Fruit and flower of Goniothalamus roseus, Annonaceae. Native to Borneo. Distinct, bright red/pink apocarpous (unfused) fruit with lots of baby fruitlets (yes the whole thing is one fruit).
08.05.2025 13:07 β π 4 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Baby macaque
Three baby macaques
Two baby macaques
Baby macaque hitching a ride on mum
Welcome week parade of Long-tailed macaques passing by my front door π
07.05.2025 06:56 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0Hi All π Iβll be at the incredible Danum Valley in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo conducting botanical fieldwork for the PhD until late July π³ Happy to take, and encouraging, any ID suggestions on posts. Especially for anything that isnβt a plant π
06.05.2025 12:42 β π 6 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Bornean elephants on dirt track
Closer shot of same elephant heard
Borneo (Pygmy) elephants on the road to Danum field centre ππ
06.05.2025 12:09 β π 3 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Sign saying βDanum Valley Field Centreβ
Scenic shot of fog over forest canopy
Sunset in rainforest
Very late considering i got here almost two weeks ago, but made it to Danum Valley, NE Borneo π₯³. 438km2 of pristine primary lowland rainforest, and my home for the next 3ish months. Keeping track of all the cool things Iβve seen is a challenge - Iβll attempt to post them here as i go.
06.05.2025 12:02 β π 8 π 1 π¬ 1 π 1
Inflorescence of Lollipop plant (Pachystachys lutea). Young four-sided inflorescence with showy, yellow overlapping bracts. A few pairs of opposite leaves in shot.
Figured maybe i should slowly start sharing all these pictures of plants Iβve been hoarding in my camera roll.
Lollipop plant - Pachystachys lutea (Acanthaceae). Native to Peru. BTW, Yellow structures are bracts , not flowers
David Welch Winter Gardens, Duthie Park, Aberdeen.
Scientists from our institute and @uni-kiel.de led by @sunsicker.bsky.social show that endophytic fungi boost the chemical defenses of poplars by producing their own alkaloid to fend off herbivores. They alter insect communities and influence aphid-ant interactions.
www.ice.mpg.de/491257/PR_Wa...
Only 6.6% of conservation funding goes to plants (and only 0.2% to algae and fungi!!). Almost all goes to vertebrates, especially big well-known ones. Where do people think animals live and what do they eat? Picture with article has 2 rhinoceroses - and thousands of plants!
27.02.2025 19:03 β π 17 π 8 π¬ 0 π 0
IThe Quarter Finals of Botanical University Challenge starting 2pm GMT watch on our YouTube Channel!
IT IS TODAY! The Quarter Finals of Botanical University Challenge starting 2pm GMT watch on our YouTube Channel! Good luck to our eight plantastic teams! #BUC2025 @bucbotany.bsky.social
26.02.2025 07:55 β π 11 π 7 π¬ 1 π 0
BUC25 scoreboard, Aberdeen first place followed by plymouth in second. Eden project, Royal holloway and UCD joint third
Aberdeen team Taxon, Taxoff first place after round one of #BUC25 π₯³ So proud of our team, lots of very high scores on the leaderboard π Bring on round two next week!
@bucbotany.bsky.social @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social
#JustIn on Plantae - Classical Botany in the Shadow of Molecular Science: Why It Still Matters. In this piece, Plantae Fellows, @kesmaio.bsky.social @carlosgonzsanz.bsky.social and @vedjiwan.bsky.social discuss the decline of the term and education of botanical sciences https://plantae.org/classicaβ¦
30.01.2025 21:03 β π 36 π 16 π¬ 0 π 2As someone working in conservation and ecology, I want to add that learning to see the world differently, with new eyes, is one of the most beautiful and rewarding aspects of ecological training and expertise. We live in a world of wounds AND wonder, both of which are often invisible to others.
23.11.2024 20:45 β π 85 π 14 π¬ 3 π 0π€―
22.11.2024 22:13 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Fully-funded PhD position available on the cultural evolution of tea!
With me, Sabine Parrish, and David Burslem at the University of Aberdeen (π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ), come combine anthropology and biology to think about why people drink tea and how that may change in the future.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Hi π I would love to be added :)
19.11.2024 23:49 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0
Genus Notosacantha tortoise beetle
One of the craziest beetles I've ever seen, genus Notosacantha
πMadagascar
#Entomology #Coleoptera
Absolutely gorgeous male Archduke butterfly. Those metallic blues are sensational
17.11.2024 02:14 β π 99 π 16 π¬ 1 π 0Ok, let's repost this here.
Types of plant systematics papers.
Started a starter pack for botanist!
go.bsky.app/5JTxuk1
