🌾 Dr. Liz Anna Kozik 🌾

a guide for fruit shrubs and trees, mostly native, suggested by Xerces, including servicesberries, etrog, dogwood, crabapple/apple, almond, apricot, cherry, plum, currants, roses, raspberries, blackberries, elderberries, blueberries, and cranberries

Happy Tu BiShvat!! Shout out to @xercessociety.bsky.social for having a holiday guide for pollinators. More holidays should come with recommending planting lists.

xerces.org/blog/tu-bish...

a full moon in front of a pink and purple sunset, framed through an oak savanna

a full moon in front of a pink and purple sunset, framed through an oak savanna

Can you even handle this near-full moon prairie sunset?

a stunning and mildly perturbed coyote on a snowy trail in the prairie at sunset

a stunning and mildly perturbed coyote on a snowy trail in the prairie at sunset, looking to the side

I also met this perfect angelic baby, dressed perfectly for the prairie in winter. We both had places to be, but paused for a moment together on the trail to remark on the night.

Hello from another most-beautimus lady, queer icon of the creekside that I met yesterday

a screenshot of inaturalist obs by ME in january 2026, 212 observations and 73 species, mostly birds along rivers in western suburbs

a mrs kingfisher I saw today looking coquettishly over her shoulder

11:33pm January 31 2026, & I've made it to 212 new observations this month!!!

This month I have made 19 kingfisher observations! I made a goal to find them because I knew they would be a pain to photograph & take a while to hunt down. Now, over 21% of the Jan kingfisher obs in Chicagoland are MINE

a full moon in front of a pink and purple sunset, framed through an oak savanna

a full moon in front of a pink and purple sunset, framed through an oak savanna

Can you even handle this near-full moon prairie sunset?

A photo of a photo of a female kingfisher!!

Gamer voice lets goooooooo

a map with recent observations highlighted in pink, forming a backwards Y shape over the WSW Chicago suburbs

a wall of kingfisher photos

I am very pleased how neatly I've mapped the two branches of the Dupage River, aka the only places water isn't frozen.

Also I know you're wondering, yes I am up to 16 unique kingfisher observations

inaturalist screenshot showing 174 observations and 69 species

trying to keep my doomscrolling to a reasonable intake (instead of 24/7) so I've been trying to add observations every day this month. Somehow, I need 26 more observations, but no new species today and tomorrow

Solidago for the Mid-Atlantic Region Read Mt. Cuba's goldenrod report from the Trial Garden, which evaluated 70 species, cultivars, and ecotypes.

OH SHIT biggest hit of the year just dropped:

Mt Cuba released their Solidago (...and euthamia) report

mtcubacenter.org/trials/solid...

Have gained +2 kestrels to my travel kit, thank you to Hailey at Catbird Creations Co for these two precious angels

www.etsy.com/shop/Catbird...

www.instagram.com/catbird.crea...

True story: I won my first writing award in 4th grade for writing a story about the time a kestrel chased a sparrow into our house and somehow they both survived. I owe a blood debt to all kestrels for my creative work.

Have gained +2 kestrels to my travel kit, thank you to Hailey at Catbird Creations Co for these two precious angels

www.etsy.com/shop/Catbird...

www.instagram.com/catbird.crea...

snow softly falls on bare branches and a tree sparrow looking over their shoulder

DEAD ON STARE from an american tree sparrow in a winter bush

two excellent 2026 vibes from a tree sparrow in snow:

trying to be in the moment while also being consumed by endless rage

Here's how you add flower species to pollinator observations!

no you!

their little back legs flailing around as they squirm out is my favorite thing

Crap, I just looked up my records and unsurprisingly you're right. Then I'm just posting Bombus videos for no reason...

They are still great and I love them and they are doing a good job!

Here's how you add flower species to pollinator observations!

So iNat does the overall ID, and then Observation Fields let's you add tons of different details. I personally add "Interaction-> Visited Flower"

YES BUT so the weird thing is most hort pink turtleheads are Chelone lyonii so there's plenty of C. lyonii but very few Chelone obliqua!

a screenshot showing different pollinator species supported by individual native plant species, highlighting monarchs, rusty-patch bumblebee, and bumblebees. Then the rest of the chart is how many species the flower supports of bees, wasps, beetles, true bugs, flies, butterflies, skippers, moths, birds, and ants

As a sneak peek, this is what all that data is turning into

How many pollinator species are documented visiting each species?

a screenshot of a special search of inaturalist showing a concentration of observations in MN MO WI IL IN MI OH

a zoom in on the previous iNaturalist screenshow saying "17,974 observations"

yall i made a horrifying discovery last night

I have added flower visitation data to

SEVENTEEN-THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR pollinators

jesus

I (adjunct at Northwestern/Research Scientist at Chicago Botanic Garden) would love to guest lecture (free!) for our Minneapolis neighbors on:
-Ecological Restoration, esp prairies & urban work
-Prairie Science History
-Visual Science Communication
-Academic Comics
-Lawn Science & Lawn Alternatives!

BABY

look at them theyre so perfect. Don't mind the dead mouse. A handsome american kestrel striking a dramatic pose with an anime eye sparkle

my secret science communication origin story is that I won a writing award in 4th grade for writing a story about the time a kestrel chased a sparrow into the house

this is my first photograph of a wild kestrel ever! My muse!!!!

My brain is scanning this to "Shots" by LMFAO, so in my head it's "SHRIKE SHRIKE SHRIKE EVERRRRRRRYBODY!"

100% YES YES YES

A northern shrike atop a shrub looking dramatic in profile

a northern shrike, wings spread, shoulders hunched, about to make a landing

SHRIKE SHRIKE SHRIKE!!!!!!