Clayton Hale (he/him)

How a humble weed became a superstar of biology Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.

Hungary 1956
'Well over a 100k people fled the country seeking asylum. Among them was a young geneticist named George Rédei, who headed for the Austrian border with a small vial of seeds tucked in his pocket.
The seeds belonged to a spindly weed in the mustard family called Arabidopsis thaliana.'

What a dream job!

This is great, thank you!

This is great! Thank you!

Help! 🚨 Looking for resources on structural equation models—favorite methods papers, example studies, or guides for building an SEM pipeline. Thinking of using one for a dissertation chapter & not sure where to start. Suggestions? Please share!

Cool day helping @chale9.bsky.social with fieldwork! Surveyed fothergilla in a longleaf pine forest and saw some amazing carnivorous plants!! 🌱

The gorgeous blue bell-shaped flowers of Oysterplant are tinged pink in bud like the other members of the Borage family in which this most beautiful plant belongs.

I hadn’t seen it for a couple of years so it was extra special in early June to catch up with my #FavouritePlant! The gorgeous Mertensia maritima, commonly named Oysterplant, as the leaves taste like the fruits of the sea! Caithness #Wildflowerhour

Just got back from an incredible experience contributing to a 30-year plant demographic study in the Alaskan Arctic. What an amazing, beautiful, and wild place. Can’t wait to go back!

@chandler2228.bsky.social

What a wonderful day driving the Dalton Highway to arctic Alaska!

Now it’s time to measure some plants!
@toolikfieldstation.bsky.social

Flowering Limnanthes douglasii ssp. rosea and Trifolium variegatum within a vernal pool on the Merced Vernal Pools & Grassland Reserve.

Climatic determinants of plant #phenology in vernal pool habitats

New #AJB research by Brandon Thomas Hendrickson, Jenna Aubrie Benterou, Robert Martin & Jason Sexton

doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience #citizenscience #wetlands

Black Eyed Susan flowers.

A common milkweed flower.

Blue vervain flowers.

Fleabane flowers.

Happy to see more Black Eyed Susan flower on our little prairie.

Also have a LOT of milkweed, some vervain, fleabane and a smattering of foxglove beardtongue.

I am in my hometown visiting family for a few days and got the opportunity to see one of my favorites, the Tennessee coneflower! It was one of the first plants listed under the Endangered Species Act and was delisted in 2011. A rare conservation success story!

As we’re wrapping up Pride month, check out this podcast on Queer Ecology & how we can teach it in classrooms!

Spotify: lnkd.in/eGBJMGbH
Apple Podcasts: lnkd.in/es-gwyjB

Thanks for having us, @pangolinpodcast.bsky.social! 🏳️‍🌈

#Evol2025 was such an amazing experience! I presented my work on sexual differentiation in Silene acaulis, watched my science heroes present their work, and connected with others working on similar questions. I feel fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing group of supportive and brilliant people!

Had an amazing time at #Evolution2025 — Grateful for the chance to share my work on how phenological shifts are impacting plant fitness. Until next time!
#Evol2025

Huge S/o to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh for having a beautiful and informative herbarium exhibit! At a time when herbaria are being defunded and erased, exhibits like this are crucial for the public to understand their value! 🌍🌻🌱

@thebotanics.bsky.social

🌎🌎🌎

2 versions of the same design, all of which say "Biology is bigger than binaries", with a central image of a bee, a clownfish, and a lily. The one on. the left is pink, the right is orange,

You asked for it, you got it.

Biology is Bigger than Binaries is now on a shirt!

Designed by @franzanth.bsky.social, printed here in Philly on 100% cotton Next Level Tees.

We've got... ironically 2 colors to choose from lmao.

Pre-order open until May 31!
squidfacts.bigcartel.com/product/bina...

Science Activism Posters These posters are printed to be put into the world. Pin them to a community bulletin board. Tape them to your window Post them in your classroom....

Check out these awesome science activism posters! They also support Skype a Scientist. I just ordered mine. @skypeascientist.bsky.social

squidfacts.bigcartel.com/product/scie...

We estimate up to 800 rare tree species may still remain undetected here. These are at growing risk of extinction due to deforestation. Since 1985 the Cerrado has lost 24 billion trees, threatening all its biodiversity.

Helia Bravo Hollis (1901-2001) was a Mexican botanist. In 1927, she became the first women to graduate as a Biologist in Mexico. For most of her research career, she focused on the systematics of cacti in Mexico and North America. For many years she was at the forefront of her field. She published almost 170 articles and three books, described 60 scientific classifications and made 59 nomenclature reviews. She received numerous awards and recognition including six species and one subspecies of cacti being named after her.

#42 from my Women in STEM series: Helia Bravo Hollis

#WomeninSTEM #diversityinSTEM #botany #systematics #academicsky #womenshistor

Thanks! Good catch

Clayton W. Hale Clayton W. Hale PhD Candidate DeMarche Lab Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia Understanding the impacts of global change on population and community persistence

Exciting news! I’ve just published my website. Link below—let me know what you think, I would love some feedback! 🌍🌱

sites.google.com/view/clayton...

Trump swings budget ax at USGS biology research Plan to eliminate $307 million ecosystem program could face obstacles in Congress

Trump proposes eliminating funding fo USGS biological sciences. Combined w/ the termination of USFS forest & rangeland research, this will be catastrophic to our public lands, natural resources, wildlife, & other tragic consequences.
#EcoCrisis
#ScienceForAll
#PublicService
🌎🌾🧪🌿🌱🍁🌲🔥🦋🐍🦅🐺

Trump team cites wolf ‘de-extinction’ as reason to cut endangered species list The interior secretary hailed a biotech company’s claim to have brought back the dire wolf, while the administration and GOP push to roll back species protections.

Overblown press releases have consequences. Yes, university academics, this means you too www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

While doom scrolling on the AP’s front page I came across this awesome nugget squeezed in between a story about illegal detentions and the economy crashing. It’s the little things!

apnews.com/article/nati...

Saw some fun things while collecting data with @chale9.bsky.social yesterday! Clayton collects demographic data on a rare Trillium species. Southeast forests are pretty cool!

Sampling arctic willow, the biggest tree on Svalbard

New paper just arrived! Did you know there are trees in the High Arctic? They indeed are, just a little bit small. Just couple of centimetres. But they are a very important part of the ecosystem! 🧵👇

Love it!!