Jake Dalzell

An historic black and white illustration of a paper nautilus floating on the ocean. There are boats, a city and hills in the background.

🎉 Huge news for BHL: The Field Museum is taking over the hosting of BHL’s website, servers & infrastructure, ensuring long-term stability and access for its 63+ million pages of open biodiversity literature. Learn more:
blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/02/tran...
#BHLTransition #ILoveBHL 🌍 📚 🧪

To be clear they are variable in terms of sequence but not length

New to me today: the downy mildew Peronospora valerianellae on Valerianella
#WildPlantDisease #FungiFriends

It's probably only five distinct taxa, but rusts apparently aren't very variable here. The paper I'm following (Aime 2006) says about 1400bp which is what we see.

Felt the need to show this perfect gel from today. This is a 1400bp amplicon from the ITS region of some rust fungi. One of these is probably undescribed!
#FungiFriends

Instructions here: plantpathogens.net/methods/herb...

This week I have been introduced to the wonders of mailmerge. Never again will I write out a herbarium label by hand! This took forever to set up but it populates the label from data downloaded from iNaturalist and manipulated in R.
#FungiFriends #herbarium

I recently found the downy mildew Hyaloperonospora erophilae on Erophila sp. on dune slack in Aberdyfi. Possibly the first British record though there are some English records of the similar H. praecox and some "Hyaloperonospora sp." on the same host from South Uist.
#WildPlantDisease #FungiFriends

Many of my science colleagues are not speaking out-I suspect due to the fear Phil notes, that they'll targeted for loss of funding. I hope they read this account of what happened at a faculty meeting at Frankfurt University in 1933 as the Nazi's took control 🧪
www.facinghistory.org/resource-lib...

Now available on youtube!
#FungiFriends #WildPlantDisease

m.youtube.com/watch?v=RKek...

Glad you enjoyed it!

glad you enjoyed it!

Shíl mé ariamh go bhfuil ceangal eadar -tacht agus Béarla "talk" ar intinn an chainteora, "Gael-talk" an áit a mbíonn na Gaeil ag talkáil...

I used a similar 1950s model until last year, it's amazing how well they still work.

East Belfast is not *that* ugly T_T

Wild Belfast's annual starling watch event today at Albertbridge.

I saw my first Peronospora ficariae of the year yesterday! Look out for yellowed, downturned leaves of Lesser Celandine with branched conidiophores underneath (visible with a hand lens).
#FungiFriends #WildPlantDisease

A reminder about this free talk next Tuesday! If you are looking for a new group to record this year plant pathogens are a great choice!
#FungiFriends

Are you interested in learning more about identifying plant pathogens in the wild? Come along to my webinar at 7pm on the 27th of January!
bsbi.org/take-part/ev...

#FungiFriends #WildPlantDisease

Don't forget to record Puccinia malvacearum too! bladmineerders.nl/parasites/fu... #WildPlantDisease #FungiFriends

Tá sin ann ceart go leor

Fieldwork this week has been chilly!

Two fabulous sedges from late April on Arnside Knott.
Spring Sedge (Carex caryophyllea) and its rare red relative Carex ericetorum (Rare Spring Sedge).
The beautiful wine red glumes of ericetorum separate these really well in flower/fruit. What beauties! 😍
@bsbibotany.bsky.social

Tá sin fíor is níor bhain mé triail as. Tá cupla leabhar as na seascaidí is na seachtmhóidí ann fosta ach bhí siad ró-theangeolaíoch do mo rang dar liom. Sa deireadh chum mé mo chúrsa fhéin níl ann ach nár chuir mé ar youtube go fóill é.

Tá Gaeilic na hÉireanna acu uilig go cinnte :P

Is cuimhin liom nuair a fuair mé amach don chéaduair go bhfuil duifear eadar /n´/ agus /N´/ ⁊ b'éigean domh uaireantaí fada a chaitheamh á chur i bhfeidhm i mo chuid cainte. Dá ndéarfadh an múinteoir liom sa bhunrang é!

Molaim an dá rud sin do mo chuid mic léinn ach go fiú fhéin níl cúrsa ar bith ann. Bhí mé fhéin ag cruthú cúrsa d'fhoghraíocht Ghaeilic Thír Chonaill ach faraor tá an oiread sin rudaí ar siúl agam nár chaith mé súil ar mo chuid nótaí le leathbhliain anuas...

B'fhéidir go dtiocfadh le achan duine staidéar dian a dhéanamh ar fhoghraíocht na teangtha dá mbeadh an t-am aige, rud ar scríobh Ó Ceallaigh air. Tá glúin óg Galltachta anois ann a fuair líofacht nuair a bhí an dianghlasáil ann ach ní bheidh an t-am ag daoiní is óige ná muidne.

Rud eile a rith liom mar dhuine a d'fhoghlaim fuaimeanna na Gaeltachta gurb iomaí duine ar mhaith leis foghraíocht traidisiúnta a fhoghlaim ach níl na huirlísí foghlama ar fáil dó. B'éigean dom fhéin neart staidéir a dhéanamh ar an teangeolaíocht (nuair a bhí an dianghlasáil ann agus mé ar scoil).

Is dóiche gur sin an tuige nach maith liom an dichotomy seo, cha rabh sé soiléir dom ariamh cén taobh den "argóint" air a rabh bunús na ndaoiní a bhfuil aithne agam orthu. Spreagann rudaí éagsúla daoiní éagsúla agus bíonn siad ag díriú ar chodanna éagsúla den teangaidh mar sin.