Jen Shepherd

This article was exceptional. Funny yet deep. Thanks @petridishes.bsky.social for writing and sharing it.

And thanks to all the public servants who so often go unnoticed and under-appreciated despite their invaluable contributions to having a well-functioning society.

I’d push “the button” too.

The hardcover version of the book “Hemlock & Silver” by T. Kingfisher. It is tilted slightly to show off the bright green color that tips all the pages between the black cover. The overall effect is like a brighter version of a mint oreo cookie. The astute observer will also notice the head of a sleeping gray tabby cat who rests on my lap as she usually does while I read.

Of the thousands of books I’ve read in my lifetime, I can say with certainty that “Hemlock & Silver” by @tkingfisher.com is the only one that has had these spectacular green-edged pages. 😍

It’s a great story, too! So creative and creepy.

A snow-covered prairie past a deck. There are animal footprints in the snow by the house and several trees and tall grasses visible above the snow. It looks as bright as a cloudy day even though it was taken at midnight thanks to the reflection of the bright moonlight on the snow.

A big walnut tree in the foreground with other trees in the background. The ground is entirely covered with snow and it looks like a daytime scene despite the late hour.

A medium sized sugar maple tree in the foreground with farmland behind it. The ground is covered in bright white snow, reflecting the ample moonlight.

Full moon plus snow is magical. I took these pictures from my house near Madison, WI at midnight last night. Midnight! No flash, just a 3s exposure time on my iPhone.

A clipping from a local Madison, Wisconsin newspaper featuring three speakers at events in late October. There’s a small photo of each speaker and a short blurb about their talk. Dexter Patterson is one of the speakers, talking about his new bird field guide on October 26th.

Hey @wiscobirder.bsky.social look what I found in the October issue of The Isthmus! Very cool that copies of your birding book will be given out. 👏👏 🪶

Ahh! I love this! Ghost crab seems to be both curious about and suspicious of the camouflaged phone filming her.

Close up of an open okra flower with a bumblebee deep inside the pale yellow flower cone. There are many grains of pollen all over the bee’s legs and bod. They contrast vividly against the darker color of the bee and magenta color of the inner flower.

A few green okra plants with several open flowers. The flowers are cone shaped with several layers of petals making up the cone. Those large petals are a pale yellow. Deep inside the cones is a deep magenta band on each inner petal, which together form a hexagon shape surrounding the stamen.

Okra flowers are so pretty. 😍Apparently they’re very attractive to and bountiful for bumblebees too. This little bee friend I found this morning is absolutely covered in okra pollen! 🌱

Congrats Luigi!

Same! I came here to say that our local goldfinches love the coneflower seeds so much they’ve spread them in numerous places around our property (a bit south of Madison).

Great advice, thanks! These photos were all taken yesterday in my yard near Madison, Wisconsin.

A poplar tree sprout with several green leaves. One of the leaves has a silvery, winding pattern on the top that sort of resembles an acid etching. The leaf underneath the pattern is still intact.

A close up of a beautiful silvery track on a green poplar leaf.

A very odd looking insect resting on the top of a green leaf. It is primarily brown and shaped like a worm with an arch in its body like an inchworm, although it is not moving. There are spiny growths on the body and a thick white coating wrapped around a small section. Two yellow bumps are sticking out of the insect’s back and it has two antenna facing downward towards the leaf.

A poplar sapling with many green leaves. Two of the leaves have a silvery pattern on them. One of those leaves also has a bright green worm-like insect. The worm has two yellow bumps sticking out of its back.

Any biologists or entomologists out there recognize these shiny tracks and this curious insect on these poplar leaves? I saw three of the insects, each a different color than the others. So interesting! #insects #plants #nature

Agreed! Regular Lay’s or whatever just taste like salt and grease. Baked Lay’s actually taste like potato to me. How do you rate Veggies Straws and equivalent? (I also far prefer them)

Four light purple bee balm plants in full bloom with some green grasses among them. A large moth that is shaped very similarly to a hummingbird is hovering near one of the flower heads, preparing to feed from the flower. The moth has an orange colored abdomen, rust colored wings, and dark brown head, shoulders, and rear. Its body is very plump and arched as it flys nearly vertically.

I was fortunate to see this cool hummingbird moth feed on the monarda (bee balm) directly in front of me yesterday. So plump yet agile!

Thanks for posting these! I just browsed your entire website and think your paintings and talent are extraordinary. “Dead Golden King” made me shiver.

A jigsaw puzzle picturing an owl on a branch sits on a wooden table. The lid of the box looks perfect but inside the base of the box, the puzzle was previously assembled and put away by folding sections over each other to fit in the box. A clear glossy preservative was applied to the front of the puzzle, making the pieces stick together and the tips rip off when the pieces are separated.

Very disappointed to open the box of this gorgeous puzzle I bought at Goodwill yesterday and discover it is essentially unusable. They folded it in sheets! PSA: please don’t apply puzzle preserver then donate it for an unsuspecting victim if you changed your mind about keeping it forever.

I am absolutely delighted by all of this info about porcupines! Especially the videos. 🥹

So there *are* others who mourn wildlife killed by vehicles! ❤️ You sure can’t tell from the state of the roadsides. It’s astonishing how many are dead. Who’s hitting all these animals?? I’ve been driving rural roads for nearly 30 years and only hit one - on a sharp curve at night as a teen.

A blue colander with two handfuls of tiny red wild strawberries, with a few dark purple mulberries mixed in.

The branch of a mulberry tree with glossy green leaves, laden with unripe red berries and ripe deep purple berries.

A midwestern prairie with two tall silver maple trees in the mid ground, many trees in the far corner, grass and a potted basil plant in the foreground. The sky is still light pink even though the photo was taken after 9 pm.

Foraged wild strawberries, ate my fill of mulberries, then enjoyed wine on my back porch in the fading light as the crickets chirped, the fireflies flashed, and the bats hunted silently. A perfect solstice evening in the midwest!

Art + Science + Advocacy. I love this cool merch, especially the posters!

A pink puzzle piece resting in my hand, with a tiny bit of green on one foot of the piece and small dent marks across the surface. Yes, the dents are from my teeth.

The completed puzzle, a tie-died swirl pattern with yellow, purple, orange, pink, green, and blue streaks spiraling around each other to the center. It is very colorful and beautiful.

I was working on a jigsaw puzzle last night while eating pretzels and apparently forgot which item I had in my hand. I bet you can guess where this is going…

🚨Tableau Community Vizzie awards nominees announcement today!

A group of friends, including me, poses in the foreground smiling and holding “hands off” posters. Many more people with flags and posters are visible in the background. This was taken at the UW campus end of State Street after we marched down the street from the state capitol building.

A large crowd is gathered in front of the state capitol building. Many protesters are holding signs, some have flags including the man carrying an upside down American flag walking up the street.

A view of the protest crowd from halfway up the stairs to the capitol building. Many signs are visible including “protect trans kids” and “Fire Trump, Deport Musk.”

Such energy at the Madison, WI #HandsOff rally today! Thousands of us peacefully protested in the hopes that our elected representatives take notice and fight too. At the very least, we can inspire and support each other.

Two Nigerian Dwarf goats are standing on the other side of a metal gate from the photographer. Both goats are wearing jackets and scarves and there is snow on the ground. The goat on the left is looking straight at the camera with perky ears and an expression of interest. His face is brown along the sides, including his ears, with a wide white swath from the top of his head down the front. The goat on the right has a white face and head with some dark splotches. Her head is turned towards the other goat and her pink tongue is out to lick the other goat’s scarf. The tip of her tongue is on the scarf.

These two goofy goats are mother and son. I took a few pics in a row and didn’t realize her tongue was out in this one until I looked at the pictures later. I hope your day improved!

One side of a hand-written postcard that reads: What? Spring election. When? April 1. Who? Judge Susan Crawford. For? Supreme Court. Why? The court majority, fair maps, freedoms, and choice are at stake! How? Be a voter! Thank you! The message is written neatly in four different colors of colored pencil so it stands out among the glossy printed brochures and flyers we receive by mail daily about the election.

The top of the other side of the postcard. It is addressed to Valued Voter and was postmarked in New York, New York. There is an image if a waving American flag.

I didn’t need any extra encouragement to vote for Crawford for WI Supreme Court next week, but it was surprisingly touching to receive this hand-written postcard about her - especially the NY postmark. We *can* be a community who looks out for each other if we want to be. ❤️ #election

Uh oh

Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose.

280 million acres of national parks? Gone?

SPEAK UP.

I don’t know if Musk’s funding is behind this particular flyer we received, but it wouldn’t surprise me. 🙄

Thank you! Apparently it is Twin Peaks Day too. 😁

Trying to humanely catch and release the spider that showed up in my home office today despite my arachnophobia but it is just as scared of me and keeps hiding whenever I try to trap it. Guess we’re at an impasse until one of us dies of fright.

I’m not an expert tracker by any means but my first thought seeing those little tracks, given your area, was javelina.