Joined: Apr 19, 2018 Last Active: Sep 8, 2024 iNaturalist
Hi there!
I'm a professional plant ecologist in Minnesota. I recently graduated with a Ph.D. from Michigan State University researching seed dispersal in Missouri prairie ecosystems. Before graduate school, I worked in Texas and Oklahoma grasslands doing plant and pollinator surveys and in the Ozarks doing crayfish surveys. However, in undergrad, I worked with endemic Michigan dune plants such as Pitcher's thistle (which has a special place in my heart).
Feel free to reach out or @ me for help on any prairie plant IDs. I'm most experienced in identifying plants in north central Texas, southern Oklahoma, and north central Missouri, but I always love a good excuse to break out the dichotomous keys. I have experience with seed and seedling ID too.
I'm also always happy to give advice about grad school and finding an advisor.
Free resources for learning plant ID:
Shinners & Mahler’s Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas
http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm
Prairie Restoration: A digital aid featuring seeds, seedlings, and fruits
https://castle.eiu.edu/prairie/
Biota of North America Program (US county-level plant distribution maps)
http://www.bonap.org/
Tropicos (Missouri Botanical Garden's Herbarium records)
https://www.tropicos.org/home
Illinois Wildflowers
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/
Missouri Plants
https://www.missouriplants.com/index.html
Minnesota Wildflowers
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/