Students are often introduced to evolutionary and ecological concepts with examples in inaccessible systems, such as Galapagos finches. However, interesting biology is all around us, from parking lots, to drainage ditches, and even our homes! I use my instagram account, @anywherebiologist to highlight the under-appreciated biodiversity all around us: unlikely habitats, fascinating adaptations, and open questions about even the most common of organisms. See my latest posts, below!

@anywherebiologist

Be a biologist in your Airbnb carport! I was in Mississippi for field work last week and while I did see some amazing biodiversity in state parks and forests, the carport was great too! The carport lights attracted all sorts of neat critters includin
It’s been a very busy summer, but I always make time to admire the beautiful trumpet vine flower (Campsis radicans)! These flowers are also known by the common name “humming bird vine”. The biological term “pollination syndr
TIL: Detroit is the only US city with a population of ring-necked pheasants! Taking a stroll along the Detroit Riverwalk on Saturday, we saw this startlingly large and beautiful bird strutting behind some badminton players. It turns out that ring-
Even manicured lawns can have neat insects if you look closely! According to fellow @inaturalistorg users, this little moth is the chickweed geometer (Haematopis grataria). Interestingly, it is the only species in Haematopis which makes it pretty uni
Check out these weird teeth!!!!! This strange jaw bone stumped me and ~ 8 other biologists. Guesses ranged from deformed deer teeth to an extinct reptile. Many texts, emails and slacks later, a museum curator confirmed that these were fish teeth. Bu
Daffodil biodiversity! Guess how many daffodil varieties there are? . . ~18,000!!! Although according to Wikipedia, only about 500 are currently grown commercially. Daffodils are native to Europe and North Africa, but have been cultivated by humans
#Beabiologist in a parking lot! This picture represents reason I went into ecology & evolutionary biology, and the inspiration behind @anywherebiologist. In college, I had planned to study molecular biology and cell cycles. But on a whim, I dec
It’s starting to warm up, but I still have a hibernating office mate! This is a brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). Originally from Asia, it was accidentally introduced to North America in the late 1990s. You can tell this species
Calvatia gigantea, the giant puffball mushroom! This is a common mushroom throughout the northern hemisphere, including North America and Europe. As a young mushroom, it is large, white, and solid (pic 2), with no gills or a stem. They can be quite l
Be a biologist in the wood shop! My partner recently purchased these ash boards for a project. While planing them down, he noticed these telltale tunnels from the emerald ash borer! The emerald ash borer aka EAB, is a jewel beetle. EABs are native
A boxelder bug, and its favorite host, the boxelder tree. Boxelder bugs (Boisea trivittata) are one of my favorite insects! They’re brightly colored to warn predators of their smelly secretions and bitter taste, but they are harmless to human
It tickled me to see this parking lot yucca thriving in the Michigan snow! Yuccas are a genus of flowering plants that are related to agaves. They’re are primarily native to tropical and subtropical regions, with a few species found in warm tem
This tiny moth is hiding a deadly secret! The poison hemlock moth, Agonopterix alstromeriana, feeds on the poison hemlock plant. Not to be confused with the hemlock tree, hemlock plants are in the carrot family, and are probably best known for being
This long stick is actually a single leaf from the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Like a fern, these trees have compound leaves, a large leaf made of smaller leaflets. In the second photo, you can see where the leaflets attached before falling
This crawdad challenged me to a sidewalk fight over Christmas. Crawdad, crayfish, and mud bug all refer to these small, lobster-like crustaceans. This one is probably the Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), which is native to the southeast US,
“Do you know what this tree is?” - the question that started our family holiday adventure! The wavy-looking branches (pic 2) reminded my sister of a myrtle, and she was right! @inaturalistorg identified this as a wax myrtle, Myrica cerif
First big snow last week, so tis the season for #BRollBiology! I love reality TV and biology, so I’m always in the look out for cool organisms in B-roll footage! It was a good week for lizards in reality tv this week, which made my herpetologi
Horsetails (Genus: Equisetum) are one of my favorite plants! Like horseshoe crabs ginkgo trees, they’re known as “living fossils.” Although very few species persist today, they dominated prehistoric forests. Since they pre-date flow
“State of matter = Life” is as far as iNaturalist got me on this city park observation. I spotted this giant glob of white goo next to a wooden statue of a castle (pic 2) during a Halloween festival. I took a few pictures for later ID on
Have you ever noticed bluish-green stains on fallen logs? Green elfcups (Chlorociboria) are often the cause! This color is rare in nature. In fact, I initially thought this was a piece of plastic! According to my reading, it’s rare to see the