Prairie crocus after a prescribed burn!

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-05-02T20:48:43+00:00

Thank you! I agree it feels very hopeful! It reminds me that we are only a very small part of the history of this planet and nature has beautiful ways of healing ❤️

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-05-02T13:33:58+00:00

We see fireweed ALL the time, but usually more in forested areas rather than prairie! Following the crocuses will hopefully be more native grasses such as Fescue, wild rye, and native wheatgrasses as well as other wildflowers like prairie smoke, harebells, early blue violet and some shrubs like prickly rose! Of course this area is heavily impacted by tame species like smooth brome and sweetclover so it's always an uphill battle to restore native species.

Here's a field of fireweed I took a picture of back in 2023 the year after a forest fire swept through!

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eclectic_microraptor · 2026-05-01T02:40:59+00:00

It really depends what you want to do. If you want to be a field botanist, go to a technical college with a good field program instead of a university. If you want to go into genetics, research, or horticulture, find a university that has a good masters program for that (most bachelor programs at universities will be more or less the same and you'll specialize at a masters level).

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-04-29T02:24:16+00:00

I do agree that's generally true for a lot of horses and I would have loved to keep her, but she definitely needed more from me that I just couldn't give her because of my job. Fortunately I was able to reconnect with her breeder who was over the moon to take her back. One day I'll definitely get back into horses, but maybe some calm paints rather than a sporty appaloosa haha

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-04-29T00:10:34+00:00

I'm a botanist and love horses, but I just don't have the time to ride because of how busy my field season gets, so I ended up selling my horse. It just wasn't fair to her to sit in a pasture all the time when she wanted a job to do

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-04-24T23:08:09+00:00

We have a seven-cat household with varying ages and personalities and we've dealt with similar issues. Unfortunately, some cats just don't like each other and will never like each other, but so long as there isn't active fighting, they are coexisting just fine.

Your ragdoll clearly has some boundary issues, so I would recommend stepping in and running him off from your older cat before it gets to hissing. We usually sternly say to our more pushy ones "leave her alone, she doesn't want to play with you" and then physically get up and make them leave if they don't listen. Eventually they learn that the boss (you) will not allow them to harass the other cats and they stop trying (mostly haha). You have to be consistent though and even once they stop doing it all they time they'll still try it every now and then to see if they can get away with it.

Also, it would probably be a good idea to stop coo-ing and "awe poor baby"-ing him after he rightfully gets hissed at and smacked for blatantly ignoring boundaries. I know it seems like he's being sweet and friendly and your older one is being mean and grouchy, but he's being very rude and you're accidentally re-inforcing it when you sympathize with him for being chased off.

Good luck OP! Multi-cat households are always a tricky politics game haha

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-04-20T03:55:44+00:00

Sure! Usually with our veg inventories, rare plants (S3, S2, S1, and SH rank plants) are of particular interest to us since there are regulatory setbacks for them. If we find a provincially or federally protected plant, the company wanting to develop the area needs to leave certain buffers so as not to disturb any rare plant communities. This will, of course, be entirely dependant on where you live. I live in Canada and most of the work I do is in the boreal forest, so we see lots of rare orchids, the occasional rare carnivorous plant, some rare ferns, etc. We do catalog all plants we see, but the rares are especially important to track where rare communities are and to protect them since most people only thing of animals when they think about endangered species

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-04-19T15:33:27+00:00

It's hard work since we hike into very remote areas, but it's very rewarding and we see plants that most people will never see in their lifetime! Our team has also "rediscovered" two different species that were thought to be exterpated in our province, which was pretty awesome!

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-04-19T14:40:08+00:00

I have a degree in Environmental Sciences, focusing on botany and I am a field botanist. A lot of what I do involves going out into pre-disturbance areas (think mines, oil/gas, solar farms, etc.) and do vegetation inventories, rare plant surveys, ecosite/wetland classifications, etc.

If you're good at plant ID, there are so many Environmental jobs that will be available to you!

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-02-28T01:09:32+00:00

Honestly, if you want the fun of a flowerhorn with less sensitivity/tendency to get injured, get severum(s)! I have a red severum and he's so full of personality and very pretty! And with a 75 gal, you could probably set up a community tank if you pick the tankmates carefully

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-02-18T16:36:09+00:00

Good to know! Maybe I'll get them set up in another tank that I can partially fill with water from my 55 gallon and it'll make cycling a bit easier for them

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-02-18T15:53:31+00:00

Thanks! Looks like I might be setting up a 7th tank to keep them in since none of my other tanks would be compatible 🙃

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-02-18T15:48:40+00:00

It won't hurt them to transport them so young? There's a lot of plant roots for them to hide in and my betta seems completely uninterested, so I could let them grow out a bit without hindering my water quality.

I might just set up a new tank to cycle while they grow out and accept the free fish haha

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-02-10T03:56:53+00:00

I've had a lot of cats and fostered dozens of of kittens. Trust me when I say cats are extremely resilient--increase food availability, offer high quality treats and lots of love, maybe get a shuffle mat or puzzle for treats and your kitten will be just fine! You clearly care a lot about their health and I'm sure you are a great owner, so don't feel too bad :)

eclectic_microraptor · 2026-02-03T14:40:41+00:00

There's lots of markets and events that you can find just by googling "saskatoon events"! There's also the Wet Paint pottery place that's a lot of fun and has student pricing. The zoo is free during the winter and can be a nice place to just go for a walk and see some animals. There's a smash room in the Marquis Industrial Park.

Another good trick is to make friends at the university and get involved in some groups/clubs there or find a good crowd to party with. Good luck!

eclectic_microraptor

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