Jessica Castillo Vardaro

@jessicacv.bsky.social

1198 Followers 204 Following

Wildlife Biologist, Pika Enthusiast, Biology prof @ SJSU, Latina in STEM, she/her

Lab dog with a sign that reads yes to treats no to kings
Person in inflatable unicorn suit with sign reading “affordable healthcare is not a myth” next to an inflatable axolotl with a sign reading “axolotl questions about the epstein files”
A photo collage of a passionflower, a passionfruit, a jar of passionfruit juice, passion fruit jelly, chocolate truffles in prep, and a finished truffle. The final product is dark chocolate with gold powder outside, chocolate ganache and passionfruit jelly inside
Juvenile yellowbellied marmot poking its head out from under a rock
A man and a woman smile for the camera with protesters in the background. The woman’s shirt says no human being is illegal in english, spanish, and arabic
Screenshots of an email with the following text: From the Chancellor's Office March 28, 2025 Travel Advisory for Students, Staff and Faculty Dear Spartan Community, As we embark on Spring Break, we want to pass along the following information that we just received from our Chancellor’s Office regarding international travel for all CSU faculty, staff and students. If you have imminent international travel plans, please review the guidance below. The CSU has developed an advisory for distribution to all faculty, students and staff. The information below is included in the advisory. “Due to a marked increase in federal enforcement actions involving individuals entering or returning to the United States—particularly those traveling on visas—we [CSU] are issuing the attached guidance for all CSU faculty, staff and students considering international travel. Although there have been no changes to federal immigration law, enforcement activity has intensified. This trend could potentially impact individuals with a wide range of immigration statuses, including international students, visiting scholars, and other non-citizens affiliated with CSU campuses. The criteria being used in recent enforcement actions is simply not clear, and we are not able to predict their future actions. Therefore, the CSU strongly encourages all faculty, staff, and students to carefully assess the necessity of international travel at this time. The decision to travel outside the United States is personal, but the CSU advises all members of its community to proceed with extreme caution.” We wish everyone a safe and restful Spring Break and look forward to seeing our community back on campus soon.
County of Santa Clara I voted sticker
Screenshot of sf chronicle from today. It says: San Jose Mineta International Airport hit 106 degrees Wednesday, smashing the city’s previous October maximum temperature record — and well over Tuesday’s 100-degree reading. The only other triple-digit October day in San Jose’s history was Oct. 5, 1987, when the mercury hit 101 degrees. San Jose’s average Oct. 2 high temperature is 79 degrees.
Screenshot of weather app showing 102 degrees
8 shrunken styrofoam cups with various designs including a purple octopus, a red squid, and a pika
Video of a woman riding a bike with a blue buggy attached to the back. There is a small black and white dog sticking his head out the top of the buggy
A garden over run with wildflowers, dandelions, invasive grass, and other weeds
A black and tan chihuahua mix sitting on a white, fake wool pillow. It looks like it could be made from a wampa from Star Wars.
Chinese crested dog with long white hair on its head and a sleek grey hairless body
Screenshot of my phone screen showing 34 missed calls or voicemails
Screenshot of the Merlin bird app showing CA Towhee, northern mockingbird, Wilson’s warbler, CA thrasher, and CA scrub jay.
Mostly California native wildflowers growing wildly. Including monkeyflower, flax, Erigeron, California poppies, matilija poppies, clarkia, penstemon, a couple salvias, manzanita, and ceanothus
Star Wars Black Series action figure of the client from the mandalorian, as portrayed by Werner Herzog
A bush with bright purple flowers approximately 3 feet by 3 feet by 2 feet in volume. The flowers have deep tubes for bumblebees to crawl inside. There are a few hundred flowers
Small black and tan chihuahua terrier mix sitting outside looking back at the camera over his shoulder with a sad look on his face
A small black and tan chihuahua terrier mix is pressing his mouth against my lips. I’m resisting, but failing to avoid the kiss
Zuko pup, a small black dog, looking out the back door as rain is pouring down
An upside down artichoke mostly submerged in water with six earwigs and a large spider visible
Black and tan chihuahua mix lounging in the sun outside
Plush soot spright hanging from the mirror of a Subaru outback
Me on my back on the floor trying to stretch on a yoga mat. A black dog is sitting on top of me
A black and white chihuahua terrier mix sitting serenely in the sun
A black puppy laying across my stomach and thighs, preventing me from using my laptop
A bike with an air horn zip tied to the handle bars
Screenshot of comment with 69 likes
Zuko pup looking at the camera while on a purple blanket. He’s black with tan markings and eyebrows
Students with their backs to the front of the class. A full rainbow outside the window
Toilet with sign above that reads “non-potable water. Do not drink”
Gin n tonic with a splash of lavender infused vodka and a sprig of lavender
Batrachoseps attenuatus in the palm of my gardening glove
Screenshot of suggested emojis for the word bear. Includes: teddy bear, brown bear head, stock market graph, polar bear head, man with medium hair beard and mustache, man with long hair beard and mustache, man with short hair beard and mustache
Photo taken from inside a car of a tree that has fallen over and landed on top of a blue sedan on the side of the road
Screenshot of bluesky with an error message under Popular with Friends. Some kind of issue occurred when contacting the server
Screenshot of an email from the California faculty association saying Strike a Success!!! Pushed CSU Management to Settle
5 adults and one child in a stroller picketing with signs for the California Faculty Association union strike. It is raining so we are wearing rain gear and our signs are wrapped in plastic bags
Screenshot of the product website. It says “NOT FOR CONSUMPTION. Obviously.”
Photo of the inside of a mailbox with a postcard reminder from my optometrist with a large happy face on it. On the postcard is a spider slightly larger than a quarter
Trivial pursuit card. First question is what is the capital of Yugoslavia
Trail camera image of two squirrels mating
Trail cam image of a baby raccoon sitting on the ground looking cute
Zukopup laying on a blue blanket on my lap on the couch. He is a black and tan chihuahua mix
Screenshot of my timeline with a post by Erin Biba saying “I don’t know how my mom has made it this far in her life this sheltered she just asked me how to make s’mores” Below is a post by Ashley Fairbanks asking “have you ever roasted a peep?” With an image of a peep being roasted over a fire
Tesla cybertruck in a parking lot. It is hideous and ridiculous looking
Table covered in packages of tamales of various kinds. There is also some pan dulce on the far end of the table and a silly little dog doing a big stretch on the ground nearby
Zuko pup looking sad and awkward in a new fur lined blue puff coat
Menorah with two little candles on a fireplace next to some wooden giraffes
Zuko, a black and tan chihuahua mix, sits at the open sliding door looking very sad. There are a few small raindrops on the ground
Zuko, a black and tan chihuahua mix sitting under a desk with one ear up and one ear down
Zuko, a black and tan chihuahua mix, laying on the back of a black leather couch looking at the camera
Old fashioned in a glass with a cherry and orange peel
Image of Lego dude from the Lego movie with text saying “everything is awesome!” Except the “esome” has been replaced with “FUL”
Mural of a shark in San Jose CA by Nychos. It shows a shark with skeleton outside of the body and some internal organs. It is very good
Slinky dog toy, like from Toy Story. A slinky with the front and rear of a dachshund
Zuko, a black dog with tan markings and tan eyebrows rests his chin on blanket-covered knees. He is very cute