Kelsey J.R.P. Byers

@plantpollinator.bsky.social

4433 Followers 2187 Following

Pollination & floral scent evolution; group leader, John Innes Centre (UK). Birds, bugs, cats, tea, &c. Any pronouns, asexual, agender, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / POTS / ADHD / autistic / associated stuff. Majority time wheelchair human. Posts mine, no AI.

A male Mallard coming into eclipse plumage swims in open water, seen from the side. This duck has a yellow bill, iridescent green head, and a mottled tan and brown wings and body. There is a white patch near its tail.
The wings of a dead male Purple Hairstreak butterfly sit on a white person's hand. The left side is the upper wing, which is black with a purple iridescent patch. The right side shows the lower wing surface, which is grey with white lines and an orange circle with a black dot. There is a subtle 'tail' on the edge of the hindwing.
A Red Admiral - a large butterfly with black wings with red bands and white dots perches with wings partially spread on a hairy pink inflorescence of Hemp-Agrimony, with green leaves and a second inflorescence in bud in the background. The butterfly's tongue is out and it is feeding on nectar.
A Banded Burdock Fly sits in an extremely close up shot on a partially visible flower head of Great Burdock. The flower head is wooly on the left and purple on the right; the left side has hooked hairs. The Fly is yellowish green with large red and green eyes, small yellow antennae, and banded yellow and black wings held away from her body. Her long brown and black ovipositor protrudes from her rear.
A black and yellow hoverfly is perched on some dead grass stems partially hidden underneath some green grass stems. This hoverfly is black overall with a large head and eyes (partially hidden), a black thorax with yellow side stripes, yellow legs, and a black abdomen with triangular yellow marks and interrupted bands further down.
A small bee is seen perched on a flower of Ragwort. The flower is yellow with long ray florets surrounding a cluster of spiky disc florets. The bee is black and slightly shiny with a large head, with lines across her abdomen and wings folded across her back. The underside of her abdomen is heavily coated in bright yellow pollen.
A large mining bee is seen foraging on a flower of Ragwort. The flower is a yellow daisy-like flower with ray florets and spiky disc florets. The bee is black overall with red markings on her abdomen and very fluffy pale-haired hing tibiae for collecting pollen. Her wings are folded over her back and she is seen from the side.
A somewhat gross-looking potential owl pellet is seen against a beige and black tile. The pellet is oval and one end is whitish while the other is dark brown with visible bits of small greyish bones.
A small black bee is seen on a yellow Ragwort flower against a green backdrop. The bee has a huge head, the full width of its thorax and abdomen, and long black antennae, with three ocelli clearly seen. The thorax and abdomen are clearly separated and are black, and its transparent wings are folded above the abdomen. Thin blackish legs are seen.
A Syritta pipiens hoverfly stands on a yellow flower of Jacobaea vulgaris (Ragwort). The fly has a large head with big red eyes, a black and grey thorax, and a spotted black, orange, and grey abdomen. Its clear wings are held above its abdomen. The front two pairs of legs are yellow and thin, while the back pair is yellow and black with a very thick femur which has several black spines on it.
A tiny ladybug is seen from above standing on a blue floor with black spots. The ladybug has a pair of reddish-orange wing covers (elytra) over its abdomen with black spots and a white thorax with more black spots. The photo is blurry.
A small hoverfly stands perched on a yellow Ragwort flower with its wings folded above its back. The flower has ray and disc florets and is shaped like a daisy but all yellow. The fly's head is dominated by large reddish eyes. The thorax is brassy black with some furry hairs on it. The abdomen is long and thin and black with yellow patches. The mid and rear legs are thin and black, but the front leg has odd patches of thick hairs. The face is dusted greyish and topped with two bulbous antennae.
A small black moth with rounded wings (hindwings partially hidden beneath the forewings) and very fluffy or feathery antennae perches on a piece of woven tan or whitish fabric.
A female adult Mute Swan is seen swimming in open water with her five grey fluffy cygnets (chicks). She has a fully white body and long curved neck with a black face and orange beak. Her cygnets are a pale fluffy grey with black beaks and legs and are in a variety of postures, with one partially hidden behind the adult.
A Grey Heron stands at the border between a green reedbed and water, with its legs partially submerged. This large water bird has a long beak which currently holds a fish partway down, a yellow eye, and a white head with a black eye stripe. The neck is long and white with black spots. Its back and wings are medium grey with some black on the wings, and the legs are long with knobby knees.
A set of cut flowers of Linaria purpurea inside a house. There are multiple floral spikes with only the foreground one in focus. At the bottom are dying purple flowers, then in the middle of the spike are medium purple flowers, and towards the tip are white to light purple flowers. The buds at the very tip are not yet open.
A large brown moth is seen perched on glass with its wings spread wide and flat so the hindwings are visible. The legs are long and striped tan and brown. The wings are large and slightly rounded, with tan and brown patterning and black dots at various places and around the edge of both pairs of wings.
A schematic diagram for a scarf: The final design for the flag, without number measurements but to scale. The horizontal rectangle for the scarf (which has a black outline, along with lines between each colour and between the two halves that will not be present in the final scarf) is very wide and is split into two halves widthwise. The left half is the agender flag, which has seven lengthwise stripes, labelled with colour names in yellow (or black for the white stripes) text. From top to bottom, the colours are black, grey, white, green, white, grey, and black. The right half is the asexual flag, which has four lengthwise stripes, labelled with colour names as above. From top to bottom, the colours are black, grey, white, and purple.
A sampler of handspun wool yarn from various projects, arranged vertically to the viewer on a wood veneer floor. At the bottom is a rectangular knitted pad in light purple and dark red, then a small skein of light pink and hot pink, then a small skein of red and white, then a top whorl drop spindle and cardboard tube with thin white single ply wool on, then a larger skein of white yarn tied with blue yarn, then a larger skein of brown yarn tied with red yarn.
A Wood Tiger Moth rests on a white person's finger in front of a complex but mostly brown and out of focus background. This large moth, about 2 inches long, is white with many small black spots on its wings, which are held roof-like above its black and white striped abdomen. The thorax and head are white with black spots and very furry. A long yellowish tube - the aedeagus - is sticking out of the end of its abdomen, which is bent down.
A wide-angle shot of Common Toadflax seen against a blue sky. The flowers in the foreground are in focus and the majority in the background are blurred. The plants have pale yellow and bright orange flowers in clusters on the end of long green stems with long leaves.
A Cormorant swims in open water with a blurry reed between it and the camera. This large water bird is solid black with a long neck poking out of the water which ends in a black head with a white and orange cheek patch. Its long hooked bill is upright, holding water weeds.
A scientific figure from a research paper. There are six different family tree (phylogenetic) arrangements (topologies) surrounding a pie chart with six pie slices in different colors. The largest pie slice is 33% of genes, the next 18%, then 16%, 9%, 9%, and 15%.
A screenshot of a reply to a tweet by Richard Dawkins from 30 December 2022. The replier is Elon Musk, who writes "The woke mind virus is penetrating the firewalls of some of the world's smartest meat computers at a prodigious rate!"
A screenshot of a tweet by Richard Dawkins reading "American Naturalist used to be a great journal. Very sad. How could they sink so low?" above a screenshot of a paper titled "Discussions of the “not so fit”: how ableism limits diverse thought and investigative potential in evolutionary biology" with myself as third author. The edges of the paper screenshot are cut off by the phone screen edges.
A large scarab beetle crawls across a concrete step edge. This beetle has a grey head and thorax and brown elytra or wing covers covered with grey hairs. Most obvious are its lamellate or stacked plate like antennae, which are light brown and slightly fanned out to show their structure.
A white person's hand is holding a toilet paper cardboard tube with yarn wrapped around it in front of a green fabric surface. The yarn is a "barber pole" color with alternating stripes of hot pink and light pink and is fairly consistent in how wide it is across the wrappings around the tube.
A small ball of striped light purple and dark red yarn is held in a white person's open hand with a tan tiled floor in the distance. The yarn is of variable widths, some very thick and fluffy and some smaller and cord-like.
A Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle is seen crawling on a greyish brown stick with some greyish green leaves in the foreground and background, some blurry. This small beetle has a white and black head and thorax and her wing covers (elytra) are red with many small round black spots. On her back are four or five visible slightly tufted pale green cone-like structures.
A Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle is seen crawling on a greyish brown stick with some greyish green leaves in the foreground and background, some blurry. This small beetle has a white and black head and thorax and her wing covers (elytra) are red with many small round black spots. On her back are four visible slightly tufted pale green cone-like structures.
A stand of Wood Forget-Me-Not is seen close up. There are a lot of green leaves in the picture and dotted around the entire photo are clusters of small pale blue flowers - a similar color to the sky - with yellow centers and five petals.
An adult Moorhen hops or climbs over a wooden path edge between two muddy areas. This chicken sized bird is black with a brown back and a white stripe separating them, a black and white tail, long greenish yellow legs with very long toes, and a bright red and yellow bill.
A Cucumber Spider sits on a piece of weathered grey wood. This spider has a large round abdomen that is bright green with a white edge and black dots. Her medium length legs are a translucent green and her cephalothorax (head part) is translucent greenish brown with a red stripe. She has six visible eyes.
An adult Egyptian Goose and some goslings are seen on a grassy field, partially obscured by blurry grass stems. The adult goose is light brown and rich reddish brown in color, with a black tail. The goslings are fluffy and mottled in dark brown and cream, and are mostly sitting or lying down in the grass.
A Common Redshank stands on a wooden post in front of open water. This medium shorebird or wader has long red legs and a long red and black bill. Its body is mottled brown, grey, and white, and it has a large shining black eye.
A male Holly Blue butterfly perches on a green leaf. This pale butterfly is seen with its wings partially closed, giving us a view of top and bottom sides both. Its wing tops are shining silvery blue with black edges. The wing bottoms are silvery grey with black spots. The eyes are large and black. The antennae and legs are white with black rings and the antennae have long black tips.
A Common Whitethroat songbird sits on top of a leafy branch against blue sky, seen from the side. This small bird has a brown back, tan chest and belly, white throat, and grey head. It has its beak open pictured mid song.
A Eurasian Jay sits on a lichen-covered branch of a tree in front of a blurry background. The tree has small leaves coming out of its stems. The bird is a large songbird, mostly tan in color, with black and white wings with a blue speckled stripe on the wing. Its face is white with a black moustachial stripe and a stubby black bill. We see it from the side with its head parallel to the body.
A male Syrphus hoverfly stands on a bright yellow Marsh Marigold flower above green leaves. This fly has big red eyes that meet at the forehead, a brassy thorax with some reflective shine, and a boldly patterned black and yellow abdomen. The two transparent wings are held apart from the body.
A white person's hand with some blue tape on it holds an ivy leaf with a papery whitish brown empty butterfly chrysalis stuck to it which is torn at the bottom. The chrysalis is held on at its top by a cone of darker brown material ending in a silk pad attached to the leaf.
A Zebra Jumping Spider is seen walking along a red brick wall, very zoomed in. This spider has a long black and white and grey striped abdomen and a spotted black and white cephalothorax (head plus thorax), with long vaguely striped legs that are hard to tell apart from the brick texture.
A female Red Mason Bee is seen standing in front of a hole in a red brick wall. This medium size bee is very furry, with a wide black head, black thorax with brown hairs, and a thickly furred abdomen with orange-red hairs. Her translucent wings are held somewhat apart from her body and she has long black antennae.
An adult Speckled Wood butterfly rests perched on some green and purple grasses partly hidden by green ferns with divided leaves. This butterfly has four visible wings, all a rich dark chocolate brown, and the wings have whitish tan spots on them, some of which have black spots inside them with a white spot in the center of the black spot.
A bright green leaf-shaped butterfly pupa or chrysalis hangs from underneath a dark green trilobed Ivy leaf. The chrysalis has a wing-shaped panel with some fine veining and three yellow spots on its upper left.
One and a half daffodil flowers are seen in front of a fake ivy hedge, surrounded by long thin green daffodil and crocus leaves. These flowers have six pastel yellow petals with white bases evenly spaced around the stem. In front of the petals is a ruffled white corona or crown.
A raised garden bed full of colorful blooming tulips is seen in front of a brick wall covered in a fake ivy lattice. The tulips have long strappy green leaves and are next to a Columbine plant with frilly green leaves. The tulips are closed with their petals tightly wrapped. The petals are very colorful - some tulips are red and yellow, some yellow and red, others pink, and others white with red stripes or red edges.
A pair of small ants fights over an ant larva among gravelly soil in this macro photograph. The top ant is bright yellowish brown and has long mandibles or jaws, which she is using to hold a long white ridged larva. The bottom ant is dark brown to black, almost invisible against the soil, and is also trying to bite into the larva to drag it away.
An adult Crane flies against a bluish-grey sky, seen from slightly behind and to the side. This large bird has very long outstretched wings with curved edges and a very long neck and is overall bluish grey in color. Its long grey legs and feet are stretched out behind it. The neck is black and its head is red, white, and black with a long bill.
A Dunnock sits on the top of a thorny bramble stem with fresh green leaves in front of a blue-grey sky. This small drab songbird is brown and grey with a shining black eye and a pointy black beak.
Three Coltsfoot blossoms are seen in front of a wood plank. These strange flowers have long yellow narrow ray florets set around a central yellow bunch of disc florets, and the ray florets are partly closed around the central disc. The stems are a furry greenish purple with no visible leaves.
A close-up shot of a Gorse bush that is in the last stages of flowering. The vegetation is a greyish green and very stabby and sharp looking, with long stems with thorn-like leaves. The flowers are oval from the side and bright yellow, and some small furry fruits are seen too.
A large queen bumble bee, Bombus terrestris, is seen foraging on Gorse flowers against a clear blue sky. The bee is large and black with yellow stripes and a buff-colored end of the abdomen, and is perched on the Gorse flowers with wings folded along her back. The flowers are bright yellow pea- or butterfly-shaped flowers with spiky green vegetation between them.
A Common Snipe shorebird or wader is seen eating an earthworm. The bird is standing on a grassy bank above open water. It is brown with tan strips along its back, a white stomach, and bold stripes on the face. The bill is very long and is partly open at the end, enclosing a pink wriggling earthworm.
A bright green butterfly chrysalis or pupa is seen from the side hidden under a dark green Ivy leaf. The chrysalis is opaque and has a large wing-shaped region. To the left of this, at the left edge of the chrysalis, is a pair of pale green spots.
A Eurasian Coot strides across grass and dirt. This odd bird has a grey body, black head, and thick greenish grey legs ending in oddly lobed long toes. The bill is pointy and white and it has a white shield on its forehead and red eyes.
A Common Gull strides across a sandy beach. This gull is white with medium grey wings with black tips, greyish green legs and bill, a lightly speckled head, and a black eye. There is a vertical dark stripe about one third up the bill from the tip.
A very long, narrow photo showing a stretch of open water. The outsides of the image are filled with dark greyish brown Greylag Geese and the centre of the image focuses on a large flock of white Eurasian Spoonbills, most asleep with heads tucked, standing on their thick black legs in the water.
A Common Wood-Pigeon sits on a nest made of medium sized sticks in front of a green leafy background. Only the breast and head of the bird are visible. The bird is a greyish pink color with a black eye, yellow beak, and a white patch at the base of the beak.
The stem and leaves of Marsh Sow Thistle are seen against a green leafy background. The stem is thick and robust and the leaves are long and strap-like with a narrow cross-section and distinct saw-toothed edges.
Galls of the Common Spangle Gall Wasp are seen on the underside of a green oak leaf with prominent veins. The galls are small, round and reddish brown, with a raised bright green centre.