Paula Whyman
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paulawhyman.bsky.social
Paula Whyman
@paulawhyman.bsky.social
4.8K followers 770 following 800 posts
Author, BAD NATURALIST: One Woman's Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop, Jan 2025 from Timber Press/Hachette. Website: https://paulawhyman.com Newsletter: https://badnaturalistnewsletter.beehiiv.com/
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paulawhyman.bsky.social
Waking the fire break
Looking down a steep incline surrounded by golden meadow on left and woods on right. Person in red in distance is walking up. Looking up a steep incline on bulldozed fire line. Person and dog look tiny in distance at the top of the hill. Both wear blaze orange.
November 30, 2025 at 2:48 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
Whose fur is this? It's a few inches long. My first guess was skunk but I idk.
🌿
Appears to be a detached clump of very straight bright white fur. Found in the dirt on a bulldozed fire break.
November 29, 2025 at 10:29 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
My contribution to Secular Pie Thursday-- rustic classic apple pie. @duchessgoldblatt.bsky.social
Nubbly looking double crust pie seen from above. Uneven edges and surface with a W made out of dough in the middle.
November 27, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by Paula Whyman
lesliepwriter.bsky.social
I loved this book...so funny and I learned a lot about native plants (but not in a learn-y way).
paulawhyman.bsky.social Paula Whyman @paulawhyman.bsky.social · 6d
Books make great gifts! Maybe you know someone who'd enjoy Bad Naturalist, a tale of my attempts to bring native meadows back to a 200-acre mountaintop when I didn't know anything about plants, plus I'm a terrible gardener--but other than that it went great!
🌿 #books (thx @lollardfish.bsky.social!)
Bad Naturalist book cover floating on a gray background with colorful drawings of wrapped gifts around it. Text going up the left-hand outer edge of the book cover says "Doug Tallamy calls it "humorous and thoroughly engaging". The same gray background with colorful wrapped gifts, scattered around and black text in the center "As featured in…" followed by a list in red: the Washington Post, Garden and Gun, Margaret Roach's "a way to garden" podcast, the Joe Gardener show, the revelator. And then underneath that list in black: "plus is a finalist for the Reed Environmental Writing Award"
November 26, 2025 at 9:58 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
Books make great gifts! Maybe you know someone who'd enjoy Bad Naturalist, a tale of my attempts to bring native meadows back to a 200-acre mountaintop when I didn't know anything about plants, plus I'm a terrible gardener--but other than that it went great!
🌿 #books (thx @lollardfish.bsky.social!)
Bad Naturalist book cover floating on a gray background with colorful drawings of wrapped gifts around it. Text going up the left-hand outer edge of the book cover says "Doug Tallamy calls it "humorous and thoroughly engaging". The same gray background with colorful wrapped gifts, scattered around and black text in the center "As featured in…" followed by a list in red: the Washington Post, Garden and Gun, Margaret Roach's "a way to garden" podcast, the Joe Gardener show, the revelator. And then underneath that list in black: "plus is a finalist for the Reed Environmental Writing Award"
November 26, 2025 at 9:24 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
There is no Thanksgiving without the Tacky Turkey.
Turkey made from brown, black, and ivory yarn woven over a plastic turkey form. Like a craft from the 1970s and it probably is. On a table set with a burgundy tablecloth, white dishes and cloth napkins in background.
November 26, 2025 at 8:50 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
This yellow garden spider sits on my package box day and night like a sentry. I wonder how the UPS guy feels about it.
🌿
Spider with very long legs that are yellow and black and a body that is bright yellow with black markings including the legs it's probably 3 inches long. This is a close-up, but it's clinging to the side of a tan box for package deliveries.
November 24, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Paula Whyman
drjamesehansen.bsky.social
Warning! This colorful chart is censored by IPCC - mailchi.mp/caa/warning-...
Also available on Substack: jimehansen.substack.com/p/warning-th...
November 21, 2025 at 3:33 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
I'm thrilled to say that Bad Naturalist has been named a finalist for the Reed Environmental Writing Award! A nonfiction book & a journalism winner will be chosen for "literary excellence & extraordinary insight into the South’s natural treasures & environmental challenges."
🌿 @selc.bsky.social
Meet the 2026 Phil Reed Environmental Writing Award finalists
The Southern Environmental Law Center is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2026 Phillip D. Reed Environmental Writing Award. Presented each year, the Reed Award celebrates writers who achieve ...
www.selc.org
November 19, 2025 at 2:19 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
Oh, just picking invasive ladybugs out of the bathtub. As one does.
🌿
November 17, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by Paula Whyman
thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social
Looking for examples of important national parks research that's been paused during the shutdown — especially long-term monitoring or projects with big stakes that now must contend w data gaps. Any ideas/examples? 🌲⛰️🐟
November 10, 2025 at 6:51 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
Do this!
You can rake the leaves to the edges of the lawn if you want, or rake them into a bed where you have other plants or trees. Larvae of pollinators overwinter in those leaves. If you remove the leaves, you will also be removing the pollinators that help your plants reproduce.
wretcheddog.bsky.social Noodle eating poodle @wretcheddog.bsky.social · Nov 3
Alternatively you can leave the leaves. They provide habitat for ground dwelling pollinators
November 9, 2025 at 8:24 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
Just fixed up my late uncle's old banjo uke. Now I just have to figure out how to play it.
A hand and forearm holding a red banjo-shaped ukelele. Has a red neck and a red resonator on the back. In the background is a normal size acoustic guitar case.
November 8, 2025 at 8:41 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree NP
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A lovely Joshua tree, well shaped crown, healthy. Standing in a desert landscape with a mountain in the distance and a deep blue sky in the background.
November 6, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by Paula Whyman
acyn.bsky.social
Spanberger: My fellow Virginians, tonight we sent a message…
November 5, 2025 at 1:43 AM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
Happy Halloween, quoth the raven
Raven with its beak open appearing to look at its shadow, in an asphalt parking lot
November 1, 2025 at 1:57 AM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
The new issue of the Bad Naturalist newsletter is here, and it has goats! And sheep! And monarchs! And hoverflies! And a poodle!
🌿 #nature
Mountain Goated
badnaturalistnewsletter.beehiiv.com
October 25, 2025 at 1:43 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
"Honey, does this Ring camera make me look fat?" I definitely did not say
October 24, 2025 at 7:27 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
Small town near me is putting on The Emperor's New Clothes for their holiday play this year. Wouldn't it be a shame if small towns and cities across the country all decided to put on that same play in December? A propos of nothing.
October 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
A poodle face for you.
Silver standard poodle, close-up of shining eyes and long snout. She's looking plaintively at me as if there is something she wants.
October 24, 2025 at 12:07 AM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
No Kings rally in tiny Flint Hill, VA!
#nokings
In the foreground, a person dressed as a king and wearing a Trump mask is dancing and waving a plunger as a scepter. Behind them, the street is lined with people, holding signs and flags.
October 18, 2025 at 7:56 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
Just sitting on the sofa trying to read while stinkbugs helicopter above my head. As one does.
#autumninVirginia #ahthewondersofnature
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October 17, 2025 at 1:36 AM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
If you're in rural Virginia, I highly recommend The Rural Angle.
newruralvirginia.substack.com?utm_campaign...
The Rural Angle | New Rural Virginia | Substack
New Rural Virginia is a 501(c)(4) that analyzes and advocates for prosperity and economic freedom in the rural communities of Virginia. Click to read The Rural Angle, by New Rural Virginia, a Substack...
newruralvirginia.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 4:41 PM
paulawhyman.bsky.social
northernvirginiamag.com/home/2025/10...
Swap Invasive Plants in Your Yard for These Native Alternatives
Are these invasive plants creeping in your back yard? Here's how to remove and replace them with native alternatives.
northernvirginiamag.com
October 10, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by Paula Whyman
carlzimmer.com
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
October 8, 2025 at 11:29 PM