Dr Susannah Lydon
@susieoftraken.bsky.social
Palaeobotany | Scicomm | Associate Prof in Plant Science, Nottingham, UK | Vogon poet | Views my own | She/her
Last weekend was my oldest's 21st birthday, and for her party we had to come as someone from the last 5021 years.
Here's me as Mary Anning. You can tell I'm her because I'm holding vertebrae from a plesiosaur and an ichthyosaur.
#FossilFriday
Here's me as Mary Anning. You can tell I'm her because I'm holding vertebrae from a plesiosaur and an ichthyosaur.
#FossilFriday
November 28, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Last weekend was my oldest's 21st birthday, and for her party we had to come as someone from the last 5021 years.
Here's me as Mary Anning. You can tell I'm her because I'm holding vertebrae from a plesiosaur and an ichthyosaur.
#FossilFriday
Here's me as Mary Anning. You can tell I'm her because I'm holding vertebrae from a plesiosaur and an ichthyosaur.
#FossilFriday
Work environment currently depressing & batshit, but walked into the teaching lab to see that these specimens from the soon-to-disappear rock stores on another campus had been rescued. Cheered my heart a little.
November 27, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Work environment currently depressing & batshit, but walked into the teaching lab to see that these specimens from the soon-to-disappear rock stores on another campus had been rescued. Cheered my heart a little.
For #FossilFriday, here's a beautiful swirly Spirograptus. Graptolites are marine colonial animals which went extinct 320 million years ago, and their fossils often look like someone has been let loose with a pencil.
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid
⚒🌏🔬✏
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid
⚒🌏🔬✏
November 14, 2025 at 5:19 PM
For #FossilFriday, here's a beautiful swirly Spirograptus. Graptolites are marine colonial animals which went extinct 320 million years ago, and their fossils often look like someone has been let loose with a pencil.
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid
⚒🌏🔬✏
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid
⚒🌏🔬✏
Repost with an iconic fictional band (if you feel like it)
November 12, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Repost with an iconic fictional band (if you feel like it)
And my oldest found me an exact replacement for my favourite, very ragged NHM dinosaur dress.
November 8, 2025 at 11:51 AM
And my oldest found me an exact replacement for my favourite, very ragged NHM dinosaur dress.
Fossils in the fabric of the University of Nottingham: Carboniferous corals in the slabs outside the Trent Building, where Important People make decisions.
A bad week: the University has announced it is suspending the Plant Biology BSc course I lead, along with many other courses.
#FossilFriday
A bad week: the University has announced it is suspending the Plant Biology BSc course I lead, along with many other courses.
#FossilFriday
November 7, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Fossils in the fabric of the University of Nottingham: Carboniferous corals in the slabs outside the Trent Building, where Important People make decisions.
A bad week: the University has announced it is suspending the Plant Biology BSc course I lead, along with many other courses.
#FossilFriday
A bad week: the University has announced it is suspending the Plant Biology BSc course I lead, along with many other courses.
#FossilFriday
The Ginkgo which still has leaves outside Life Sci has hit PEAK YELLOW 💛
October 24, 2025 at 4:04 PM
The Ginkgo which still has leaves outside Life Sci has hit PEAK YELLOW 💛
DAY III of the Creation was Carboniferous coal swamps, according to James Bateman, who by 1862 had built an elaborate geological gallery at his home Biddulph Grange.
Cast of a 300 million year old Ulodendron fossil, a stem of a giant clubmoss tree bearing large round scars.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🌿🔬
Cast of a 300 million year old Ulodendron fossil, a stem of a giant clubmoss tree bearing large round scars.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🌿🔬
October 17, 2025 at 8:39 AM
DAY III of the Creation was Carboniferous coal swamps, according to James Bateman, who by 1862 had built an elaborate geological gallery at his home Biddulph Grange.
Cast of a 300 million year old Ulodendron fossil, a stem of a giant clubmoss tree bearing large round scars.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🌿🔬
Cast of a 300 million year old Ulodendron fossil, a stem of a giant clubmoss tree bearing large round scars.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🌿🔬
The stumpery at Biddulph Grange giving its all today
🌱🍄🪵🌱🍄🪵
🌱🍄🪵🌱🍄🪵
October 12, 2025 at 4:20 PM
The stumpery at Biddulph Grange giving its all today
🌱🍄🪵🌱🍄🪵
🌱🍄🪵🌱🍄🪵
A 300 million year old Sigillaria tree trunk, in front of a mural depicting those steamy Carboniferous coal swamp forests.
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🌿🔬
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🌿🔬
October 10, 2025 at 7:39 AM
A 300 million year old Sigillaria tree trunk, in front of a mural depicting those steamy Carboniferous coal swamp forests.
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🌿🔬
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🌿🔬
We had one! And were really confused when Morgus used one in The Caves of Androzani
October 3, 2025 at 3:36 PM
We had one! And were really confused when Morgus used one in The Caves of Androzani
A frond of Phlebopteris, a 230 million year old fern from the Late Triassic Chinle Formation, New Mexico/Arizona.
#FossilFriday #FernFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌿
#FossilFriday #FernFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌿
October 3, 2025 at 7:50 AM
A frond of Phlebopteris, a 230 million year old fern from the Late Triassic Chinle Formation, New Mexico/Arizona.
#FossilFriday #FernFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌿
#FossilFriday #FernFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌿
Today's teaching: for Year 1 Intro to Plant Science plant diversity, including the wonderful everyday weirdness of fern life cycles 💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿
October 2, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Today's teaching: for Year 1 Intro to Plant Science plant diversity, including the wonderful everyday weirdness of fern life cycles 💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿
October is here & so this is playing in my head 🖤
October 1, 2025 at 6:34 AM
October is here & so this is playing in my head 🖤
Today's teaching: insect evolution, for Year 2 Insect Biology module. Basically an excuse to talk about many arthropods from the fossil record, including two metre long arthropleurids scuttling through Carboniferous swamp forests.
September 30, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Today's teaching: insect evolution, for Year 2 Insect Biology module. Basically an excuse to talk about many arthropods from the fossil record, including two metre long arthropleurids scuttling through Carboniferous swamp forests.
300 million year old Neuropteris foliage, on display in Wollaton Hall, Nottingham's natural history museum.
Specimen is about 20cm across, locality is Clay Cross, Derbyshire.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌿
Specimen is about 20cm across, locality is Clay Cross, Derbyshire.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌿
September 26, 2025 at 9:17 AM
300 million year old Neuropteris foliage, on display in Wollaton Hall, Nottingham's natural history museum.
Specimen is about 20cm across, locality is Clay Cross, Derbyshire.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌿
Specimen is about 20cm across, locality is Clay Cross, Derbyshire.
#FossilFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌿
That's a yes
September 22, 2025 at 5:05 PM
That's a yes
Prepping for the start of this year's teaching this #FossilFriday, starting with a story about Ginkgo leaves which fell in an Autumn 160 million years ago, and how the microscopic details of those fossil leaves can tell us about climate change.
⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌲💚
⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌲💚
September 19, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Prepping for the start of this year's teaching this #FossilFriday, starting with a story about Ginkgo leaves which fell in an Autumn 160 million years ago, and how the microscopic details of those fossil leaves can tell us about climate change.
⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌲💚
⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌲💚
On Wednesdays We Wear Black 🖤
September 17, 2025 at 8:12 PM
On Wednesdays We Wear Black 🖤
100 million year old silicified conifer trunks from the Castrillo de la Reina Formation (Barremian/Aptian).
On display outside Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
#FossilFriday 🌏⚒🔬🧪🌲🌱
On display outside Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
#FossilFriday 🌏⚒🔬🧪🌲🌱
September 12, 2025 at 8:28 AM
100 million year old silicified conifer trunks from the Castrillo de la Reina Formation (Barremian/Aptian).
On display outside Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
#FossilFriday 🌏⚒🔬🧪🌲🌱
On display outside Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
#FossilFriday 🌏⚒🔬🧪🌲🌱
Saw this and thought of all those Marrella fossils with their black leaky stains
September 10, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Saw this and thought of all those Marrella fossils with their black leaky stains
A striking bilobed trace fossil, made by an animal meandering across an ancient sea floor, for this week's #FossilFriday.
The ichnogenus on the label is Taphrhelminthopsis & Eocene in age. What do think @ichnologist.bsky.social?
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
🌏⚒🔬🧪
The ichnogenus on the label is Taphrhelminthopsis & Eocene in age. What do think @ichnologist.bsky.social?
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
🌏⚒🔬🧪
September 5, 2025 at 5:56 PM
A striking bilobed trace fossil, made by an animal meandering across an ancient sea floor, for this week's #FossilFriday.
The ichnogenus on the label is Taphrhelminthopsis & Eocene in age. What do think @ichnologist.bsky.social?
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
🌏⚒🔬🧪
The ichnogenus on the label is Taphrhelminthopsis & Eocene in age. What do think @ichnologist.bsky.social?
On display in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid.
🌏⚒🔬🧪
Devil's fingers - Clathrus archeri - in some bark mulch at Sherwood Center Parcs
September 3, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Devil's fingers - Clathrus archeri - in some bark mulch at Sherwood Center Parcs