Anurag Agrawal
@anurag-asclepias.bsky.social
Evolutionary ecologist studying species interactions, plant chemistry, community ecology, and comparative biology. Author of Monarchs & Milkweed and Professor at Cornell University. Proud parent and friend.
prickly cucumber, Echinocystis lobata, one of our few native annuals, a vine with burr fruits, each with 2 watermelon-like seeds that disperse by gravity
I knew it was bird poop, and thought it was a decent caterpillar mimic... then was worried that I had it all wrong - who knew that chicks often excrete in a fecal sac that is discarded by the parents? thanks Scott and Jason
I am excited to announce a job for an Asst Prof in Plant Evolution in the dept. of Evolution and Ecology at @ucdavis.bsky.social. We're looking broadly, from macro (speciation, comparative genomics, evo-devo) to micro (pop biology, adaptive evolution, evo-eco). recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07777
recruit.ucdavis.edu
Parasitic arthropod (maybe?) on the tiger bee fly, the latter, a parasitoid of Carpenter bees #naturalhistory
Sandhills milkweed (Asclepias humistrata), setting seed earlier this month in the SRS Corridor Project fragmentation experiment, in South Carolina Endemic to the southeastern U.S. coastal plain, this might be my favorite milkweed. Look at those leaves!
Another early flowerer, Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) on the unrelated Cornell campus, a small Eurasian dogwood tree that produces edible red fruits in autumn; typically highly tannic until they fall on the ground. #springflowers
Hepatica acutiloba, sharp-lobed hepatica, (Ranunculaceae), one our first ephemerals, these in the flood plane forest next to 6-mile Creek in Ithaca
Open postdoc position in my lab at Cornell, conducting comparative and experimental studies on transcriptomic responses to diet and toxins, utilizing the milkweed-insect community. Background in molecular bio & herbivory desired. academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31867
Cornell University, CALS Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Job #AJO31867, WDR-00057721 Postdoctoral Associate, CALS Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, US
academicjobsonline.org
Prof. Juan Núñez Farfán and I are co-editing a special issue in the journal Insects, titled 🔴Evolutionary and Ecological Mechanisms of Plant Defense against Insects🔴. We are looking for original work that explores the links between plant defense and insect herbivory! Please see more details below!
mdpi.com
www.sciencemagazinedigital.org/sciencemagaz...
Science Magazine - Increasing applied pesticide toxicity trends counteract the global reduction target to safeguard biodiversity
Global biodiversity is threatened by many anthropogenic activities (1-6), including the use of toxic chemicals, such as agricultural pesticides (7-9).
sciencemagazinedigital.org
Flatbacked #millipede I think, cruising unmolested amidst this #ant colonynon the move in Costa Rica. A #parasite, I guess?
Watch the Extraordinary Caterpillar film trailer! homegrownnationalpark.org/extraordinar...
The Extraordinary Caterpillar - Doug Tallamy - Homegrown National Park
Join us for a special video presentation of What's the Rush from Doug Tallamy of Homegrown National Park to learn how biodiversity is declining,
homegrownnationalpark.org
www.cornellsun.com/article/2025...
AGRAWAL | Tar, Traffic and the Butterfly's Silent Scream
Opinion Columnist Professor Agrawal argues that America’s dependence on roads and cars inflicts silent ecological harm and that investment in rail, via the “All Aboard Act” currently being considered ...
cornellsun.com
Cardenolide toxin diversity impacts monarch butterfly growth and sequestration doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Cardenolide toxin diversity impacts monarch butterfly growth and sequestration
doi.org
Oak Galls Exhibit Ant Dispersal Convergentwith Myrmecochorous Seeds par.nsf.gov/servlets/pur...
par.nsf.gov
Earlier on the expedition we found the most beautiful flower, and here, my friends, is the biggest: Rafflesia arnoldi seen in full bloom today in the Sumatran jungle. This is the largest flower on earth and one of the greatest wonders of the natural world.
#Monarch #butterfly tagging advances in the NY Times, they are arriving in #Mexico www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
We Can Now Track Individual Monarch Butterflies. It’s a Revelation.
nytimes.com
A mentor, Spencer Barrett, and mentee, Marc Johnson - 20 years apart
Part of a large patch of Devil's Fingers fungus (aka Octopus Stinkhorn) in Rye, East Sussex. I smelt them before I saw them. An intense bouquet of rotting flesh to attract insects that then help spread spores. Brilliant! @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #fungi #mycology #UKwildlife
The wooly bear, or #Isabella tiger #moth #caterpillar, Pyrrharctia isabella, still looking for overwintering spots on warm days. I'm still collecting them for research. Many years ago I became allergic to the hairs, a painful reminder of my love gone sour: agrawal.eeb.cornell.edu/2018/11/24/c...
By popular demand, I'm offering "More #MONARCHS - No #Monarchy!" shirts and mugs at cost (no profit, just joy). Spread the word, decent quality for <$20 monarchs.printful.me #NoKings #butterfly #peace #naturalhistory #plantinsect
🕷️ Britain’s craziest creature? Meet Megabunus diadema — a harvestman with eyes on a spiky turret! Not a spider, but part of its own Order: Opiliones. Learn more in our UK Harvestmen webinar on 5 Feb 2026: 🔗 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1720584467... @britishspiders.bsky.social @megabunus.bsky.social
I am an author being overwhelmed by emails from people offering their services to promote my new book. This is a brand new problem, and I do not have an agent or publicist to sift through the offers. Help? #writingcommunity #authors
