Here is my dog very patiently waiting where I tell her while I leave to go look for #birds.

My #birdoftheday is a gorgeous Snowy x Little Egret I saw this past weekend. Didn't realize it wasn't a typical Snowy until someone on @inaturalist.bsky.social pointed out that it was likely a hybrid, based on plumage and lore color. #birding #hybrid #egret

I present, the magnificent neckbird #birdoftheday

All of my other attempted warbler photography has so far been frustrating and fruitless, so I was elated to find a group of Palm Warblers this misty morning who were NOT hopping around the tops of trees and sat still for a second! #birding #warblers #springmigration #birds

I just uploaded my 1000th observation on @inaturalist.bsky.social and am approaching ten years since my first! Since then, I've lived in 5 different states. Much has changed, but one constant is my love for connecting with my environment through learning about the life I share it with. #inaturalist

Today's #birdoftheday is this Bohemian Waxwing I saw yesterday! After hearing a few small groups in the neighborhood throughout the week, a photo or even a good look at one still eluded me. Then I came across this lone fellow on a trail, separated from his flock. New #lifer for me! #birding #birds

While successes and public opinions have varied, the significance of plant engineering efforts in recent decades are undeniable. I've illustrated three notable examples here for HudsonAlpha: Rainbow papayas, golden rice, and Bt corn #biotech #illustration #sciart #engineering #editorial

A moment of peace for you feat. Green Bean #nature #calm #dog

Suns out, birds out. Finally got some bird feeders and ready to work while I bird. Just kidding I got almost no work done. But I did see a lot of chickadees! #birdoftheday #birding

“This back and forth of federal protection for a clearly imperiled species whose conservation status is very much in doubt is shameful, and it is not how the Endangered Species Act is supposed to work,” said Jason Rylander, senior attorney for the Center.

Unlike microbes that easily take up DNA, engineering plants requires first getting through their cell walls. Gene guns literally shoot plant tissue with nanoparticles covered in DNA, and Agrobacterium, a plant pathogen, acts as a trojan horse to the sneak DNA inside. For HudsonAlpha #plants #science

Met this Northern Mockingbird yesterday. After his lady friend flew off, he noticed my dog and I hanging around. He moved to a branch where we could see him and put on a lovely mimic show just for us! It was so quiet, I don't think anyone else was meant to hear it. #birding #maine #birdoftheday

Rewriting the genetic code of plants to help solve big agricultural problems. An illustration for the #HudsonAlpha Institute for the Everyday DNA blog. #editorial #illustration #scientificillustration #genetics

Made some illustrations for the #HudsonAlpha Institute for their blog Everyday DNA. Title image for March focusing on the theme of "Molecular Metamorphosis". The post discusses plant gene editing and the work that HudsonAlpha does using these technologies. #editorial #illustration #biotechnology

Friday sunset on Mackworth. #maine #nature

The more she wants a taste of something, the longer she gets. #sploot #dogsofbluesky

Green Bean aka Beandog #dog

Was very lucky to run into a few monarchs on Mackworth Island this morning. I haven't seen them since I was a child in California, during their annual migration, had no idea they made it to the East Coast. Was surprised by how large they are up close! #butterflies #maine #insects

Spicy bee post: Caught two Eastern bumblebees 69ing! #bees #entomology #insects #pollinators #maine

New back cover out this week in @greenchemistry.rsc.org for Lahiru Jayakody et al. at SIU Carbondale. P. putida was engineered to efficiently convert caffeine to 7-MX, a compound for treating myopia. #greenchemistry #metabolicengineering #biochemistry #microbiology #scientificillustration

Pollinator party! Came across this incredible patch of goldenrod covered in all sorts of wasps, bees, and flies. Spent about 10 minutes just watching them do their thing and lost track of how many different species I could tell apart. #insects #entomology #pollinators #bees #nativeplants

Awoke from a nightmare this morning that the forest I live in went silent because the outdoor cats killed every single chipmunk and bird.

A gorgeous giant red oak tucked away in the middle of Mackworth Island. Every time I visit this magnificent tree I take a moment to contemplate how differently it must experience time and everything it's lived through. Anyone know how old it might be? #trees #quercus #ecology #forests #nature

PSA: Do not save your PSD if you think the power will go out soon...If it goes out *while* saving it irrevocably corrupts the file with no backup 🙃 #adobe #photoshop #woopshahaoopsiesmybad #theregoesaweeksworthofwork #theregoesmyweekendtoo

Zeolites are SO COOL! Loved exploring their beautiful geometry for this. Cover from January illustrating #catalysis of furans to a jet fuel precursor, from Morais group at KU, published in @acs.org Industrial & Engineering Research. #scientificillustration #chemistry #zeolites #journalcover #noAI

Here's some psychedelic Pseudomonas for you on this Psunday. From a journal cover WIP, having fun with material nodes to try and replicate how I'd shade a 2D illustration. #blender #bacteria #microbiology #sciart

Oh the incredible irony of using an AI generated cover for this featuring a non-existent molecule that does not conform to any laws of #chemistry. Visual #misinformation is still scientific misinformation - hire a human scientific illustrator instead! #noAI

Visited Kansas City, MO over the weekend. Surprisingly lovely weather and city. Saw lots of very interesting bugs and plants but here are two of my faves - Eastern carpenter bee the size of my thumb and a beautiful Chlorion wasp! #bugs #bees #entomology #insects @inaturalist.bsky.social

A recent cover I did for #ChemCatChem from @chemistryeurope.bsky.social on supercritical fluids as reaction media for #plastic #recycling. Had to familiarize myself with fluid simulations in #Blender, but I think it paid off! Read the paper here: buff.ly/A0Hiu4l #catalysis #scientificillustration

I've found @inaturalist.bsky.social is a wealth of amazing reference images for natural illustration. I get to learn about new taxa and get high quality photos without having to sift through irrelevant garbage like on Google images. Here's a recent painting of mine of a blue Linckia starfish.

Hi, I'm Rita! Designer turned scientist turned science illustrator. I have a background in biochemistry/molecular bio and I specialize in journal covers and technical figures. Here's some of my work from 2024 - see more at www.scivetica.com #science #scientificillustration #research #biotech #art