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palaeojules.bsky.social
Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿
@palaeojules.bsky.social
7.1K followers 1.4K following 910 posts
British Palaeobotanist, palaeobotanical illustrator and consultant, currently researching Mesozoic plants.
🌿Commissions and consulting open!🌿
BSc, MRes, PGR Student at OU
(she/her)🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈
patreon.com/JulianneKiely
https://palaeoflora.blogspot.com/
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palaeojules.bsky.social
Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿 @palaeojules.bsky.social · Dec 29
Art vs Artist!
2024 has been a great art year for me, but has been incredibly important for other reasons too! I started HRT, got my name changed, worked as a fulltime artist for the first time, had art published in multiple papers and I've probably been happier than ever before! #ArtvsArtist2024
a square image broken up into 9 squares divided by thin black lines. From top left to bottom right. a watercolour pencil drawing of two red confuciusornis feathers in amongst the leaves and branches of a ginkgo tree. A cockroack with dark spots on its back crawling across some moss. The fiddlehead of a fern, with glosssy shiny pinnules enclosing the centre. A sinosauropteryx holding the transfem flag, with a trans coloured striped tail. A photo of me, smiling slightly and looking upwards while leaning my chin on my hand, which is in a fluffy fingerless mitten. A small bird mid-flapping, its wings outsretched up. A conical yellw tree with some close ups of the branches and its cone. the light dragon from tears of the kingdom flying up through a sunset sky. clusters of long serrated leaves growing from several curved stems.
palaeojules.bsky.social
Yes, this!!!
While Mark's talking about restoring #invertebrates in this thread, everything he says is EXACTLY the same with plants.

#Palaeoartists aren't disinterested in inverts or #plants or #fish, there just aren't any (or many) accessible resources on them. #paleobotany #paleoart #sciart
markwitton.bsky.social Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social · 1d
I feel this is a major factor in why certain groups - select Mesozoic reptiles and mammals - are so popular in paleoart. It's not just that these clades are charismatic and popular, there's a wealth of resources produced by professionals and amateurs attempting to explain their basic anatomy.
November 24, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿
pdpolly.bsky.social
Leicester's Palaeontology program has a long track record including discovery that conodonts were vertebrates, graduates who are Fellows of the Royal Society, innovative researchers, and a growing body of undergraduate students.
c.org/HJW7FVxPwv
Sign the Petition
Save Geology at the University of Leicester
c.org
November 23, 2025 at 3:25 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
Yay!!! Thoughtful palaeobotany rep in #paleoart!!!!
@sauriancyh.bsky.social I adore the final piece you created! It's gorgeous and I love how you've displayed your work process!!!
sauriancyh.bsky.social SaurianCYH @sauriancyh.bsky.social · 10d
The dinosaurs are passing through burnt Weichselia reticulata, a tree fern some believe formed mangroves in the Bahariya Formation. One paper suggests these mangroves often faced forest fires (Atfy et al., 2019) doi.org/10.1186/s425...
(images by @tomozaurus.bsky.social & @palaeojules.bsky.social )
Weichselia reticulata reconstruction made by Tom Parker. Diagram of Bahariya Formation plants by Julianne Kiely.
November 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿
instmolplantsci.bsky.social
Huge congratulations to @jeremywyman.bsky.social for publishing the results of your Masters thesis. The work includes a new reconstruction of the Carboniferous isoetalean Oxroadia by the brilliant @palaeojules.bsky.social 🧵1/2
November 11, 2025 at 11:20 AM
palaeojules.bsky.social
Thanks so much for bringing me onboard for this Sandy! It was great working with you again, and I really grew to love Oxroadia: it's a fascinating plant and I loved the resolutions we were able to get with these restorations!
#paleobotany #paleoart #paleontology #fossilfriday
sandyheth.bsky.social Sandy Hetherington @sandyheth.bsky.social · 20d
Huge congratulations @jeremywyman.bsky.social @instmolplantsci.bsky.social for publishing the results of your masters thesis @annbot.bsky.social
The work includes a new reconstruction of the Carboniferous isoetalean Oxroadia by the brilliant @palaeojules.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/aob/advance-...
Left, a zoomed out image of the habit of the green branching lycophytes Oxroadia. Right, a zoomed in image of the highly branched rooting system
November 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
Congratulations to @jeremywyman.bsky.social et al 2025 for the publication of their Oxroadia paper! And thanks for bringing me onboard to do some restorations of this relative of Lepidodendron and Isoëtes from the Carboniferous of Scotland.
academic.oup.com/aob/advance-...
#FossilFriday #paleobotany
a figure showing a life restoration of an adult oxroadia, which has many sinuous green stem branching across the ground, and two smaller diagrams of a juvenile plant and a close up of the rooting system.
November 21, 2025 at 2:56 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
A reminder to all #palaeoartists; the deadline for the Marsh Palaeoart Award is fast approaching!
If you want to submit I'd recommend doing it ASAP as, while it says 25th Nov here, the webpage specifies the 21st (I'm glad I checked😅).
Anyway, good luck to y'all!
#paleoart @palaeontosoc.bsky.social
The poster for the Marsh Palaeoart Award IT reads: marsh palaeoart award this award recognises talent in the depiction of fossil fauna and flora from the british isles winning prize: £500 + 1 year PalSoc membership art can be in any medium judging panel of palaeoartists and scientists, incl. last years's winner, MAtt Humpage submissions open:20th October, 2025 submissions close: 25th November, 2025 for full details and entry requirements visit: www.palaeosoc.org this award is supported by the Marsh charitable Trust
November 20, 2025 at 1:21 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! This is SUPER interesting!!!!!!!!!!!
Yet another REALLY cool recent palaeobotanical paper which I need to read!!!
#paleobotany #paleontology #plants
November 20, 2025 at 1:13 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
So, an unexpected development, but I'm gonna be giving a talk tomorrow at SVP in Birmingham!!!!! I'll be speaking about palaeobotany in palaeoart, so hopefully it goes well despite being slightly rushed😅.

Anyway, if you're gonna be around for #SVP tomorrow, come say Hi!!! #paleoart #palaeobotany
A PowerPoint title slide with the words The Problem with Plants, Why restoring extinct plants is difficult for palaeoartists.
November 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
I haven't posted much in a while because, probably unsurprisingly, my PhD has kept me busy! But I was just using this drawing of Wielandiella angustifolia from last year, and I realised that I've never shared a close-up showing all the details of the leaves! So anyway, enjoy! #paleobotany #paleoart
A close up of the canopy of a plant with several thin stems ending on clusters of long serrated interlocking leaves.
November 10, 2025 at 3:44 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
So, after teasing us with the press release for the last few hours, the new 'Nanotyrannus is valid, like pretty convincingly this time' paper is Finally online!!!
#paleontology #tyrannosaurus #taxonomy

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
T. rex debate settled: contested fossils are smaller rival species, not juveniles
New evidence answers the question about whether some fossils are Tyrannosaurus rex juveniles or a different species, with implications for decades of published science.
www.nature.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿
thepalass.bsky.social
Ten simple rules to follow when cleaning occurrence data in palaeobiology onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @lewisajones.bsky.social @es-ucl.bsky.social @paleodb.bsky.social #FossilFriday
Graphic summary of the proposed ten rules and steps to follow when cleaning occurrence data for palaeobiological analysis. The rules are grouped within their respective theme: project setup (Rules 1–3; blue); data exploration and cleaning (Rules 4–8; red); and reporting and archiving (Rules 9 and 10; green).
October 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
Oh wow, I just found out that Alderblattina simmsi got published a year ago! This still might be one of my best pieces of artwork; certainly one of the ones I'm most proud of. It went on to win an award, and it's one of the best environmental pieces I've done! #fossilfriday #paleoart #paleobotany
A drawing of a cockroach crawing over moss
October 24, 2025 at 3:44 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
Reposting an oldie for #FossilFriday!
This is Kalligramma brachyrhyncha, a medium-sized kalligrammatid ( #Mesozoic lacewings) from the Middle #Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China. It is known to have had eyespots on its wings and may have acted as a pollinator for #bennettitaleans. #paleoart
A brown butterfly or moth-like insect with an eyes pot on its wing sitting on a yellow flower like cone.
October 24, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Reposted by Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿
arctomet.bsky.social
Y.-T. Zhong et al. (2025)

High-precision geochronology of the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation: Temporal constraints on the late phase of the Jehol Biota

Earth and Planetary Science Letters 671: 119688

doi.org/10.1016/j.ep...

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Redirecting
doi.org
October 19, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿
stephanspiekman.bsky.social
‼️‼️Triassic Life just opened @smnstuttgart.bsky.social‼️‼️

For all #Triassic fans, lovers of strange reptiles and the Dawn of the Modern World, this is an absolute MUST!

It also couldn't be more timely with our recent publication @nature.com of the wonder reptile #Mirasaura, which is now on display!
October 18, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Reposted by Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿
cambriancam.bsky.social
Welcome back to #fossilfriday

Here is the holotype cast skull of Proceratosaurus bradleyi. It was found in the Middle Jurassic (Late Bathonian) Great Oolite Group (Forest Marble Formation) near Minchinhampton, a town in Gloucestershire, England.
October 17, 2025 at 7:42 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
Continuing my recent trend of #Yanliao beasties, here's an updated, more serious attempt at #Jeholopterus for #FossilFriday!!! The camouflaged colouration is based in #Ginkgo bark, which would have grown in contemporary forests.
#paleoart #paleontology #sciart #pterosaur #Jurassic #paleobotany
A mottled grey and brown fluffy pterosaur seen in overheaad view, with its left twing and leg outstretched as if in flight, and it's right wing and leg tucked up as if at rest. The patterning in its body and wings looks like Ginkgo bark and its incredibly fluffy.
October 17, 2025 at 1:31 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
And here we have the original Dead Darwin, which was just a relatively quick pen sketch! #paleoart #paleontology #pterosaurs #jurassic #sciart #FossilFriday
A pen sketch of a dead Darwinopterus with its wings partially folded and its head and tail curved up and back over its body.
October 10, 2025 at 4:42 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
A very happy #FossilFriday to everyone except this poor Darwinopterus, which has unfortunately succumbed to whatever ailed it. This is actually a redrawing of a Dead Darwinopterus which I drew years ago, only with updated anatomy. #paleoart #paleontology #pterosaurs #jurassic #sciart
A freshly dead darwinopterus corpse with a cream and brown body, and a blue headrest and tail. It's wings are folded partially and it's hard and tail are pulled up back. This position is based on the idea of it falling through the waters of a lake, or settled at the bottom with some of it's buoyancy keeping parts of it afloat.
October 10, 2025 at 4:23 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
Some good news from me; I've just started a PhD on plant evolution at @openuniversity.bsky.social!!! I'll be posting a lot more soon, but for now here're some of photos from my first week! I can't believe I'm finally here!
#phd #paleobotany #paleontology #research #botany #plants #leaves #evolution
Me standing in front of a poster by Dr Emily Swaby, which my artwork of an ancient dragonfly figured. Me smiling with a pathway in the ou campus in the background One of the induction lectures, with a slide showing a mansion with the caption Expectations, and a chappy logo house with he caption Reality My desk!!!! Aaahhhhhhh!!!!!! With a fan and computer screen set up on it
October 8, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿
ausarchosaur.bsky.social
A large theropod (probably tyrannosaur) track from Nose Mountain, Alberta shows the fourth digit twisted such that half of the toe was folded underneath the rest.

They ask you how you are and you just have to say that you're fine when you're not really fine. #FossilFriday
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Left-Natural-cast-of-a-large-theropod-track-from-the-Late-Cretaceous_fig27_278667086
October 3, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Reposted by Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿
aldpaleo.bsky.social
Just a 300 million year old fossil leaf from France to wish everyone a happy #FossilFriday ! 🌿⛏️
#paleobotany
A brownish fossil frond on a white rock
October 3, 2025 at 1:42 PM
palaeojules.bsky.social
It's been a busy week, and I have a LOT of photos to post, so I'll be catching up over the weekend. But in the meantime, here's a Palaeobotanical Bouquet, which I drew earlier this week during an icebreaker event!!!!!!
#FossilFriday #paleobotany #plants #paleontology
A black pen drawings of a bouquet of prehistoric plants. There are lots of leaves and stems and it's kind of a mess. On the front of the wrapping of the bouquet is a cross section through sediments with some fossil blocks in it, and in the top right of the wrapping is a pencil, a magnifying glass and a fossil plant.
October 3, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by Julianne Zelda Kiely 🌿Commissions open🌿
susieoftraken.bsky.social
A frond of Phlebopteris, a 230 million year old fern from the Late Triassic Chinle Formation, New Mexico/Arizona.

#FossilFriday #FernFriday ⚒🌏🌱🧪🔬🌿
Phlebopteris frond on a grey mudstone, Late Triassic Chinle Formation, New Mexico/Arizona.
October 3, 2025 at 7:50 AM