Dr. Catherine Scott
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cataranea.bsky.social
Dr. Catherine Scott
@cataranea.bsky.social
7.8K followers 570 following 160 posts
Arachnologist, behavioural ecologist, natural historian, & spider advocate. I also knit, sew, & have strong opinions. Pronouns: she or they
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cataranea.bsky.social
I had a similar reaction as @entomomancer.bsky.social to this & your previous post about AI. You've drawn a personal line between "creative work" and "tool" which is both not universal different from mine.
screenshot of text reading "When we replace creative work with the content of generative AI, we are shitting on creators and denigrating the humanness of creativity."
October 10, 2025 at 4:22 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
For those not coming to the #ESCJAM in Calgary, if you like the look of these bags (laptop sleeve, pencil/dissection tools cases, etc.), I would be happy to make you a custom one (any size/your favourite bugs) in exchange for a donation to the @canentomologist.bsky.social student scholarsip fund!
photo of several quilted patchwork zipper pouches of various sizes, all featuring colourful insect-themed fabrics
October 4, 2025 at 12:35 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
In addition to this amazing selection of gear from Donna, the silent auction will also include several bags I made out of scraps leftover from my early-pandemic era mask-making: laptop/tablet sleeve, pencil cases, change purses, etc. (more than in this photo).
@canentomologist.bsky.social #ESCJAM
photo of several quilted patchwork zipper pouches of various sizes, all featuring colourful insect-themed fabrics
October 4, 2025 at 12:32 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
I love the way science used to be written. Is it necessary to know that the author was pushing his baby in a pram while making observations of insects? Perhaps not, but it provides delightful context, while assuming the reader is familiar with his previously published baby-wheeling-related work.
A screenshot of some text of a paper, with the following sentence highlighted: "One July evening last summer, while engaged in wheeling the baby (another one this time) through some tall grass in the corner of my yard, I noticed..." It continues "an Ammophila attached to a grass-stem in the peculiar..."
September 26, 2025 at 1:24 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
Some harsh judgments of noctuid larvae by Bird (1902). 🐛
Screen shot of an old paper titled "Boring Noctuid Larvae" by Henry Bird. There is a chunk of text (which makes clear it is about larvae that bore into objects) with a section highlighted that says "Among the more important noctuids..."
September 26, 2025 at 1:16 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
Recently completed leafhopper sweater (designed by @leafhopper.bsky.social) modeled by @ibycter.bsky.social with help from Diego and Zora in scenic Quidi Vidi Village!

#EntoFashion #Knitting
A bearded man wearing a navy blue pullover that has teal leafhoppers knitted in a fair-isle pattern on the yoke and sleeves. He is posing with two leashed dogs (one large and yellowish, one smaller and cream with reddish spots) in front of a harbour with fishing boats and colourful buildings in the background. Close up of a bearded man wearing a navy blue pullover that has teal leafhoppers knitted in a fair-isle pattern on the yoke and sleeves.
May 5, 2025 at 11:26 AM
cataranea.bsky.social
🧪 Please help make future academic conferences better and more accessible by completing this survey from ECODIVE: t.co/A0ssCpk6VE

Anyone who does anything related to ecology/environmental science and has opinions about conferences should contribute!

More info here: ecodiveconferences.org
poster with qr code linking to survey. text reads: ECODIVE’s (Evaluating Conferences for Diverse Engagement) goals are to evaluate how conferences are serving ecologists and environmental scientists, and how future conference design in these fields can best meet the needs of diverse organizations and individuals. Help make future conferences better and more accessible! Join our survey: <link>. For more information: https://ecodiveconferences.org
October 2, 2024 at 12:02 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
Zora:
January 10, 2024 at 3:58 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
Zora and Diego living their best lives while I work from home today
Freckled dog curled up in an adorably weird way on a comfy chair Big yellow dog curled up next to a notebook on a couch covered with a blue sheet and either spider pillows
January 10, 2024 at 3:56 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
Helped my friend weave a spider web today! It’s definitely the most biologically accurate one in the neighbourhood!! 🕸️🕷
Spider web made of white rope strung across the front porch of a brick house. There is a large black spider sitting near the top of the web and various pride flags strung around the porch
October 30, 2023 at 7:57 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
My favourite arachnid-featuring display was this diorama of soil invertebrates. Awesome harvestperson representation!!! Spot the mites & pseudoscorpions...
Diorama of leaf litter featuring a large harvester and millipede (way bigger than lifesize) Close up under the litter of the same display with some tiny mites visible Another view under the soil surface featuring two pseudoscorpions
September 25, 2023 at 9:52 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
Only a small number of spiders & other arachnids are actually on display in the museum. (There is a whole new insectarium section, which is awesome! but it is short on spiders)
Selfie of a short-haired person wearing red glasses standing in front of a wall in the AMNH displaying arachnids, insects, and other arthropods Vials and display drawers containing large preserved spider specimens Three display cases full of large and colourful insects (moths, butterflies and beetles) and one containing arachnids and a centipede Chelicerae display featuring several spiders and other arachnids
September 25, 2023 at 9:49 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
So. Many. Spiders.
Got to visit the collection at the@AMNH today!
The largest spider collection in the world, there are > 1 million specimens held in these cabinets! 🕷️ 🧪
a row of large compacting cabinets with posters of line drawings of spiders on the ends a row of large compacting cabinets with posters of line drawings of spiders on the ends a row of large compacting cabinets with posters of line drawings of spiders on the ends
September 25, 2023 at 9:44 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
Hey, that's me! Today the #BantingCanada award recipients were announced, & I am very grateful to be one of them!

Looking forward to continuing to study the ecology of spiders in agro-ecosystems and beyond at McGill
header image from the banting website featuring photos of three people wearing glasses (three of the postdoc awardees, including me) with text that reads: 2023 Banting Postdoctoral Researchers
August 29, 2023 at 4:30 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
And some shots of the family on the road trip!
two people and a dog on a rocky beach two dogs sleeping cuddled together in the back seat of a car three smiling people standing on a dock wearing big baggy survival suits
August 22, 2023 at 9:34 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
Our recent family road trip as visualized by candy-striped spider observations on iNaturalist!
iNaturalist map of the island of Newfoundland with red squares scattered from St. John's on the Avalon peninsula (home base) to Gros Morne on the west coast, each square representating one or more candy-striped spider observations yellow spider with red stripes on the abdomen sitting in a silk retreat above a round, bluish eggsac in a curled up Solidago leaf
August 22, 2023 at 9:31 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
#Arachnid scarf! #invertebrates
Selfie of short-haired person wearing red glasses and an oversized bandana that is white with colourful arachnids printed on it
July 18, 2023 at 10:48 AM
cataranea.bsky.social
should be! thanks! iNat map:
June 29, 2023 at 1:35 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
sure have! Map of iNaturalist observations to date:
June 29, 2023 at 1:06 PM
cataranea.bsky.social
Candy-striped spider season is in full swing across most of North America! Please keep an eye out and join the #SpiderHunters project to contribute to our research on these introduced predators.

More information: https://spiderbytes.org/spider-hunters/
Poster that reads: Have you seen these spiders? Join the Spider Hunters to help unravel the biology of candy-striped spiders, introduced predators of pollinators & other insects in North America. How to participate: 1. Search for spiders around your home & neighbourhood. 2. Take photos & submit them to the #SpiderHunters project
June 29, 2023 at 11:45 AM