Optimal recruitment
forum.inaturalist.org
recently on youtube i uncovered a “new” ficus species in the himalayas… ficus timlada. this isn’t a straightforward new species case like someone posting pics of a butterfly that experts had never seen before. in the ficus case, basically the taxonomic system failed because it’s fundamentally flawed. in my paper i mentioned an expert by the name of D [name withheld for privacy]. i emailed him my paper and he replied that he was excited about the possibility of a new ficus species, but that ...

This is worth delurking for.

A ficus-lover on the forums for iNaturalist (where people crowdsource identifications of nature pics) is clearly brain-poisoned by LW or their ilk, and perforce doesn’t understand why the bug-loving iNat crew don’t agree that

inaturalist should be a market, so that our preferences, as revealed through our donations, directly influence the supply of observations and ids.

Personally, I have spent enough time on iNat that I can identify a Rat when I see one.

I can’t capture the glory of this in a few pull quotations; you’ll have to go there to see the batshit.

(h/t hawkpartys @ tumblr)