iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 19/08/2026

Took a lab camping trip to celebrate the end of the field season and I had the chance to encounter not one but TWO hellbenders!! Which had been on my Appalachia bucket list for a while now. This guy was about 2 feet long! #nature #salamanders #Appalachia

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 17/08/2026

Bad sign when we'll be continuing to build up a rivercane restoration project this semester...

A screenshot from the XKCD comic's Emojic 8 ball. Text in the text box asks "what will go wrong this semester?". The emoji shown on the bottom of the cartoon 8 ball is a bamboo emoji

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 05/08/2026

Thanks for being so good to us Tuscon! A great time at #Botany2026 as always! And now back to the field...

Two people smile in front of a poster at the Botany 2026 conference in Tuscon

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 02/08/2026

Had a great hike on FT7 yesterday to Sycamore Canyon in the middle of a very green desert. #Botany2026

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 02/08/2026

PEACCH Lab presentations at #Botany2026 this week. I'll be giving a talk about dioecious mismatch in northern spicebush on Monday right before lunch and Liz Howe will be giving a talk on spring wildflower ecophysiology on Wednesday at 8!

Title reads "PEACCH Lab Presentations at Botany 2026". Below are pictures of two people with information about the timing and titles of their talks.

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 31/07/2026

Any arborists know what's wrong with this tree? #Botany2026

A sagauro cactus in front of a beige building with many windows

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 31/07/2026

So the #Botany2026 conference venue is GORGEOUS to the point that I no longer suffer from FOMO from missing ESA this year

A desert scrub landscape with a resort pool on the right and saguaro cacti sprinkled throughout the landscape

A dry creek bed in the middle of the hogh desert with sagebrush and saguaros dispersed across the landscape

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 23/07/2026

Wet and windy could never stop field crew picture day. I present the PEACCH Lab field crew of 2026 (thank goodness for start-up edition). The biggest field crew I've ever hired and probably will ever hire and we've been making the most of it.

A group of 12 people stand together (one in the foreground taking the selfie) on top of a Bald in the southern Appalachian mountains. Fog can be seen rising from the layers of Blue Ridge Mountains in the background.

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 21/07/2026

Job ad available in attached image and on my lab website at peacchlab.com/opportunities.

ETSU is recruiting a masters student to begin in fall 2026 (start date Aug 17, 2026) under the co-supervision of Drs. Arpita Nandi (Dept of Geosciences) and Ben Lee (Dept of Biological Sciences). This is a two-year position and the student will be enrolled through and receive a degree from the Department of Geosciences. The student’s tuition will be covered in full and they will receive an annual stipend of $10k. Teaching will be required only for the first semester before the student transitions to a grant-funded fellowship. This position is mandatory in-person and located in Johnson City, Tennessee.

The selected applicant will work on a newly-funded project investigating the impact of Hurricane Helene on southern Appalachian ecosystems in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. They will be tasked with developing disturbance indices that account for both type (e.g., blowdown vs. flooding vs. landslides) and severity of disturbance and in coordinating an analysis comparing these remote-sensed indices to field-measured disturbance metrics. This project will inform site selection for consequent biodiversity and ecophysiological studies which the student will have the opportunity to participate in as well.

Successful applicants must have obtained a bachelors degree in environmental or biological sciences, geosciences, or a related field by August 2026, with at least a 3.0 GPA. The selected student will be required to relocate to Johnson City, TN by Aug 17, 2026 if not already present. For this reason, the student must already either be a US citizen or otherwise have permission to work in the US.

To apply, please email Dr. Ben Lee at LEEBR1@etsu.edu with a copy of your current CV and a short cover letter explaining your interest in the project, background in GIS and ecology, and a copy of your transcripts (unofficial is fine). Applications will be reviewed immediately as they arrive until the position is filled.

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 21/07/2026

Yes, thanks for the suggestion! Here is a flyer and I have also added the opportunity and flyer to my website at peacchlab.com/opportunities.

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 09/07/2026

Found a (damaged) luna moth in the field today. Was a first for me, but a very cool experience!

A large pale green moth with four circular eye spots and a pair of long tails. A large portion of its top left wing is missing

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 24/06/2026

When fieldwork gets hot, it's always nice to swing by the swimming hole on the way out. The midsummer vibes when the rhododendrons are in bloom are immaculate. #bloomscrolling #rhodendron

Large white rhododendron flowers lit by the sun are in focus in the foreground. A blurry waterfall can be seen in the background

Four women sit together in the shade of a forest understory they are chatting together and laughing as they wrap up the day's fieldwork

A small caterpillar (some type of dagger moth?) is picture crawling over the smooth surface of a hammer. It has bright orange eyes and is covered in thin white hairs

A woman in an orange shirt stands at the top of a rock face with a picturesque waterfall flowing down to her right

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 11/06/2026

Holy shit y'all. Holding back tears because a major grant of mine actually got funded in this climate. And I didn't have to sell out to AI to get it done. This is surreal! #NewPI #Funded

"On behalf of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, I am pleased to inform you that the EPA Region 4 Water Division has selected the East Tennessee State University application under the 2025/2026 Region 4 Wetland Program Development Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity EPA-REG04-25-01. The selected project, "Assessing wetland damage, health, and the potential for plant invasion in the wake of Hurricane Helene", will be awarded for $598,201.00 in federal funding and has a $395,321.00 match."

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 25/04/2026

Birthday hike for my wife today means an excuse for us (me) to go look at the late spring bloomers. Little Stony Falls Trail in southern VA. #bloomscrolling #spring #wildflowers

A woman in a salmon-colored pullover kneels down next to a black and white dog in a green harness. A blurry waterfall can be seen in the background

A bright white flower with three dark green leaves and a rink of bright pink at the center. Painted trillium

A cluster of white flowers with pink specks with broad green leaves in the background. Clintonia

A lavender-colored flower with white and yellow streaks above the forest floor that is littered with decaying leaves. Iris

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 24/04/2026

It's very shiny and golden and well-deserved for being a world-famous physicist in his day. Tonight I was nominated by my students for a department superlative that I personally value as equally because it speaks to the type of scientist I am and want to be. The juxtaposition is hilarious though

A picture of a golden plaque with a black and white picture of a man and Korean text that describes his lifetime of accomplishments

A picture of a paper certificate that reads "2026 Biology Superlative Awards - Most likely to cuss at a rhododendron - This award is presented to Dr. Ben Lee"

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 12/04/2026

Submitted a big grant application last week, so celebrating with a weekend trip to Asheville. Some of the ephemerals are done flowering at the NC Arboretum, but plenty of #spring #wildflowers left! #WildflowerHour #IAmABotanist

A large white flower hangs below an umbrella of green leaves. Trillium rugelii - southern nodding wakerobin

Deep marrow flower petals are shown starting to unfold among green leaves. Calycanthus floridus- Carolina sweetshrub

A small white flower with five petals hangs above dark green leaves. Viola primulifolia - primrose-leaved violet

Bright white leaves with yellow centers spring out among bright green leaves low to the ground. Thalictrum thalictroides - rue anemone

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 04/04/2026

Got a nice pic of star MSc student Liz Howe giving a demonstration of her research project with the LI-6800. Measuring gas exchange and #phenology of #spring #wildflowers across elevational gradients. @li-corenv.bsky.social

ETSU MSc student Liz Howe gives a demonstration of her research for the Wild Ones members on our afternoon wildflower tour

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 04/04/2026

My students and I also led a wildflower tour today for @wildonesnatives.bsky.social Appalachian Highlands. Many ephemerals were done flowering, but Trillium rugelii was just starting up. Also saw a juvenile great horned owl!

A juvenile great horned owl sits perched on the tip of a log. Down feathers show through its new adult feathers giving it an almost fluffy look

An upclose picture of a new and yet unopened flower bud of Trillium rugellii - the southern nodding trillium.

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 04/04/2026

My favorite campus flower is in peak bloom this week! Trillium luteum - yellow #trillium. #spring #wildflowers #phenology #Tennessee

A population of about 50 yellow trillium are shown in full flower on the forest floor with morning sunlight breaking through the canopy in the background. Each flower has three mottled green leaves and a bright plume of yellow flowers rising from the center of the leaves

An upclose image of a single yellow trillium. The leaves are mottled with different shades of green and the bright yellow flower petals rise from the center of them

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 30/03/2026

And now done flowering thanks to a hard frost last week: northern spicebush. Here you can see the second flush of lateral leaf buds starting with the terminal bud black and shriveled. Female flowers (shown) are still present, though likely already pollinated.

A man's fingers lies behind the end of the tip of a branch. New green leaf buds are opening along the sides of the branch while the terminal leaves are black and shriveled from frost damaged. A label in the bottom corner indicates this species as Lindera benzoin

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 30/03/2026

And some freshly up but not yet flowering, including yellow buckeye.

Bright green leaves hang down from a central stem above the brown forest floor. Text on the picture labels this species as Podophyllum peltatum

Sunlight shines through a rounded star-shaped green leaf with yellow veins, sprouting from the forest floor. Text in the corner labels this species as Sanguinaria canadensis

Elliptical, light green leaves spiral around a central stem as it rises from the forest floor. Text labels this species as something in the Polygonatum genus

Five still-expanding leaflets spread out from a central petiole. Text on the image labels this species as Aesculus flava

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 30/03/2026

Now blooming (or at least active) at ETSU's University Woods. Getting close to peak flowering for the #spring ephemeral #wildflowers! #wildflowerHour #phenology #flowers

A closeup of a cluster of pink-white, four-petaled flowers hanging above thin green leaves. Text in the corner of the photo labels this species as Cardamine concatenata

A purple flower with a white center is suspended above a brown decomposing leaf on the forest floor. Text in the corner of the photo labels this species as Viola sororia

A bright yellow swirl of flower petals spirals up from an umbrella of three speckled green leaves. Text in the corner of the photo labels this species as Trillium luteum

A bright white flower with a neon yellow center rises from the brown forest floor. Text below the flower labels this species as Thalictrum thalictroides

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 20/03/2026

Anyone know the difference between frost damage and Laurel wilt disease on emerging Spicebush leaves?

Emerging leaves at the tip of a branch are held between thumb and forefinger. The leaves are still pressed together in a cone shape and are dark green to black in color

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 17/03/2026

Long shot, but does anyone know what these seeds are? They're coming out of southern Appalachian bear scat, so it would be something shrubby and fall fruiting. Graph paper squares are 1 in x 1 in. #botany

A close up of small, shiny black, disc-shaped seeds laid over graph paper with 1" x 1" squares

A broader photo of the shiny black, disc-shaped seeds laid over 1 inch by 1 inch graph paper

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 09/03/2026

Me in a terrible British accent: "Spring bloomers" #spring #Phenology #WildflowerHour #flowers

A pair of white Hanes-branded underwear lays decomposing among leaves on the forest floor. New daffodil shoots emerge from the leaf litter in the background

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 21/02/2026

Buds are swelling so the 2026 field season starts today. My condolences to all the other #phenology researchers personally victimized by climate change and progressively earlier field work 🙃

A person's hand holds up the tip of a spicebush branch to show swelling, globular floral buds

Dried putty-root seed husks that look like deflated balloons hang on a stalk above the forest floor with a putty-root leaf visible in the background

A purple and green leaf of a crane-fly orchid lies visible over otherwise brown leaf litter on the forest floor

Small new leaves of an aster are shown pushing up through leaf litter in the forst unserstory

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 01/01/2026

Fog finally burned off to allow us a glimpse of the last sunset of the year over the Olympics. Here's to a brighter year ahead! #NewYear #2026

A sliver of sun is visible peaking out over the dark blue of the Olympic Mountains. Calm water in the foreground reflects the sunset and the orange and blue sky

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 27/11/2025

If you're cold, they're cold - bring them inside

Rhododendrons in a forest understory in winter, interspersed with small trees and branches. The rhododendron evergreen leaves are still present, but drooping because of the cold.

A closeup of rhododendron leaves drooping because of near-freezing winter temperatures

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 27/10/2025

Super excited to have three students present posters at the SOCON Undergraduate Research Forum this past weekend at Wofford College. One of them (Sidney Booher) even won second place in the poster competition! Incredibly proud of them all! #Research #Ecology #Botany

A man in a blue shirt and khaki pants stands in front of a blue and yellow poster titled "Effects of phenological mismatch on reproductive success in northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin)"

A woman in a floral dress stands in front of a green poster with pictures of trees on it. The poster is titled "Elevational and environmental variation in tree seed production"

A woman in a floral dress and holding a tree core mounted to a square dowel stands in front of a blue and yellow poster titled "Effects of pest-induced hemlock mortality on growth in neighboring trees". Not shown: the second place award she received in the poster competition!

Four people in business casual garb stand in front of a blue and yellow banner with a large letter E on it and the abbreviations "SOCON" and "ETSU".

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 21/10/2025

Pumpkin carving day today in lab meeting 🎃🎃 #Fall #Halloween #SpookySeason

Several people work on carving faces and artwork into the sides of pumpkins in a dark room

A row of 8 jack-o-lanterns sits on top of a long table. The room is dark, but illuminated by candles from inside the hollowed out pumpkins. Designs include ghouls, leaves, flowers, faces, and acorns

Two jack-o-lanterns, a trillium and an acorn, sit next to each other on a table, illuminated by interior candles

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 11/10/2025

Saturday site visit today at Abram's Falls with @ryanbstephens.bsky.social, beautiful fall weather, and the onset of fall colors in southern Appalachia 🍁🍂

Water cascades down a shallow creek over large slate rocks. Yellow and orange leaves mix with some still green in front of a pale blue sky

Two men leaning on hiking sticks are deep in conversation standing at the base of a large waterfall. Leaves in the foreground are starting to transition from green to the yellows and oranges of fall.

Deeply variegated leaves of wild ginger with pale green patterns overlying a dark mint green stick out against the browns of the forest floor

Pale purple aster flowers pop next to leaves in the midst of fall colors change

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 03/10/2025

🚨 Please repost widely!🚨 I am recruiting a PhD student to join my lab next fall to work on forest and climate change ecology projects in southern Appalachia! Come join me in one of the most beautiful, biodiverse, and understudied parts of North America. Details below and happy to answer questions

An ad for a PhD position to start fall 2026 working with me at ETSU. For more info, please email at LeeBR1@etsu.edu.

A close-up picture of dimpled trout lilies active in early spring, still largely surrounded by the previous year's senesced tree leaves.

A beautiful vista of the Blue Ridge Mountains from on top of Carver's Gap on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee.

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 14/09/2025

What's the large compound German word for the joyous satisfaction of starting work on a new study? #invasives #ecology #restoration

A woman kneels down in the middle of a forest among a large population of invasive stilt grass. A large log and dappled sunlight lies on the the forest floor

Two pvc quadrats lay next to each other on the forest floor, largely obscured by a near monoculture of invasive stilt grass. A large log and many standing trees can be seen in the background

A small section of bare ground in the center of a quadrat lies exposed after being cleared of invasive stiltgrass

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 03/08/2025

Love seeing trees emerge from low-hanging clouds

Spruce trees emerge from the clouds and fog

Spruce trees line the puddle-lined path into the clouds and fog

A line of spruce lies barely-visible in the clouds on Roan bald

Spruce line a trail thay appears to lead to the edge of a cliff and clouds

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 03/08/2025

And a very cloudy #WildflowerHour as well along the #AT!

Bright pink flowers hang suspended in front of a thick cloud bank in the background

Bright yellow flowers hang in the foreground above a carpet of green leaves and grey stones

Flowers with a gradient of red, orange, and yellow petals hang in front of greenery with clouds and fog in the background

White ghost pipes (a parasitic plant) burst forth from the dark brown forest floor

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 03/08/2025

Sunday Fun(gi)day up on top of Roan Mountain this morning. #mushrooms #hiking #appalachia #AT

A light brown and white mushroom bursts up from a dark brown, moss-covered forest floor

A small mushroom the color of a ripe cherry tomato and covered with yellow-white flecks bursts with color against a dark brown forest floor covered with old spruce needles

A chestnut brown mushroom as seen from above imposed over a dark brown forest floor covered with spruce needles and twigs

Filamentous white coral fungi reach up to the sky from beneath the root of a spruce tree. Moss and dark brown soil can be seen in the background

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 29/07/2025

Missing conferences for field work, but at least there's fresh chicken-of-the-woods at our sites! #mushrooms #foraging

Bright orange and yellow, umbrella-shaped fungus (chicken of the woods) grows out the side of a black cherry tree.

Bright orange and yellow, umbrella-shaped chicken of the woods fungus grows out the side of a log on the forest floor surrounded by bright green ferns and forbs

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 25/07/2025

And because #IAmABotanist (at least partially), my wife was gracious enough to encourage me to bring my press to the wedding as well!

A blue hydrangea, clipped about 8 inches below the flowers, lies on top of some newspaper before it is pressed flat for preservation in a plant press

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Ben R Lee, PhD @benrlee.com · 25/07/2025

Bummed to be missing #Botany2025 this week, but it's for a good reason! I spent last weekend solidifying and celebrating my longest, most important, and most meaningful collaboration with my favorite person in the world in a place we both love 🤵‍♂👰‍♀