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Trailhead Jen

@thjen.bsky.social
1.4K followers 827 following 1.9K posts

I enjoy my (indoor) cat, my Blue Heeler pup, butterflies, Katmai bears, native plants, and minimizing environmental collapse. Lawyer by profession, photographer by passion. Central Indiana.

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Reposted by Trailhead Jen
Abilu Tangwa. @abilutangwa.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I’ve walked the fields at dawn for years. The air used to hum with bees. Now it’s quieter every season. What most people never see is the scale: over 3.7 million tonnes of pesticide active ingredients poured onto the planet every year — more than double what we used in 1990.
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A few years ago I decided to photograph lepidoptera in every Indiana county. This year I only got 6 new counties thanks to a big surgery. Yesterday was my 78th, at the lovely Wilderness Prairie in Blackford County, which was FULL of Sawtooth Sunflower. #nature #butterflies #photography #indiana
A Painted Lady, a medium-sized butterfly with orange, black, and white coloration, is drinking nectar from a stand of bright yellow, tall sunflowers in the upper left corner of the frame.
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Had abdominal surgery two weeks ago and thought I was okay to watch comedy again but this one put my healing to the test.
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Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
🚨 BEWARE of VoteSafe.org 🚨 While it bills itself as a “safe” way to register to vote, it is actually a digital surveillance machine created by Elon Musk’s super PAC.
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Imani Gandy @angryblacklady.blacksky.app · 23/08/2026
It's always the goofiest looking basic white motherfuckers trying to convince me they're superior. Bitch, you have no chin. Sit down.
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Not-insignificant surgery coming at the end of the month, capping a summer of very low energy. Had to take my Heeler to my friend, her foster mom/trainer, for more training, coinciding with recovery. Feels like I’m missing a limb. But I found a Luna and Polyphemus at hotel in the Ozarks. A gift.
Large and beautiful lime-green silk moth against a background of terra-cotta colored door.Large, russet colored moth with prominent antenna clinging to cream colored wall, wings slightly folded inward.
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
60 presidential elections. Two lost by women. That’s not the most damning statistic when you consider that a man lost the other 58. Gender matters but it’s not fatalistic. It’s important to hold the gravity of things without thinking they are all-powerful.
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Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
My god, what an image. Dead kings in a plastic box, carried off as the world burns.
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Damn 🤣
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 05/08/2026
A gracious concession: “I want to congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. He is a doctor, a community health official, a Rhodes Scholar, and a dedicated Michigander. I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election…
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Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Twenty-seven thoughts on the Michigan race, and the unofficial end of a brutal primary season. www.offmessage.net/p/27-thought...
offmessage.net
27 Thoughts On A Tough Primary Season
There's more to come, but the worst is over, and now it's time for some perspective.
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Why the Backlash Against Data Centers Is So Potent talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/why-t...
talkingpointsmemo.com
Why the Backlash Against Data Centers Is So Potent
We held an event Wednesday evening at a bar in Brooklyn, co-hosted...
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Bodega Cats @bodegacats.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Once more: Mamdani understands that you can't just do things in politics and expect voters will notice on their own and thank you for it. You've got to work just as hard selling yourself to voters once you're in office as you did selling yourself to them to get into office. This is the way.
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
AOC: Ask Peter Thiel. Ask Elon Musk. Ask Mark Zuckerberg if they want one of these data centers in their own backyard. Ask any one of us here on this committee. If anyone wants to live right next to one of these centers, please raise your hand.
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Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Free advice: you can (and should) criticize the morals and influence of groups like AIPAC and the Israeli government without using gross antisemitic language and tropes like asserting brainwashing or thought control. Be a better person.
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Dom Ervolina @dominicervolina.com · 19/07/2026
One thing I'm noticing from a lot of people here, and the media reports surrounding the arrest of the Tates, is how many are using the term "child pornography" Children cannot consent and therefore it is not pornography It is Child Sexual Abuse Material or CSAM and it's vital to call it that
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Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
the food safety stuff is another reminder that a large, huge, gigantic part of being a republican is going “lmao why are we spending money to prevent horrifying disasters from happening if they never happen 🤪”
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Hello, here is a bee, probably a Pure Green Sweat Bee, mooning me from its perch on a coneflower. Look at those polleny saddlebags. #bees #photography #nature #insectphotography #pollinators
A bee is perched, it's striped butt first in the frame, on the spikes of a coneflower bloom. The bees wings are standing straight up from its body.  The bee has pollen-laden saddlebags on its legs.
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Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
excellent @maragay.bsky.social on why the Dem establishment needs to wake the fuck up and face the fact that the electorate is to the left of them on pretty much everything: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Democratic Establishment Had This Coming (Gift Article)
The Democratic Party needs shaking up.
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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
It feels ridiculous to be told my entire life the importance of reducing my energy usage and switching to stuff like LED bulbs and then read reports of energy prices spiking in many US communities due to data centers.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 12/07/2026
"When Donald Trump first appeared in U.S. politics, Graham recognized him immediately for what he was: the spokesman for an alien ideology, one radically different from the idealistic patriotism that Graham had practiced and preached since childhood." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
The Quintessential Politician of This Era
The late South Carolina senator made a mid-career turn to MAGA.
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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Democratic politicians telling us today how sad they are about Lindsey Graham's death because he purportedly had such a "great sense of humor" are why Democrats are currently struggling with a base angry and resentful at the evil agendas promoted by the likes of vile toadies like Lindsey Graham.
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NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Polls show that only 8% of Americans have a positive view of Adolf Hitler. But in this Palo Alto ketamine bar, that number feels much higher
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Pól Micheál O'Slatraigh @pmoslatraigh.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
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Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
me: *votes for every democratic presidential, house and senate candidate i can vote for in every election since november 1996* blue maga: you havent done enough, now leave hakeem and chuck and nancy alone
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Navin Pokala 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇱 @navinpokala.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Given that the sole beneficiary of the destruction of American scientific leadership is the Chinese Communist Party, it is reasonable to ask how much Chinese money is flowing to Russell Vought, the chief architect of America’s surrender to Xi Jinping www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/u...
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 07/07/2026
Mamdani on Platner: "I believe it's time for him to drop out of the race"
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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Folks, no one has a RIGHT to higher office. OK? You aren't "canceling" anyone when you decide NOT TO SUPPORT THEIR QUEST FOR MORE POWER. Please let's be SERIOUS. This is not what is meant by "no one is disposable." I'm begging people to focus and use your brains. That man can still make a LIVING.
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Two firsts: I'd never taken a truly satisfactory photo of a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth. Their unbelievably fast nectaring pattern has always made that challenging. But yesterday I did, for the first time, of the very first one I've documented on my property. #nature #moths #nativeplants #insects
A large-bodied moth hovers with its proboscis stuck into a light purple bloom of Bee Balm. The moth is olive green on the top half of its body, and a ruddy brown on the bottom.A large-bodied moth hovers with its proboscis stuck into a light purple bloom of Bee Balm. The moth is olive green on the top half of its body, and a ruddy brown on the bottom. The moth's transparent wings are displayed behind its back.
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In Medias Malone @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Four justices don’t believe the reconstruction amendments are part of the Constitution, simple as
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
7-month old Holly the Heeler when I wouldn’t let her…[checks notes]…eat a light bulb. 🙃
A young Blue Heeler is barking petulantly at her human.
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darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
if u are fearmongering with portents of doom over the election of a few progressives tell me what we have been experiencing to date
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Denny Carter @dennycarter.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Listened to an NPR story this morning about mass child starvation in Senegal without a single mention of Elon Musk, the guy who gleefully created the conditions for the mass starvation
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Unpopular pollinators.
jenniferkbowman.wordpress.com
June 13 in the Natural World
June 13, and the nectar seekers are here. And not just the popular ones. Here we have the Inland Flood Mosquito. Only the females will suck your blood, as they have reproductive duties they must ma…
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
June 3 in the Natural World, wherein a paper wasp eats one of my Monarch caterpillars, goddamn it, and all I can do is photograph it. Because that's all I should do.
jenniferkbowman.wordpress.com
June 3 in the Natural World
When you grow native species, there’s always drama unfolding on the plants. I have two common milkweeds that have busted through a space between the brick of my house and the front step, so I…
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Holly the Heeler at 6 months and one week. Had to be reminded not to lick the credit card at the drive-thru. #blueheeler #puppy #acd
An extremely cute gray and brown puppy sits in the passenger seat of a car, looking off into the distance.
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Noah Dahl @noahdahl.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
For whatever reason, lots of people refuse to contemplate the idea that just because Dems are better than Rs, that doesn't mean they're good enough.
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
May 21 was Monarch Day on my property, which marks the day each year that I find the first Danaus plexippus in any life stage. It’s almost always an egg or a young caterpillar, the adults having flown stealthily under my radar. This year saw the earliest Monarch Day since I started recording.
A tiny yellow and black caterpillar is shown against the vast expanse of a green, veiny milkweed leaf.
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Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
The characteristic Harris and Clinton have is they both retreated from fights. People don’t elect a president based on your damn resume. The biggest Democratic win this century is from a former state senator who didn’t even complete a full term in the Senate.
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Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Remember, the whole right-wing kleptocratic project is at stake. It’s also trivially easy to fabricate a bad-faith claim that a small number of Dems shouldn’t be seated. And now we can see: republicans will max out on abuses of power, while Dems cut their losses. www.offmessage.net/p/a-terrible...
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A.J. Bauer @ajbauer.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
We have a Republican Party committed to building systematic advantages into the current system to maintain power indefinitely and a Democratic Party that cannot think outside the bounds of the current system even as it is being actively restructured against them.
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Wendy Kloiber @wendykloiber.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
A huge part of the power of this story is that she’s telling it to Axelrod, knowing that he is exactly the people she’s talking about, inviting him to get it, requiring him to react with ordinary sympathy to keep the audience. She is very very good at this.
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Unfortunately, this piece on The Great Resegregation has aged well. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
If the Great Resegregation proves successful, it will restore an America past where racial and ethnic minorities were the occasional token presence in an otherwise white-dominated landscape. It would repeal the gains of the civil-rights era in their entirety. What its advocates want is not a restoration of explicit Jim Crow segregation—that would shatter the illusion that their own achievements are based in a color-blind meritocracy. They want an arrangement that perpetuates racial inequality indefinitely while retaining some plausible deniability, a rigged system that maintains a mirage of equal opportunity while maintaining an unofficial racial hierarchy. Like elections in authoritarian countries where the autocrat is always reelected in a landslide, they want a system in which they never risk losing but can still pretend they won fairly.
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
This is correct. There is no future of democratic self government in the US with an unreformed Supreme Court. The Court is riddled with corruption and abuses of power and rooting out that corruption is a sine qua non of civic democracy in the United States.
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
FAFO and Other Things We Learned in the 2025-26 Redistricting Wars talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-b...
talkingpointsmemo.com
FAFO and Other Things We Learned in the 2025-26 Redistricting Wars
We had an illustration Tuesday night of one of the most crucial...
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Nice news for native bee enthusiasts. And the comments alone are worth the price of admission.
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Ben Alpers @benalpers.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Absolutely this. Expanding and reforming the federal courts is necessary for Democrats to accomplish anything legislatively. And it's essentially the only way to save our constitutional order (assuming that's a priority...and it seems to be for the Democrats).
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Holly the Heeler at 16 weeks. You can start to see the adult dog emerging at this age. This is her "these are not the droids you're looking for" stare. #blueheeler #cattledog #puppies
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Trailhead Jen @thjen.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Oh yeah, a real fucking head scratcher we got here. Maddening.
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