{"id":122000,"date":"2026-02-24T10:43:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T10:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/122000\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T10:43:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T10:43:11","slug":"plant-native-blooms-in-time-for-spring-with-phillys-favorite-squid-scientist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/122000\/","title":{"rendered":"Plant native blooms in time for spring with Philly\u2019s favorite squid scientist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your friendly neighborhood squid scientist is on a mission to boost Philly\u2019s native plant population.<\/p>\n

Sarah McAnulty<\/a> is the executive director of Skype a Scientist<\/a>, an educational non-profit that connects people with practical science information they can use. The group is driving a guerrilla marketing effort to get people out and gardening, and in turn helping native species.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHere in Philadelphia, we have really altered where we live over the last 300 years,\u201d McAnulty said. \u201cWhat we want to do is help support animals that live in our city with us. Because even though these cities sometimes feel like places for people, it\u2019s not exclusively for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

You may know McAnulty for her work with The Squid Facts Hotline<\/a>, a textline that tells people fun tidbits about squids. For example, did you know that vampire squid can live 3,000 feet below sea level? She markets the service by driving the \u201cSquidmobile,\u201d a Toyota RAV4 decorated with squid-themed art and the hotline\u2019s number \u2014 1-833-SCI-TEXT.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The Squidmobile (Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Now, she\u2019s focusing her efforts on an outside-the-box approach to boost plant biodiversity in Philly with three different community driven tactics: artistic street posters, decorative pint glasses and \u201cseed bombs\u201d distributed by cyclists.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working in science communication for a long time, and I\u2019ve been playing with different ways to get people to care over probably two decades at this point,\u201d McAnulty said. \u201cI\u2019ve found that the more fun people are having when they\u2019re learning, the more they\u2019re going to connect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tactic 1: The Posters<\/p>\n

Have you noticed a collection of bright, colorful posters hanging in your neighborhood with a fun floral illustration and little packets of mixed seeds clipped to the bottom? They come from the Skype a Scientist team. Each one includes a simple message, \u201cplant native plants,\u201d along with a QR code that leads to instructions.<\/p>\n

\"\"Volunteers put together packets with seeds and clip them to posters. (Courtesy of Sarah McAnulty)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the second year in a row the crew has put up the signs. This year\u2019s round started going up in January and will continue into spring. While it might feel early in the season to start planting, these seeds actually thrive when sown in the winter, ensuring they\u2019re ready to sprout by spring.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted the poster colors to be really strong and exciting, so that they could draw somebody\u2019s attention if they were walking across the street,\u201d said Meg Lemieur, the artist behind the poster design. \u201cI wanted them to be like, \u2018Oh, what\u2019s that beautiful thing?\u2019 and want to cross the street and come look at what was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Philly is not just home to birds fans, but also, you know\u2026 actual birds, like the Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay and Red-tailed Hawk. American snapping turtles and bullfrogs live in our waterways. Butterflies, moths, bumble bees and fireflies share our airspace and use native plants as homes.<\/p>\n

Planting seeds is an easy and inexpensive way to boost Philly\u2019s biodiversity and help our local species. The packets include purple coneflower, black eyed Susan, swamp milkweed, bee balm, blue vervain and New York Ironweed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the work that I do focuses on supporting nature in all sorts of ways, especially in the city,\u201d said Lemieur, who also hosts a nature journaling club that goes around to different parks in the city.<\/p>\n

She created three different posters for the project \u2014 each highlighting a different flower.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, I have a small urban garden in my backyard, and so I grow all of those plants in my backyard already,\u201d she said. \u201cI was pretty familiar with them, so I was able to gather that reference. And then I used regular drawing pencils to draw them out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A poster design in progress. (Meg Lemieur)<\/p>\n

McAnulty hosted multiple native plant prep parties to pack up all these seeds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have 11 volunteers across the city, who each got 450 packets of seeds, and over the next month and a half-ish, will be constantly restocking the clips on the posters,\u201d McAnulty explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Want to find a poster near you? The Skype a Scientist team created a map with locations<\/a>, so you can go forth and plant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a perfect time for these plants to be sprinkled,\u201d Lemieur said. \u201cWe are all excited to get back to warmer weather, and these plants and these posters are just a reminder that all snow melts and we will have spring again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tactic 2: The Pint Glasses<\/p>\n

The posters are phase one in the grassroots effort to get Philadelphians out and gardening. In addition to Philly\u2019s streets, the Skype a Scientist initiative is headed to our bars.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hired three artists to illustrate pro-native plant messaging that we\u2019re going to be printing on pint glasses that will get hosted in bars around the city,\u201d McAnulty said. \u201cWhile people are drinking a beer, they can read a little bit about native plants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Various spots from Fishtown to South Philly are participating, including favorites like Tattooed Mom and American Sardine Bar. Once again, McAnulty worked with local artists to create visually-stimulating designs that get people curious \u2014 including Marian Bailey<\/a>, Han Fran<\/a>, and Eric McLaughlin (also known as the street artist The 666 Cat).<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI used to work for a brewery, so I am kind of accustomed to making glassware and seeing it out in the world,\u201d McLaughlin said. \u201cI have seen my designs out in the world, but usually when you\u2019re working in a brewery, they\u2019re trying to cut costs, and so you have a limited amount of colors that you can use. There\u2019s going to be some sales person that has some input on it\u2026 Sarah, once we locked in the message was just like, \u2019do whatever you want.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

McLaughlin opted for an irreverent design filled with skulls, cute cartoon flowers, blue flames and The 666 Cat mascot. The side of the glass reads, \u201cPlease plant native plants! Or go to hell,\u201d a message that McLaughlin said was \u201cvery on brand for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The three pint glass designs. (Courtesy of Sarah McAnulty)<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to do one that was a little more edgy \u2014 a little more, I guess, shaming people into doing the right thing,\u201d he joked.\u00a0<\/p>\n

McLaughlin became friends with McAnulty around three years ago after coming across her Squid Facts stickers. Sometimes, he even drives the famous Squidmobile.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I get behind the wheel, the first day or two that I\u2019m driving it around, I\u2019m like, \u2018Damn, everybody\u2019s just checking me out and honking. What\u2019s going on?\u2019 And then I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, they\u2019re obviously responding to it.\u2019 It literally says, \u2018honk if you like squid.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

McAnulty ordered 3,000 glasses to distribute, which arrived at her house last Friday. McLaughlin is hoping that the pint glasses get Philadelphians curious and excited about the city\u2019s biodiversity. He said he also understands if anyone has the urge to take one home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope people around town see them, and hopefully want to just buy them or steal them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right. Apparently, theft is on the table.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s always a pretty big honor when I hear people try to steal my stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, McAnulty has started a \u201cstolen pint glass fund<\/a>\u201d to assuage any guilty consciences and help replace those that get taken.<\/p>\n

Tactic 3: The Seed Bombs<\/p>\n

The third and final Skype a Scientist approach to boosting Philly\u2019s native plant life takes place on March 4.<\/p>\n

Cyclists from the group Wednesday Night Rides<\/a> will bike around the city and collectively throw 750 \u201cseed bombs\u201d on their route.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will be distributing seed bombs, which are basically compost and soil and clay, and then the native plant seeds themselves,\u201d McAnulty said. \u201cSeed bombs are really fun, because you can just chuck them into abandoned lots, and they\u2019re going to be driving around the city and throwing those all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Volunteers create seed bombs at a plant prep party. (Courtesy of Sarah McAnulty)<\/p>\n

Stefan Zajic, founder of Wednesday Night Rides, is excited to help out with the mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether I\u2019m commuting or riding recreationally, I feel a little bit more in connection with nature than I do otherwise,\u201d he said. \u201cYou see animals. You see trees. You see plants, and anything that I think we can do to help boost that is a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it seemed fun and neat and a way to move our attention away from the winter blues to springtime,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The cyclists won\u2019t be throwing the seed bombs just anywhere, but will be aiming for vacant lots with open dirt \u201cthat could use a little bit of life in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOtherwise untended spaces that would be good targets for this sort of thing,\u201d Zajic said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The group typically has around 100 cyclists take part every other week, with the biggest group reaching around 250 people. Zajic said that anyone is welcome to come out, bike with the group and help spread native plants around the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJoy and fun is inherently part of science\u201d<\/p>\n

While science can sometimes feel methodical and perhaps a bit systematic, McAnulty believes it\u2019s quite the opposite.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cScience is everything,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s all of it, and joy and fun is inherently part of science.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of her goal with the native seed planting project is to change perceptions and get people actively caring about the environment through a community-driven, fun approach. Skype a Scientist will also be hosting an Earth Day cabaret all about native plants. They\u2019re calling it a \u201cBiodiversiTEASE.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a master class in community engagement and getting folks pumped about science and the world and everything,\u201d Lemieur said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping [this project] helps restore native habitat here, which will increase the insect population, which is really important,\u201d she added. \u201cWe have an insect collapse happening here in the States and around the world. And so it\u2019s so important for the health and longevity of humanity that we have insects around pollinating all of our plants.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Posters by artist Meg Lemieur. (Courtesy of Meg Lemieur)<\/p>\n

Last year, the Skype a Scientist team distributed 10,000 packets of native seeds. This year the squad hopes to match, if not exceed, that goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just beautiful,\u201d Lemieur said. \u201cThese plants that Sarah has picked out all have beautiful flowers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t have a green thumb, McAnulty said that anyone can get involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have lived in the city for generations and don\u2019t have any gardeners in their families,\u201d McAnulty said. \u201cIt can seem really scary, but I think what a lot of people don\u2019t know is, the path to a good garden is paved in dead plants. So just try it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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