About

 About the Daily Cypsela

A cypsela ("KIP-se-luh") is a type of dry fruit unique to the daisy family. You probably know them best as the parachute-crowned seeds of dandelions. Dandelion cypselas, as anyone who's blown them off the puffy seed-heads knows, let the plant send its seeds floating far and wide on the wind.

This blog is a puff of facts and tidbits as light as dandelion cypselas and as easily dispersed. Share them with your friends and spread the joy of botany!


About Me

My name is Alexa DiNicola, and I love plants. My college degree is specialized in botany, I work in a herbarium, I grow plants, I watch plants, I teach about plants, I turn every hike into a natural history exploration, and I generally spend far too much time and energy on plants. They fascinate me and they make me happy; what's not to love?

I grew up in central Ohio, studied briefly in southern New Zealand, and have recently moved to southwestern Idaho. The contrast between those three ecosystems, and to some extent those three ways of life, is quite stunning; certainly all three are rich sources of botanical wonders. Expect to see all three influences in my writing.

In my free time, I enjoy botanical illustration, bone carving, Minecraft, hiking, and both reading and writing fiction. I joke that I'm photosynthetic, because I wilt without regular doses of light and greenery. I was recently surprised to discover that I enjoy listening to bagpipe rock. I have a regrettable soft spot for buttered baked potatoes and a not-so-regrettable one for tea. If you or a young friend need ideas for a science fair project, you have only to ask -- but be warned that my excessive enthusiasm tends to set such things blossoming into intricate investigative endeavors above and beyond the bounds of the assignment!