The Devonian Period was for plants what the Cambrian Period was for animals. Land plants really started to experiment with new forms of growth some 380 million years ago which led to the establishm...
The wonderful Sara Johnson returns to the podcast to look back at a year of botanizing in 2025. Join us as we celebrate our favorite botanical encounters of last year. This episode was produced in ...
The drivers of evolution that result in the diversity of life we see around us are complex and fascinating. Nowhere is that more apparent than in pitcher plant genera like Nepenthes and Sarracenia....
Fireflies, lightning bugs, whatever you call them, these wonderful bioluminescent beetles are wonderfully diverse, occur in a variety of habitats, and they need our help. Habitat loss is causing de...
Plant conservation comes in many forms. Today we explore a plant conservation pipeline that starts with propagation and continues through to reintroducing rare plants back into the wild. Conservati...
Gardening can be a daunting enterprise, especially for a beginner. Heck, even skilled gardeners still kill plants. The quest to become a better gardener is a lifelong journey and thanks to people l...
Heat stress is a major component of plant health and it in growing more and more timely each year. Understanding how plants do or do not tolerate heat can teach us a lot about not only individual s...
Deserts present a unique set of challenges to plants, especially when you are trying to restore them to the landscape. Drought, heat, soil salinity and more can make desert plant restoration seriou...
One of the biggest hurdles to native plant gardening is sourcing native plants. Whereas nurseries are starting to fill the demand, it is nevertheless difficult to keep up with demand. Sourcing seed...
Microbes are everywhere and studying them isn't always easy, but microbial ecology is a vitally important field. Microbes influence the world around them in numerous ways and trying to understand h...
People are drawn to plants for various reasons and that is why I wanted to talk with stand up comic and author Sam Tallent. From his early days hauling rocks out of his mom's garden to his desire t...
Fallen leaves provide habitat to countless organisms and maintain crucial ecosystem processes. At the same time, convincing people to keep leaf litter on the landscape is a serious challenge. Leavi...
Galls are among the most remarkable biological structures on our planet. The organisms that produce them are also extreme diverse and contribute a bewildering amount of biomass to their habitats. S...
Have you ever looked at an old tree and wondered what stories it could tell? If so, this is a conversation for you! Dr. Valerie Trouet returns to the podcast to talk about her wonderful collaborati...
Botanical art and science truly feed off of one another. A good botanical artist must understand their subjects to do them justice which fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation for the plan...
Kelp forests are among the most important marine habitats on our planet. They impact our lives in countless ways whether we realize it or not. To protect and restore kelp forests, we must first und...
Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a foundational species in the ecology and economy of much of western North America. It also faces numerous threats. From invasive grasses and mega wildfires,...
Ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora) has captured the imaginations of many a hiker and can you blame them? What is not to love about a parasitic plant that bucks all the traditional plant trends? For as...
It is time to revisit this episode is all about the passion flower family - Passifloraceae. Joining us is long time friend of the podcast, the one and only Rebecca Hilgenhof. Rebecca is extremely p...
How are species boundaries maintained when groups of related plant species live near each other? Considering all the things that need to go right for a plant to survive and reproduce, this is not a...
