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PODCAST

In Defense of Plants Podcast

In Defense of Plants

Plants are everything. They are also incredibly interesting. From the smallest duckweed to the tallest redwood, the botanical world is full of wonder. Tune in for a podcast celebrating everything botany.

science & medicine natural sciences

All Episodes

00:50:20

Ep. 279 - A Pollinator Plant of the Year Program

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/08/23

There is a lot of information out there on which plants to choose for your garden. Often this information is geared towards a wide audience living in vastly different climate zones. As such, it can be extremely difficult to figure out what will work best for you. That is why I am excited to sit down for a conversation with Lauren Muller, the Conservation Outreach Coordinator for the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, to talk about their innovative Pollinator Plants of the Year Program. This program

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01:03:16

Ep. 278 - Glossopteris: Resloving a Mystery 299...

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/08/16

The Glossopteris flora is one of the most important links that we have to the Permian Era. These trees dominated the supercontinent of Gondwana from around 299 to 230 million years ago and their fossilized remains have dazzled the human mind for centuries. Despite their popularity, Glossopteris mysteries abound. That is where scientists like Aviwe Matiwane come in. Aviwe is utilizing skills she picked up from modern day botany and applying them to the fossilized remains of Glossopteris to try and

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01:02:40

Ep. 277 - Pitcher Plant Symbioses

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/08/09

In this episode we look at what's going on inside the pitchers of carnivorous pitcher plants. Besides functioning as organs for prey capture and digestion, these highly modified leaves also serve as miniature ecological communities that have a lot to teach us about symbioses and evolution. Joining us to talk about this Dr. Kadeem Gilbert who has spent the last few years of his life studying pitcher mutualists in the tropical pitcher plants pf the genus Nepenthes. Dr. Gilbert is uncovering so many

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01:08:57

Ep. 276 - A Native Bee-nanza!

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/08/02

With insects on the decline around the globe, the need for native bee understanding and appreciation has never been more apparent. While some native bees are super charismatic and well known,many more are cryptic and poorly understood. That is where people like author and naturalist Heather Holm come in. Heather is devoted to doing everything she can to bring native bees into the spotlight. From publishing native bee guides to giving talks and restoring habitat, Heather is a true champion for these

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00:44:55

Ep. 275 - Saving Sonora: The Green Desert

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/07/26

The human population of the Sonoran Desert is growing quickly, developing the surrounding landscape at an alarming pace. At the same time, botanists are racing to understand the fate of this so called "green deserts flora." In this episode we learn what it takes to properly assess a regions flora for extinction risk and how that information is being used across borders to protect the botanical diversity that makes this landscape unique. Join me and ecologist/conservationist, Dr. Helen Rowe for a

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00:49:26

Ep. 274 - Hollow Trees = Habitat

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/07/19

Move over raccoons and squirrels, hollow trees have some additional residents to support. Joining us on this episode are Dr.'s Lary Reeves and Andrei Sourakov to talk to us about how hollow trees are proving to be great spots to find massive congregations of moths, mosquitoes, and many other arthropods. When you consider how many hollow trees are on the landscape, you begin to realize just how much habitat these trees can provide. This episode also stands as proof of the power of natural history

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01:20:23

Ep. 273 - Revolution in the Garden

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/07/12

This episode we are joined by Colah B. Tawkin, host of the incredible Black in the Garden, a podcast that "resides at the intersection of Black Culture and horticulture." For Colah, gardening has been revolutionary in many ways. Join us as we sit down for an in depth conversation about her journey into gardening and podcasting and how that has revolutionized her connection to plants, to life, to the planet, to the community, and beyond. This podcast was produced in part by Tate, Steve, Kae, Carole,

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00:51:15

Ep. 272 - Restoring the American Chestnut

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/07/05

This episode is all about the work being done by The American Chestnut Foundation and their partners to save the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) from extinction. Ravaged by an invasive fungal pathogen, this tree went from a dominant species in our forest to a spattering of dwindling stump sprouts barely hanging on in the understories of eastern North American forests. Join me as I sit down with Director of Restoration, Sara Fitzsimmons, to talk about the amazing, multifaceted efforts being put

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01:02:41

Ep. 270 - A Native Plant Based Life

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/06/21

This episode is all about celebrating native plants both in the wild and in the garden. We are joined by environmentalist, author, and garden designer Lyndon Penner to talk about his life-long obsession with Canada's amazing diversity of native plants. From the mountains to the prairies, Lyndon is a lover of all things botanical. He began growing plants at the tender age of 3 and designed his first perennial border at 9 and hasn't stopped since. Lyndon not only designs native plant gardens, he also

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00:59:04

Ep. 269 - Cultivating Peace

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/06/14

One cannot overstate the power of gardening to calm the mind, reinvigorate passion, and bring people together. Understanding and growing plants is one of life's greatest joys and that is exactly the sentiment our guest this week wants to share with the world. Joining us is Derek Haynes or as you may know him, The Crazy Botanist. Derek has been obsessed with plants and nature since he was a child and that passion has only grown over the years. Derek is a true botany nut, growing everything from luffa

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00:51:23

Ep. 268 - How Small Flies Made A Lot Of Orchids

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/06/07

In this episode, we are joined by PhD student Melissa Díaz-Morales and director of the Lankester Botanical Gardens Dr. Adam Karremans to look at how flies have managed to influence the evolution of the largest subtribe of orchids in the world - the pleurothallids. This remarkable group of orchids is home to over 5,000 unique species and presents some of the most stunning and complex floral morphology of the entire orchid family. They also undergo some serious chemical ecology that helps attract

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00:46:33

Ep. 267 - Describing & Protecting Palm Diversity

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/05/31

Historically speaking, palm taxonomy has been a bit tricky. This is due in large part by the difficulty in collecting and preparing proper specimens. Thankfully, with the advent of affordable DNA technologies, botanists are gaining new insights into palm diversity that aren't possible based on morphology alone. My guest today is Dr. Andrew Henderson of the New York Botanical Garden who has dedicated his career to understanding palms of the world. Lately his work has taken him to Southeast Asia and

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00:49:05

Ep. 266 - After the Blast: The Ecological Recovery of...

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/05/24

In May of 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted, creating a path of destruction for hundreds of miles. No one thought life would return to that stretch of mountain for decades but they were wrong. In only a few short weeks, plants began sprouting and fungi started fruiting. The ecology of Mount St. Helens has been full of surprises ever since and that is exactly the topic of this episode. Joining us is author Dr. Eric Wagner to talk about his new book "After the Blast: The Ecological Recovery of Mount St

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01:07:54

Ep. 265 - Ancient Trees: Living on the Edge

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/05/17

What does it take to live many hundreds or even thousands of years? For trees, it often means growing in places like cliffs where few other things can. My guest today has studied ancient cliff dwelling trees from all over the world and has uncovered some of the oldest living forests on our planet in the process. Joining us is Dr. Doug Larson whose work demonstrates that, far from excluding life, extremely harsh habitats can serve as refugia for plants and all of the organisms they support. Join us

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00:47:17

Ep. 264 - The Longleaf Alliance Speaks for the Trees

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/05/10

Longleaf pines once covered 90 million acres of southeastern North America. Today, human development has seen that number reduced down to 3 million acres. The decline in this tree has come at great cost to the ecosystems it once comprised. From the longleaf pine itself to one of the most biodiverse understory plant communities on the continent, these habitats are vital to ecosystem health. Luckily, organizations like The Longleaf Alliance are stepping up to return this tree to at least some of its

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00:46:45

Ep. 263 - Earthworm Invaders

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/05/03

This week we are joined by director of The University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology, Dr. Lee Frelich to discuss an invasive species problem that threatens plant diversity and ecosystem functioning wherever it occurs. Earthworms are very powerful ecosystem engineers. They alter the entire structure of the soil, affecting everything that grows there. Invasive worms are changing entire ecosystems from the bottom up and it is largely going on out of sight and out of mind. Join us for an

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01:07:50

Ep. 262 - On the Origin & History of Field Guides

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/04/26

This week we take an even closer look at the world of field guides with science historian Dr. Sara Scharf. Field guides began as a tool for botanists to better understand the plants in their region but they have since grown to encompass all forms of life. Learn how some of the most iconic figures in the world of biology had a hand in refining field guides as a tool and even how the need for education following the French Revolution drove them to become readily accessible to the public. You will be

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01:11:03

Ep. 261 - Talking About Field Guides With The Field...

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/04/19

Today we take a step back for a fun conversation about field guides. Field guides are wonderful tools that help us identify the species with which we share the world. In this episode we are joined by Bill and Steve, hosts of The Field Guides Podcast, a funny and educational show all about natural history. The thoughts expressed in this show are based on our experiences with field guides of all kinds and by no means reflect any objective truths. But I think this episode offers listeners a nice

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00:56:42

Ep. 260 - Hoya Hullabaloo!

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/04/12

Hoyas are a group of vines that are gaining a lot of popularity among houseplant growers in recent years but what are these plants exactly? Where do they come from? What are they related to? How do we succeed in growing them in and around our homes? Our guest today has answers to all of these questions and more. Joining us is Hoya specialist Doug Chamberlain. Doug runs a blog and video series dedicated to his adventures in Hoya growing. To call Doug's hobby an obsession would be an understatement as

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00:50:44

Ep. 259 - Micropropagating Orchids at the Atlanta...

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2020/04/05

What does it take to go from orchid seed to orchid adult? Today you are going to find out. Joining us from the Atlanta Botanical Garden is Micropropagation and Seed Bank Coordinator, Jason Ligon. Jason is in charge of propagating some of North America's rarest plants with the goal of returning them to the wild. As you will learn, orchids and other small-seeded plants require special techniques to ensure fer germination and growth but that doesn't deter Jason. He loves all of the learning that comes

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319 results

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