In Defense of Plants Podcast

00:53:38

Ep. 558 - Insights into Pitcher Plant Evolution

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/12/28

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. Join me and Dr. Kadeem Gilbert as we explore the myriad ways he and his colleagues try to tease apart the evolutionary ecology of these enigmatic carnivorous plants. This episode was produced in part by Diane, Matthew, April, Dana, Lilith, Sanza, Eva, Yellowroot, Wisewren, Nadia, Heidi, Blake, Josh,

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00:45:30

Ep. 557 - How to Help Fireflies

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/12/21

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 declines for many species but there is a lot we can do to reverse this loss! Surprise surprise, a lot of it involves native plants. Join me and Ben Pfeiffer of Firefly Conservation & Research to learn more about how we can protect, restore, and create firefly habitat. This episode was produced in part by

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00:40:11

Ep. 556 - From Seeds to Plants: A Plant Conservation...

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/12/14

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. Conservation Collections Manager for the Desert Botanical Gardens Steve Blackwell takes us behind the scenes of the Garden’s living collection, where rare, threatened, and endangered species are collected, propagated, and carefully curated for both research and recovery efforts. This episode was produced in part by

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00:51:39

Ep. 555 - The Rookie Gardener

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/12/07

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 like my guest today, taking the leap doesn't have to be scary. Joining us is horticulturist and author Chloe Foster who has written an amazing book called "The Rookie Gardener" to help you in your gardening journey. Listen in as we explore how feeding native caterpillars with native plants started her

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01:01:23

Ep. 554 - How Plants Handle Heat Stress

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/11/30

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 species, but communities and habitats as a whole. Joining us to talk about this is Dr. Brad Posch who is trying to understand the consequences of heat stress at the leaf level. He and his colleagues are tackling these questions in the Sonoran Desert where so many plants are living on a knife edge of

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00:45:38

Ep. 553 - Soil Microbes & Desert Plant Restoration

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/11/23

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 seriously challenging. Luckily, Ali Schuessler and her colleagues at the Desert Botanical Garden are working hard to understand if soil microbes like fungi can help put ecosystems back together. Join us for a fascinating look at this process. This episode was produced in part by April, Dana, Lilith, Sanza, Eva,

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00:50:08

Ep. 552 - Native Plant Seed Supply Chain

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/11/16

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 from the wild is a major part of this process, but how do we do it ethically? Stripping native plant populations of their seeds isn't good for the habitats they comprise so this is where groups like the Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank (MARSB) come in. Their mission is to conserve and wisely manage the

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00:50:49

Ep. 551 - Sagebrush, Pitcher Plants, & Leaf Microbiomes

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/11/09

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 how they do that with plants is where people like Dr. Leonora Bittleston come in. Join us as we explore the leaf microbiomes of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and various species of pitcher plants (Sarracenia, Nepenthes, and Cephalotus) and learn just how fractal community ecology truly is! This episode

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01:01:32

Ep. 550 - For the Love of Flowers (feat. Sam Tallent)

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/11/02

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 to bring beauty into his neighborhood, Sam is diving head first into the world of plants. Join us as we explore his love for flowers and learn why their presence means to much to him in a world dominated by phone addiction and a lack of authenticity. Fair warning, there is plenty of strong language and

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01:02:17

Ep. 549 - Advocating for Fallen Leaves

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/10/26

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. Leaving the leaves needs effective advocacy more than ever and that is where people like National Wildlife Federation Naturalist David Mizejewski come in. With October being Leave the Leaves Month, David and I take a deep dive into not only why it is an important practice but how we can all be better advocates

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01:02:21

Ep. 548 - Gall Wasps & Their Host Plants

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/10/19

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. Some of the most fascinating gall makers are the gall wasps. This group of organisms is still woefully understudied but people like Dr. Louis Nastasi are trying to change that. Join us as we take a deep dive on gall wasps that specialize on herbaceous plants like the rosinweeds (Silphium spp.) and learn

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00:48:10

Ep. 547 - Ancient Tree Stories

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/10/12

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 collaborative book "In the Circle of Ancient Trees" in which she and 11 other authors talk about the ancient trees they study as dendrochronologists and how they have helped them understand everything from climate and solar flares to the cultures that celebrate them. This episode was produced in part by April, Dana,

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00:51:01

Ep. 546 -Botanical Art Connects People to Plants

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/10/05

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 plants, their habitats, and their role in ecosystems around the world. Join me and botanical artist Carol Woodin as we explore her love of botanical art and her role in helping the American Society of Botanical Artists connect people to plants. This episode was produced in part by Sanza, Eva, Yellowroot,

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00:56:35

Ep. 545 - The Dynamics of Kelp Forest Ecology

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/09/28

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 understand their complex dynamics and that is exactly what people like Dr. Aaron Galloway are trying to do. Listen in as we learn how he and his colleagues use everything from fatty acids to satellite imagery to try and understand how kelp forests are changing as our world changes around them.This episode was

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00:53:41

Ep. 544 - Helping Move the Needle on Sagebrush...

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/09/21

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, it is important that we learn how to better restore sagebrush and the habitat it provides. That is where people like Dr. Trevor Caughlin come in. Join us as we look at how he and his lab are leveraging new technologies to help understand sagebrush and move the needle on helping to restore it. This episode

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00:45:53

Ep. 543 - Cryptic Ghost Pipe Diversity

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/09/14

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 charismatic as this ghost pipe is, we still have a lot to learn about it. For instance, what has largely been considered a widespread single species turns out to by two. Join me and Ashley Keesling as we explore what it takes to uncover cryptic Monotropa diversity and what her research can tell us about

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01:04:41

Ep. 542 - The Passion Flower Family Revisited

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/09/07

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 passionate about this group and I can't think of a better person to dish out an eloquent introduction to these wonderful plants. This episode was produced in part by Yellowroot, Wisewren, Nadia, Heidi, Blake, Josh, Laure, R.J., Carly, Lucia, Dana, Sarah, Lauren, Strych Mind, Linda, Sylvan, Austin, Sarah,

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00:48:53

Ep. 541 - Coexistence & Maintaining Species Boundaries

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/08/31

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 an easy question to answer. Luckily, the genus Lobelia offers multiple opportunities to explore concepts related to plant coexistence and evolution and that is exactly why Dr. Andrea Case is drawn to this genus. Join us for a fascinating discussion about species coexistence and the maintenance of species

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00:40:01

Ep. 540 - Orchids for Peace

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/08/24

Orchids for Peace believes orchids are symbols for both peace and biodiversity. By empowering communities to conserve these plants, this wonderful organization encourages environmental stewardship and fosters a future where nature and humanity thrive together. Join me and founder Dr. Tatiana Arias as we explore why she started Orchids for Peace and how you can lend a hand in their mission to bring people and orchids together for the good of the planet. This episode was produced in part by

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00:58:48

Ep. 539 - Exploring the Seed Microbiome

In Defense of Plants Podcast ·

2025/08/17

Microbes are everywhere, even in seeds! Indeed, seeds from various plants can host a community of different microbes. Despite how cool this sounds, we still have a lot to learn about seed microbiomes. Join me and Dr. Gilliam Burgmann as we explore questions like what kinds of microbes are present in seeds? How do these communities differ? Are microbes good, bad, or indifferent to the seeds that host them? This episode was produced in part by Nadia, Heidi, Blake, Josh, Laure, R.J., Carly, Lucia,

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