Completely Arbortrary

Mango, one of the world's most beloved fruits is the subject this week. A tropical wondertree, we chat about where the mango is from and its numerous benefits. However, this tree and its family have a dark side that has Casey and Alex keeping their distance... Then, we hear from Daphne K. Jenkins, maker of mochi! Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support...

From folk lore to your lunchbox, the apple (Malus domestica) has played a role in our society for thousands of years. In our Season 4 premiere, we chat about the American chapter of that story and we hear just how Casey feels about this ubiquitous fruit tree. Then, it’s another edition of Family Tree! Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and...

Hi, we're Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson. You're invited to take a seat at the table for Completely Arbortrary Season 4: Plant-Based Diet! That's right, this season we're baking, sautéing, and grilling our way through a cornucopia of trees that feed. We're talking lemon tree, almond tree, and even the dreaded apple. And we're teaming up with chefs from all around to showcase the best ingredients our...

This week we are closing out our Winter ‘21 Collection with the green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). Though an immensely popular ornamental and street tree, this tree is a huge component of our forest ecosystems, and the invasion of an insect killing them off has had interesting waves throughout the forest. We talk ecosystem ramifying this week and discuss how little, seemingly innocuous, unconnect...

This week we review the littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata), a European forest dweller with a heart of gold. We discuss how its generosity is a double-edged sword, and how the delicate web of its ecosystem was abused by humans at the cost of 50,000 precious lives. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on...

The tree that’ll kill you back, the Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri) is our topic this week, and we bring in special guest Tobin Mitnik, a Jew who loves trees, to get his hot take on this giant coned conifer. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our store Find additi...

A god of a tree, blessed with near immortality, this week we discuss the bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva), who from its high mountain home has diligently recorded a ring every year for millennia. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our store Find additional read...

A true tale of love and loss, the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) is this week’s subject and we discuss its renown, majesty, and stature, and ultimately its untimely demise. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our store Find additional reading on our website...

The western redcedar and all its glory today, along with our first interview (!) with Sam Stewart, a guitar craftsman and musician who tells us all ‘bout how wood is used in guitars. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our store Find additional reading on our web...

When a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? We don’t know! But it sure does make a lovely habitat for a plethora of little creatures and plants. Today we examine nurse logs from the persective of one of the best, the Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), a species that excels at the practice. Then we weigh the odds with The Cone Scale. Completely Arbortra...

INVASION! In this episode we discuss the morality of tree invasiveness, and find ourselves debating the question: who’s invading whom? Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our store Find additional reading on our website Cover art by Jillian Barthold Music by Aves...

An American legend whose time was cut too short, this week we discuss the American elm and its momentous rise and historic fall in the mean city streets across North America. But, we learn an important lesson that feels all too true across the board. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram F...

A tree that didn’t ask for the praise, but certainly earns it, this week it’s the Japanese maple and we chat about the undergods of the forest, the understory trees. Then we check in with the Fungal Associated Press. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our store...

What is it to be a tree? What is a trees? What are a tree? The quaking aspen has it all figured out, and they (it?) have (has?) been doing it since the ice age. We talk Pando, (re)production, and bay is bae! Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our store Find addi...

Is it the perfect tree, as close to ideal as possible, or is it a scourge upon the exotic soils to which it was brought? This week we talk the infamous Bradford pear and boy does this episode stink. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our store Find additional re...

Season 3! Completely Arbortrary: Classic This season we're returning to format and covering some long-requested trees, and some house-favorites as well! Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our store Find additional reading on our website Cover art by Jillian Bart...

Perhaps the most cosmopolitan aquatic tree out there, this week we conclude our world tour with a trip to the waters of the tropics (any of them!) and dive into just what makes mangroves such nifty trees. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our store Find additio...

G’day and welcome to the penultimate installation of our Spring ‘21 collection wherein we of course are covering the famous Australian giant, the mountain-ash eucalyptus. The tallest growing angiosperm in the world, and a tree that can fight off nearly everything, this week we discuss the fabulous way eucalyptus trees use chemical defenses to ward off unwanted nibblers...and how some of those nibb...

This week we're discussing the gorgeous and unique European larch (Larix decidua), and we discuss its proclivity for tapping into a wide-reaching fungal network, and fungal networks at large! Then we return... to the Cone Zone. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on...

A cosmopolitan tree to say the least, this week we discuss the gorgeous jacaranda tree from south central South America. Dappled shade, incomparable violet blooms, and an attitude to match, we take another look at how urban trees affect us and why it may be a good idea to plant a lot more. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become...

When a tree is clearly a god, we don’t question it. This week we head to the northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand and revel in the divinity of the kauris, the towering forest giants who are only outmatched in size by the sequoias and redwoods half a world away. Then we take another kid listener question. Alex is tired! Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex...

Permafrost! Phototropism! Thigmomorphogenesis! Big terms with big ideas abound in this boreal episode of Completely Arbortrary, as we trek through the frozen woods of Canada to find the battered and bendy black spruce. We even premiere a brand new segment featuring you, our Fungal Associates. Let’s get tipsy! Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the...

Q: A killer, a nursemaid, and a fruit peddler walk into a bar. The barkeep says, “Table for one?” How is this possible? A: The Banyan tree. This week, we have a BIG episode talking about India’s own Banyan tree, and all the hats it wears. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortra...

The tree that helped forge the civilizations of the Mediterranian, and maybe built the mythical Ark, this week we head to the Mountains of Turkey and Lebanon to discuss the Cedar of Lebanon. Join us to hear about this true cedar and its outsized impact on our world. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow alon...

Do giraffes make trees taller, or the trees make giraffes’ necks longer? This week, we cover the iconic umbrella thorn tree (Vachellia tortilis) of the African savannahs and talk about how evolution may or may not work. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the pod and become a Treemium Member Follow along on Instagram Find Arbortrary merch on our sto...