Curious by Nature with Deep Roots

The Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) began in 1989 amid concerns over the effects of clearcutting forests on songbird populations. Thirty-seven years later, the Missouri Department of Conservation has studied how common forest management practices impact flora, wildlife, soil health, and other ecosystem components. Take a virtual hike through Peck Ranch with MDC forester and distric...

Hidden within Cedar Niles Park is a relatively unknown natural area where scattered limestone outcrops hint at a larger glade ecosystem stretching into nearby remnant prairies and woodlands. Recent discoveries, including county record species like Mentzelia oligosperma reveal a landscape shaped by thin soils and extreme conditions. Join us for a virtual hike across this striking gradient from prai...

Late spring in the Midwest means hotter temps and more rain which equals more garden maintenance! Join Deep Roots’ “native plant nerds” Cydney and Maddie as they highlight summer blooms, weeds, and demonstrate maintenance strategies to support your gardens at home! Have a plant that gets too tall in the fall? Or perhaps you regret adding a prolific native plant species to your garden? Techniques i...

Through observation you can determine how prolific a plant will spread and if it’s compatible with other plants in your garden. From rapid spreaders to plants that prefer their space, join Cydney Ross of Deep Roots as she explores the sociability of native plants in a garden setting. She also answers questions from a live audience about how native plants work well in containers, how sociability ma...

How long should you water a newly planted perennial garden and what are the best practices for dividing and transplanting native plants? Also oops - what happens if you accidentally plant the wrong tree? Is all hope lost? Can you move it?? Enjoy this bonus minisode as Deep Roots native plant nerds, Maddie Ball and Cydney Ross dig in to a residential garden! Visit www.deeproots.org/curious-by-natur...

April showers brought all the native flowers! Join Deep Roots as their “native plant nerds” take a virtual walk through Cydney’s home garden, show practical gardening tips, and talk about how to build gardens from scratch. Maddie Ball and Cydney Ross identify garden-variety native plants and demonstrate editing gardens with intent over time. Learn how (and when!) to divide or edit out native plant...

Enjoy this Earth Day bonus episode, where we invite you to experience the outdoors in a new way. Deep Roots partnered with Sami Aaron, founder of The Resilient Activist, to bring you a guided outdoor meditation session. Sami highlights the vital role that meditation and mental health play in sustaining climate activists and building long-term resilience. For the best experience, find a comfortable...

Join Deep Roots as their “native plant nerds” take a virtual walk through the gardens of the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center. In this episode Maddie Ball and Cydney Ross identify garden-variety Missouri native plants, how to maintain them, and their numerous ecological benefits. During the live Q&A Deep Roots answers gardening questions about what to do about trees with water sprouts, the var...

Historically, Missouri was composed of 30,000,000 acres of native prairie which was home to numerous grassland bird species. Today with less than 60,000 acres of quality prairie remaining, how has this impacted bird populations and what can we do about it? Join Deep Roots and the Missouri River Bird Observatory (MRBO) in this inspirational episode as we visit prairie restorations and residents tha...

Companion planting with native plants brings more pollinators and beneficial bugs right into your veggie garden, which means healthier plants and better harvests. Their deep roots help build strong soil and manage water more naturally. Best of all, mixing natives with vegetables creates a lively, resilient garden that works with nature and produces more food. Join Kay Thomason of Deep Roots to lea...

The Micro-World Living in Your Garden: Why Insects Are the Most Interesting Neighbors You Have Insects are essential to healthy landscapes and quietly shape our gardens in ways we rarely notice. This presentation invites you to slow down and explore the hidden micro-world living in your garden and the vital roles insects play. Join Tamra Reall, Field Specialist in Horticulture for University of Mi...

Growing native foods is a delicious, sustainable practice that connects us to nature. Discover the beauty and benefits an edible landscape provides at Prairie Birthday Farm in Kearney, Missouri. Meet farm steward, Linda Hezel, who transformed a degraded fescue lot into a thriving farm where science, art, and food converge. To view the video recording of this episode and join our webinars live ever...

Whether you’re designing for a school courtyard, senior living community, or your own backyard refuge, this webinar offers practical guidance for creating landscapes that restore and regenerate. Join Deep Roots and Maria Landoni, founder of SUR Landscape Architecture, as we explore how native plants create therapeutic spaces that heal both people and ecosystems. Discover design principles for heal...

Whether its aphids, powdery mildew, or pesky weeds, the battle to protect your plants from pathogens and overwhelming populations of pests is a daunting one. In this episode of Curious by Nature, the EPA-Region 7’s Pesticide Outreach Coordinator, Sharon Dobesh, discusses sustainable Integrated Pest Management systems. Sharon covers different types of natural enemies and how to encourage species va...

This is a Curious by Nature minisode featuring the Q&A session with guest expert, Susan Farrington, Natural History Biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation's Ozark Region. Live audience asks questions about best ways to support native insect and bird populations, the impact of native gardens even on a small scale, and more. If you’d like to hear the full episode on the Histor...

Take a virtual hike through Ozark County’s Caney Mountain Conservation Area! Join Deep Roots and Missouri Department of Conservation as they explored the habitats and history of this 7,899-acre conservation area deep in the Ozark region. From glade and woodland plant species to the historic Wild Turkey reintroduction and a glimpse into A. Starker Leopold’s cabin – this episode has it all. Stick ar...

This is a Curious by Nature minisode featuring the Q&A session with guest expert, Coltin Ridenour of Johnson County Parks and Recreation District. If you’d like to hear the full episode on prescribed fire, be sure to tune in to the November 6th episode when you’re done here!  Fire is just one tool in the shed for land management but has been utilized by people for millennia. Join Johnson Count...

Fire is just one tool in the shed for land management but has been utilized by people for millennia. Join the natural resource team of Johnson County Parks and Recreation District and learn the valuable roll prescribed burns play in large land management. Discussions on fire safety and practical tips for burning during the dormant season, and less often, the growing season. This is a great episode...

When it comes down to it, cultivated spaces are determined by your gardening goals. Join artist and self-proclaimed “native plant nerd”, Cydney Ross as she explores unique gardening aesthetics using Midwestern native plants! From “Mid-Century Modern” to “Tropical” see a dazzling array of native plant palettes to consider for your home gardens. This light-hearted presentation is a creative way to d...

When it comes down to it, cultivated spaces are determined by your gardening goals. Whether you're planting to reduce the size of your lawn, support wildlife, or perhaps for aesthetic reasons - there's a native plant for that! In this educational episode, artist and self-proclaimed “native plant nerd”, Cydney Ross explores unique plant palettes for the home garden. In part one, they explor...

Join Curious by Nature with Deep Roots as we interview Maggie Riggs of Off the Grid Landscaping. She is the founder of the 20-year old native rooftop garden on the historic TWA building in the Crossroads Arts District in Kansas City, Missouri. Maggie talks about the history of this garden, growing natives with food, and why native plants are awesome. This episode is in conjunction with our previou...

This month Deep Roots returns to the TWA rooftop native garden with rising botanist Gavin Schaefer. What do aphid farming ants have to do with urban landscaping? A TON! See green infrastructure supporting wildlife in the Crossroads Arts District in Kansas City and learn how native plantings combat climate change. Guest expert, Gavin Schaefer answers questions from the audience and delves into phil...