In Defense of Plants Podcast

You may remember Robbie from Episode 11 of the In Defense of Plants Podcast. He is the poet who is pushing to change the Illinois state flower from a nondescript violet to the Illinois endemic Kankakee mallow. I caught up with Robbie at his day job at The Field Museum in Chicago. He gives us a tour and updates us on his work with the Kankakee mallow as well as another endangered species. It is won...

2016 has arrived and some friends and I rang in the new year with a hike in the woods. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lawns are big business. Raking in over $30 billion annually in the United States alone, the pressure to have and maintain a lawn is ever-present. To understand some of the psyche around lawns in America, I turned to Betsy Breyer, a PhD student at the University of Illinois. Betsy is a social scientist who's research is currently focusing on the sociocultural aspects of our obsession with lawns. Th...

Soil is the black box of terrestrial ecology. Despite its importance, we know very little about it. That is where people like Dr. Elizabeth Bach come in. Her work on soil ecology is shedding light on some of what makes soil so special. Join us for an enlightening discussion about this wonderful substance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art1...

A trip up into a Costa Rican cloud forest quickly turned into a rescue mission when we discovered a large chunk of it had been logged for cattle pasture. The ground was littered with plants that would have simply died had nothing been done. What you are about to hear is plant guru, Dave Janas, walking us through the process of rehabilitating the plants we were able to save. In propagating these pl...

My friend and horticultural mentor, Dave Janas returns to the podcast. This time In Defense of Plants went to him. You will remember Dave from Episode 15. He lives and works as the Senior Horticulturist for the Wilson Botanical Gardens in San Vito, Costa Rica. This episode was recorded during a behind the scenes tour we got of the gardens plant collection. Along the way we learn a lot about what D...

There are many ways to conserve plants but there are certainly many obstacles as well. One of those obstacles lies in how many plants remain. Defining an individual in the plant world can be tricky. Genetics offers some ways of getting around this. Join me for a conversation on how genetic tools are being used to conserve an endangered Florida endemic called Polygala lewtonii. See Privacy Policy a...

What is a species? Why does it matter and what can we do with that information? What drives the patterns of plant diversity we see around the world? These are just some of the questions Dr. Iván Jiménez likes to investigate. Join me for an interesting conversation exploring plant richness. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do...

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is a plant that most people will readily recognize. This invasive vine is a relative of the pea and has the ability to carpet everything on the landscape including houses. Introduced to the North America from Asia, this species offers researchers a chance to understand not only plant invasion but also evolution. Join me for a conversation with Steven Callen regarding his re...

Remnant prairies are few and far between but this week's podcast is going to take you to one. The Grand Prairie Friends invited people out to their Loda Prairie site this weekend to help them with seed collection. I was happy to oblige and the resulting adventure was quite fun. Tune in this week to enjoy a tour of an original prairie. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...

I spent the day volunteering with the Friends of Langham Island. They are a group of concerned citizens working to restore Langham Island's unique flora, which includes the endangered endemic Kankakee Mallow. It was a fun day and I met a lot of great people along the way. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late August 2015 I took my first ever trip to Central America. I encountered so many new things and I want to tell you all about them. Join the lovely Sara Johnson and I as we chat about our experience backpacking through this wonderful region. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Long time friends Melissa and Thom are visiting from Argentina and they come bearing delicious mate. Join us for a fun learning experience centered around the social aspects of drinking this delicious shrub. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When it comes to botanizing, we all have methods to our madness. In this episode, Steve and I discuss some of our favorite aspects of the hobby of plant exploring. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Part 2 of my tour of the Highlands Biological Station. Head horticulture specialist Russell Funderburk provides entertaining insights into what it takes to run a botanical garden. We get to meet loads of native plants, many of which are endemic to this region of North America. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-...

When people found out that I would be living in western North Carolina, there was one sentiment I kept hearing, "You need to see the Highlands Botanical Garden." No one had to twist my arm for that to happen. Highlands is an incredible place which centers around research and conservation with a special focus on endemic plant species. Join me for a tour of the garden lead by Horticulture Specialist...

American ginseng is one of those species that most people are aware of on some level. Despite its notoriety, it is hard to track down information on what this plant is as a species. Join me for a discussion with Dave DeViney, a man who truly knows ginseng. This interesting discussion covers many aspects of what makes this plant special. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi...

I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at the Coweeta Hydrologic Lab's Summer Meeting. There I attended a day long seminar series showcasing the different kinds of research going on in the basin. One of these talks was given by Dr. Robert Warren regarding a novel form of seed dispersal involving birds. I know what you're thinking and no this doesn't have to do with berries. Bonus Q & A session...

An update from the road! I am on my way to North Carolina for a month of plant identification and data collection. I bring you up to speed on our trip to the Bruce Peninsula as well. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steve returns this week for a rather lengthy discussion on plant poaching. We touch on some reasons why people poach as well as a handful of plants that are falling victim to this greedy crime. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week I touch on some recent adventures as well as some exciting things to come. I also discuss my disgust with cultivars. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Commonness and rarity are snapshots in time. The abundance of plant species can change drastically as conditions change around them. Over the last two years I have been investigating what makes some plant species rare while others are common. It has been an amazing journey. Join me in this episode as I explore this idea. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice...

Novel approaches are always fun. Nowhere is this more apparent than in today's podcast. I am joined by Dr. Camille Holmgren from SUNY Buffalo State to talk about her research reconstructing ancient desert climates using pack rat middens. Join us for a fun and interesting discussion that will take you back thousands of years in the past. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi...

In this week's episode I am joined by senior horticulturist Dave Janas of the Wilson Botanical Gardens in Las Cruces, Costa Rica. Dave is what I like to call a "plant guru." Join us for a discussion about all the wonder and beauty that is life at the Wilson Botanical Gardens. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-i...

Urban ecology is a growing field of study. In this episode I sit down for a talk with ecologist Dave Spiering from Tifft Nature Center in the City of Buffalo. Dave studies succession in these man-made environments and his experience as a restoration practitioner provides unique insights into how we can manage our urban environments in better way. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...