Episodes

Do bats live close to my house? Why are they important? Do they have rabies? How can people help take care of urban wildlife? How can we involve more people in conservation and community science, particularly people from historically excluded groups? Come with me and Miguel Ordeñana to Griffith Park in Los Angeles, where we discuss all of this and so much more. Links: Bat Motherhood Benefits of Bats CDC Page on Human Rabies National Science Foundation STEM Diversity Report NHMLA's Commu...

Have you ever wondered what kinds of wildlife live right in the middle of your city? Or why some animals thrive in cities while others don't? And how did a mountain lion end up in Los Angeles, anyway? Join me and Miguel Ordeñana, the scientist who discovered mountain lion P-22 living in Griffith Park in LA as we discuss these questions and so many more. Links: Keeping Cats Indoors Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing Safety in Mountain Lion Habitat P-22 sightings during my visit to LA P-22 E...

Have you ever wanted to grow your own native plants? Where can you get California native seeds? Should you sow them directly in the ground or start them in pots? Is there anything you should do to the seeds before planting them? What time of year should they be planted? How should the soil be prepared? What are some common mistakes to avoid? What are some good plants to start with? Is this the end of the lawn as we know it? Join me and restoration ecologist Dr. Julia Michaels as we explore...

What is an amphibian, anyway? Are they leading double lives? What's the difference between a newt and a salamander? A frog and a toad? What kinds of amphibians live in California? Why are California newts so toxic? How do they always, always find their way home? Join me and Gary Bucciarelli as we explore a stream in the Santa Monica Mountains, finding plentiful frogs and newts as we discuss the questions above and many more. Links: Map of Amphibian Diversity Arboreal Salamanders California...

Did you know that California's Central Valley once contained a vast inland sea and was home to camels, 400 lb. saber-toothed salmon, and tiny four-tusked mastodons? Or that, just a couple of hundred years ago, it was a network of wetlands, peat bogs, riparian forests, and shallow lakes? So how did this place that was once so defined by an abundance of water become somewhere marked by water-related controversy? Come along with me and Ellen Wehr as we discuss the history of this remarkable Vall...

What's the problem with yellow hills? How do you trick a seed? What are the neighbors angry about? Where do restorationists get all those seeds? What's the difference between ecological restoration and restoration ecology? What does reconciliation have to do with it? How can we keep the world brimming with strange and beautiful creatures? Join me and Billy Sale, Restoration Project Manager at the California Botanic Garden, as we poke around a native plant nursery and discuss all of these questi...

Most of us live in places where we can only see a few of the brightest stars in the sky at night, but what if that didn't have to be the case? Come with me and guests Kayla Browne and Dan Duriscoe to Death Valley, where we sit under a sky full of stars to discuss light pollution, bats, migrating birds, why dark skies are important, astronomy, places you can go to see a truly dark sky, and what can be done to bring stars back to our cities and our lives. Photo by Dan Duriscoe. Links: Fri...

Jack finishes up his journal page on the mineral flat at Bedwell Bayfront Park. Did you know that no pretty pictures or artistic talent are required to create a highly effective nature journal? Rather, as John Muir Laws explains in this episode, nature journaling is about paying attention, presence in the moment, and thinking more effectively about the natural world all around you. Join Jack and I on a nature journaling adventure beside the San Francisco Bay, and find out what six things shou...

California is home to 6,500 native plant species, including some that are truly iconic, like coast redwoods, giant sequoias, bristlecone pines, and California poppies. If you're like me, you have a lot of questions about this wide variety of plants, like: What is it that makes native plants so important? What's the difference between a native plant and an endemic one? Why are some plants more beneficial for wildlife than others? How many rare plants do we have in California? What's important to ...

Art by Obi Kaufmann, author of the California Field Atlas. See below for his website! Do you want to know what some of the most experienced, most insightful naturalists in California have on their minds? You’ve come to the right place! This episode is jammed full of brilliant professors, authors, environmental directors, outdoor equity advocates, and science communicators, and they cover topics from traditional ecological knowledge and storytelling to fire on the landscape to the ethical questio...

Have you ever wondered what was going on in California, oh, ten or fifty thousand years ago? About, perhaps, the social lives of saber-toothed cats, just how big giant ground sloths actually were, or the difference between a mammoth and a mastodon? Join me and Sean Campbell, Senior Paleontological Preparator at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California, as we explore what California and the world were like at the last glacial maximum. Handy Links: La Brea Tar Pits: https://tarpits.org/ Is...

What makes butterflies so magical? They are a wonder and a delight, and I’m so excited to be diving into a full episode about what is possibly the most iconic species of butterfly in the world: Monarchs. Have you ever wondered why they’re bright orange, how far they migrate, or why they capture our collective imagination? I have! Come with me to the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary to find out more about these creatures that are as graceful as they are legendary. Links: Monarch Joint Venture M...

Hi there! It's season two now! Have you ever wondered what makes a "good fire" different from a "bad fire"? ME TOO. How about these: Which ecosystem needs fire more frequently--oak woodland or chaparral? What happens to animals during and after a wildfire? Are there any plants or animals with truly insane relationships with fire? (I'm going to spoil that one right now. Yes. Yes, there are.) Join me and biologist, illustrator, and author Robin Lee Carlson as we hike Stebbins Cold Canyon, a UC ...