In Defense of Plants Podcast
Plants are everything. They are also incredibly interesting. From the smallest duckweed to the tallest redwood, the botanical world is full of wonder. Tune in for a podcast celebrating everything botany.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 52 minutes
- Episodes
- 301
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Ep. 501 - Conservation of Crop Wild Relatives
Domestication is a spectrum, especially for botanical crops. Regardless of where a plant is on that spectrum, it nevertheless has a wild origin. Understanding those origins can not only help us under…
00:59:49 |
Sun 24 Nov 2024
Ep. 500 - 500?!
It is hard to believe, but you are about to listen to the 500th episode of the In Defense of Plants Podcast. So much has happened over the nearly 10 years this podcast has been running, and none of i…
00:31:40 |
Sun 17 Nov 2024
Ep. 499 - Aspen & Forest Health
Aspen (Populus tremuloides) are synonymous with many habitats throughout North America. This tree is a species of superlatives, but its grandeur doesn't mean it is immune to threats. In fact, in many…
00:48:43 |
Sun 10 Nov 2024
Ep. 498 - Planting a Future for Ecuadorian Biodiversity
Protecting and restoring biodiversity in a place as biodiverse as Ecuador is no small task. You have to work hard and collaborate and that is exactly what the folks at Jocotoco Conservation Foundatio…
00:43:38 |
Sun 03 Nov 2024
Ep. 497 - Understanding the Bewildering Diversity of Plant/Pollinator Interactions
One cannot overemphasize the importance of plant/pollinator interactions. The world as we know it would not exist without these complex components of ecology. Getting good data, and more importantly,…
00:52:42 |
Sun 27 Oct 2024
Ep. 496 - Tree Rings Revisited
Counting the rings of a tree can be so much fun. In the temperate zone, each ring marks a year in that tree's life. However, if you know what to look for, tree rings can tell you so much more. Dr. V…
00:43:21 |
Sun 20 Oct 2024
Ep. 495 - Pack Rats & Paleoclimates Revisited
Novel approaches are always fun. Nowhere is this more apparent than in today's podcast. We revisit a conversation with Dr. Camille Holmgren from SUNY Buffalo State about her research reconstructing a…
00:31:40 |
Sun 13 Oct 2024
Ep. 494 - The Botanical Mysteries of the Mazon Creek Formation
The Mazon Creek Fossil Formation is famous the world over for the exquisite preservation of soft tissues in animals. These rocks provide pristine snapshots of everything from extinct worms and jellyf…
00:49:40 |
Sun 06 Oct 2024
Ep. 493 - Being Friendly to Bees
"Benefitting pollinators" is a phrase that gets used a lot, especially in gardening circles. While most of us will agree with the sentiment, what does it mean in practice? How does one "benefit" poll…
00:51:51 |
Sun 29 Sep 2024
Ep. 492 - Hope in Wetland Restoration
Restoring healthy wetlands isn't an easy task. Often times, altered hydrologic cycles means wetlands no long act like they once did. Nevertheless, the many ecological and cultural benefits of functio…
00:59:00 |
Sun 22 Sep 2024
Ep. 491 - Plants & Wetland Restoration
Healthy wetlands are vital to maintaining biodiversity and a healthy way of life for us. Sadly, we haven't always treated wetlands like the essential habitats that they are. While protecting natural …
00:53:40 |
Sun 15 Sep 2024
Ep. 490 - Pinesap: A Parasitic Mystery
Pinesap (Monotropa hypopitys) produces no leaves nor any chlorophyl. It “eats” fungi and can be found growing in many areas around the globe. It flowers in spring, fall, and summer and noby really kn…
00:57:14 |
Sun 08 Sep 2024
Ep. 489 - Protecting Peak Plants Revisited
The Adirondack Mountains are home to a remarkable diversity of plant species. Situated in northern New York, these mountains are harsh enough that they foster a thriving alpine community. Despite the…
00:46:14 |
Sun 01 Sep 2024
Ep. 488 - An Interesting Case of Variegation
Variegation among leaves is a fascinating phenomenon. Though plant breeders have accentuated this trait in a variety of cultivated plants, variegation does occur naturally as well. Its function isn't…
01:02:38 |
Sun 25 Aug 2024
Ep. 487 - Fossil Seeds & Past Plant Diversity
Fossils offer some of the best evidence of how diverse various branches of the tree of life once were. They help us understand speciation and extinction as well as biogeography. Dr. Steve Manchester …
00:53:58 |
Sun 18 Aug 2024
Ep. 486 - Sedge Diversity Gone Wild
Sedges are a complex group of plants in the family Cyperaceae. Within this family lies the genus Carex, which boasts ~2000 species found in all kinds of habitats. From specialists to generalists, the…
00:54:52 |
Sun 11 Aug 2024
Ep. 485 - Paleo Grapes
The grape family (Vitaceae) is known and appreciated the world over, largely for their culinary value. Ecologically speaking, they are very important plants as well. However, we know very little abou…
01:00:28 |
Sun 04 Aug 2024
Ep. 484 - From Dune to Desert: Adventures in Plant Conservation
Plant conservation isn't easy work, but it is vital to maintaining ecosystem health. Nowhere is this more apparent than in extreme environments like beach dunes and deserts. Join me and plant conserv…
00:43:21 |
Sun 28 Jul 2024
Ep. 483 - When Palms Grew in Wyoming Revisited
Join Dr. Sarah Allen and me as we journey back in time to the Eocene. Earth was a very different planet some 49 million years ago. Though we may recognize some Eocene flora, the combination of variou…
00:48:44 |
Sun 21 Jul 2024
Ep. 482 - Walnuts Above the Arctic Circle?
The High Arctic is not a place you go looking for forests today. It is extremely harsh, cold, and nearly void of most forms of plant life. However, that has not always been the case. The Eocene Epoch…
00:54:02 |
Sun 14 Jul 2024
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of In Defense of Plants. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.