In Defense of Plants Podcast

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. This is a complex issue that I have been stewing over for some time. I wanted to give the lawn the right kind of coverage and speaking with Betsy was a wonderful way to do just that. I hope you find this conversation as interesting as I do. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 plants, Dave is preserving at least some of the genetic diversity of these rapidly shrinking habitats. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Dave is working on in regards to propagating native Costa Rican flora. This is a relaxing episode full of the sounds of the jungle. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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-not-sell-my-info.

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 research into this interesting legume. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.