Episodes

At the height of the last ice age, California condors could be found all across North America, and since time immemorial, these birds have held special cultural and spiritual significance for a number of Indigenous groups. Bu...

Have you ever wondered about things outside your window--the things that go bump in the night? Or, actually, things that flutter, flap, tread softly, swim, or bloom in the night? Because there’s a whole nocturnal world out th...

When was the last time you looked closely at the living things right outside your front door? Have you ever gotten lost in a daisy, zoomed in on a burr clover, or watched a ladybug on a rose bush? Join me and author-illustrat...

Coast redwood trees reside in a category all their own. Not only are these the tallest trees in the world, but they grow in unique ecosystems–quiet, foggy places with ferns and redwood sorrel spilling everywhere you look onto...

Have you ever looked at a piece of art that altered your perspective? Or one that challenged your thinking? Or maybe you’ve studied a piece that taught you something new. How can art impact conservation efforts? How can it he...

Have you ever wondered if the plants growing along your favorite trail or outside your door are edible? Or what kinds of flavors might not be available at the grocery store? Many of us aren't familiar with the tastes of the p...

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 hist...

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 Ordeñ...

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 th...

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 the...

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 netwo...

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? Wh...

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 si...

How useful is IQ? What exactly is a growth mindset, and how is it different from a fixed mindset? What shifts can we make in our thinking that will allow us to learn and grow in new ways? Should you take Swahili lessons? How ...

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 expla...

Artist Kate Rutter created the beautiful sketchnote above. Please check out more of her work on her website, intelleto.com ! Happy New Year! Are you hoping to spend more time outdoors in 2023? This episode is for you! In it, ...

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...

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 ri...

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 ...

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 wondere...

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 anim...

If you've been wondering what I've been up to or when I'll be back, this episode has your answers! PLUS, just as a bonus because I love you, here's an intro to an amazing podcaster named Michael Hawk, who is the creator of bo...

Scale a beaver dam with me and Dr. Emily Fairfax, beaver researcher, ecohydrologist, assistant professor at CSU Channel Islands, and science communicator extraordinaire who has been featured on NPR's Science Friday and All Th...

When I first heard about Conglomerate Mesa, located on BLM land right outside of Death Valley, I had no idea how much ground a single episode could cover. This one's got everything, including what makes a place a desert, a li...