Nature's Archive

The Joshua Tree is perhaps only rivaled by the saguaro cactus as the icon of the desert southwest. Featured on U2’s classic album cover, and now the backdrop of countless instagram glamor shots, its unique, almost alien look is unmistakable.

But for decades the Joshua Tree was looked at with disdain - even loathing and hatred.

Today, our guest is Barret Baumgart, author of the new book, “Yuck: The Birth & Death of the Weird & Wondrous Joshua Tree”. Barret explores the history of the Joshua Tree, in a book that can be considered part history, part n...

We love native plants and habit-friendly yards at Nature's Archive, and I have a few exciting updates from my yard: spoiler: native plants are working! 

And stay tuned for a re-air of a classic episode with Leslie Inman from Pollinator Friendly Yards. There are plenty of useful insights for both habitat-friendly yard practices, and community building. Afterall, we need everyone to not only take action, but spread the word.

And we have new episodes around the corner, too. It's been incredibly busy these last couple of months, so thanks for your patience as we work t...

Today’s episode is about one of the coolest plants that I can think of - both figuratively and literally! 

Stick with me for a moment. When you think of a parasite, what comes to mind? Maybe mosquitoes, ticks, tapeworms. Probably nothing you want to invite into your house or property.

But there are parasites that are super beneficial to ecosystems.

The parasite I’m speaking of is also the cool plant I alluded to. Well, it’s actually a large category of parasitic plants. In fact, they’ve separately evolved on five different...

Have you ever wondered why some rainshowers turn into thunderstorms? Just what happens in the atmosphere to create these dynamic, exciting, and sometimes damaging storms?

I find it fascinating, because so many interesting principles are at play - things we often overlook. Like, did you know that the sun doesn’t actually directly warm the air? Yes, you heard that right.

Today we take a look at how thunderstorms develop, how they can turn tornadic, and of course, I tie this back to ecology. We discuss the three ingredients needed for thunderstorms - moisture, lift, an...

When we think about habitats, it’s easy to picture the rich diversity on land—vast prairies, scorching deserts, lush forests, and intricate wetlands. But what if I told you the ocean is just as diverse, filled with ecosystems as unique and vital as any on land? The only difference? We can’t see them as easily—but that doesn’t make them any less important.

Today’s guest is Dr. Judith Gobin, joining us all the way from Trinidad and Tobago. Judith is a recently retired professor of Marine Biology from the University of the West Indies. 

Today’s guest is the brilliant Dr. Wendy Bohon, an earthquake geologist who has a passion for making the complexities of our planet accessible and engaging. Dr. Bohon is known for her dynamic science communication - in fact, you may have seen her viral videos through her Dr Wendy Rocks channels on YouTube and other social media.

Today, Dr. Bohon delves into the fascinating world of geology and earthquakes, exploring their impact on our environment and society.

In this episode, you'll discover how earthquakes occur, how earthquake geologists figure out how often faults rupture through fa...

Dr. Jonny Hanson is an environmental social scientist, conservationist, and former community farmer. He's also the author of Living with Lynx, Sharing Landscapes with Big Cats, Wolves, and Bears.

He spent months traveling Europe and the United States learning about the real-life challenges of reintroducing apex predators to landscapes, and how to make coexistence successful for everyone involved.

Today, we discuss Jonny’s travels, stories, and lessons learned. And of course, we begin with “why reintroduce apex predators in the first place”. 

As an environmental social scientist, Jonny spends much of his time learnin...

Today’s episode is very timely. Our guest is Margo Robbins, cofounder and Executive Director of the Cultural Fire Management Council. Margo advocates for the return of cultural burning practices as a way to strengthen community, support biodiversity, and mitigate out of control fires that plague so many areas.

But before I get further into the details of today's episode, I want to note that it was recorded just a few days prior to the tragic and devastating wildfires that affected the Los Angeles area in January. 

We’ve had numerous interviews on Nature’s Archive...

As a nature lover, I’m often asked about my favorite plants, animals, and insects. And I always struggle to answer those questions, because I have so many favorites, and they are context dependent. But when it comes to birds, woodpeckers often come to mind first. 

They’re often colorful, charismatic, and have such an amazing set of adaptations that let them drill into trees, excavate insects from bark, and some even fly catch on the wing. 

One of the most interesting woodpecker species is the Acorn Woodpecker, found in much of the west and southw...

Slime molds (Myxomycetes) are beautiful, weird, and amazing organisms. Often mistaken for fungi, they are actually single celled, yet they grow and efficiently move in search of food, can start and stop their life cycle based on environmental conditions, and even change colors several times during their brief life cycle. They can be beautifully colored, frequently iridescent, and can be ornately shaped. And better still, they can be found in much of the world - maybe even in your yard.

My guest today, Alison Pollack, is a renowned slime mold photographer and unabashed enthusiast of slime molds...

I spent several hours assembling the highlights of the 24 episodes we produced in 2024, all packaged in this nice short recap. It was a lot of work, so I hope you like it!

If you want to hear any of these episodes in their entirety, simply check our feed or naturesarchive.com. And for easy reference, the full year's episodes are listed below.

And I'd love your feedback on Nature's Archive in general! I made a short survey (probably only takes 1 minute). Please fill it out:

https://naturesarchive.com/survey

#106: Why Ants...

I love discovering overlooked plants and animals that play outsized roles in the environment. I’m also fascinated by complex systems, especially when they’re easy to observe.

And nothing ticks all three of those boxes better than ants.

One estimate says that for every human on earth, there may be as many as 2.5 million ants. And these ants form complex societies with unique roles. They communicate in mysteriously complex ways, and can range in size from almost microscopic to an inch and a half long.

Ants can build colonies in acorns, hollow twig...

Do you love spiders and insects? Or perhaps you are more apprehensive of them - or even suffer from arachnophobia. In either case, today’s discussion is for you.

Join me for an enlightening journey into the world of insects and arachnids with Kevin Wiener. Kevin is an environmental educator and founder of the thriving 'All Bugs Go To Kevin' community. In this episode, Kevin shares his inspiring path from pest control to becoming a passionate advocate for arthropods. Explore the crucial roles insects play in our ecosystem, debunk common myths about animals like the Brown Recluse sp...

Today we’re discussing perhaps the most important 24 armed creature you quite possibly have never heard of before. Each arm has eyes, or more accurately, eyespots on the ends, and they have thousands of tube feet that they closely coordinate to move. It’s a keystone species which used to have populations around 6 billion. And in a matter of a couple of years, about 5 billion of those vanished, melting away, literally turning to goo. Or at least that’s how SCUBA divers and biologists described it. It almost sounds like an alien science fiction story, but I assure you, it’s r...

Have you ever thought about how or why natural areas, like state or county parks, open space, or wildlife refuges were set aside and saved? Sometimes it seems amazingly unlikely that these places exist.

And it’s too easy to assume that there is no land left to set aside. But today we’re telling the story of Coyote Valley, a land adjacent to the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley. I don’t want to spoil the story, but I will tell you it is inspiring and shows just what can happen with the right combination of ing...

I’ve been looking forward to today’s episode for a really long time - and for two great reasons. One, it’s about wildlife forensics, which is an immense field that requires knowledge of everything from wildlife behavior and morphology, to DNA, to crime scene investigation, to policy and the law. I’ve always been a bit of a generalist who likes to deep dive into topics on occasion…so this is a field true to my heart.

And the second reason I’ve been looking forward to it is the guest - forensic wildlife biologist Ashley Bray...

What do parasitic plants, 600 year old oak trees, salmon, and hoverflies have in common? Well, they are some of Griff's, Michelle Fullner’s and my favorite wild organisms!

Today’s episode is a fun conversation with Michelle Fullner, Griff Griffith, and myself, Michael Hawk, where we advocate for our 10 favorite animals and plants. We each bring three species to the conversation…well, not physically. And we had a bit of a game to decide who got to pick the 10th one. All I’m saying is that I still think that aphids would be good at soccer, but you’...

Have you ever wondered what it takes to bring a species back from the brink of extinction? Today, we’re diving into the front lines of one of the most challenging and inspiring conservation efforts of our time, with Sophie Osborn as our guide. This episode unravels the incredible stories of the Peregrine Falcon, Hawaiian Crow, and California Condor—three iconic birds with a common thread of survival against the odds.

We’ll explore the daunting threats these birds have faced, and surprisingly, how those same dangers continue to impact us all. Take lead ammunition, for instance—it’s a w...

Have you ever wondered how biologists figure out how plants respond to drought, heat, cold, and other environmental factors? 

One way is to study phenology. That’s a fancy word that accounts for seasonal and cyclical growth patterns of plants and animals. Researchers can look at various attributes, like when a plant flowers, leafs out, drops leaves, and more, and then see how that correlates to environmental factors, weather, climate, and genetics.

Today, our guest is Dr. Hanna Makowski, and she tells us all about her research at Black Rock Forest in New York - and...

Nature's Archive has published 100 episodes now. Well, actually over 100, because I normally don't count solo episodes.

This week, I wanted to share one of the most important lessons I've learned from these past four years and 100 episodes. Spoiler: it's an angle on how 'everything is connected', and a deeper, more profound understanding of ecosystem services.

Regular interview episodes return in two weeks, so stay tuned!

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner

Wildfire with Lenya Quinn-Davidson

Hydrology and Water Management...

Have you ever watched Planet Earth and wondered how they get that amazing footage of elusive and wild animals? Get ready to learn about that and much more.

Wildlife photographer Jake Davis shares his incredible journey from a 10-year-old with a disposable camera to capturing stunning footage for Planet Earth. Jake dives into the challenges and triumphs of filming elusive snow leopards in the Gobi Desert, including the technical intricacies of setting up camera traps. He also recounts dramatic encounters with Alaskan brown bears and the unique experience of placing a GoPro in a wolf den. Throughout...

Have you seen all of the scary headlines about massive venomous Joro spiders invading the eastern USA? Well, as you might imagine, these headlines are designed to drive clicks so that individuals and media can monetize their content.

Dr. Sarah Rose helps set the record straight, and also answers some questions about spider mating rituals, which turn out to be complex and fascinating!

And after that short Q&A, we play the full interview with Dr. Rose from Episode 58. Here is the introduction from that episode:

Today we’re going to discuss an an...

The ocean’s surface is a bit like the cover of a book. We have a title - the ocean - which gives us a hint about what it is. And we probably have some preconceived ideas about it based on the cover graphics or author.

But we can’t see inside to truly understand the stories it wants to tell. 

One of those stories is about a forest - yes, an underwater forest that serves multiple critical purposes for life on earth. I’m talking about kelp forests, which generates oxygen, stores carbon, balances chemica...

Forestry is incredibly interesting and important, and it really speaks to me personally, because it’s one of these fields that is inherently interdisciplinary. You have to understand how things relate and connect to create a healthy, sustainable system. 

But traditionally, forestry was all about resource extraction, which often is done at the expense of long term sustainability.

And my guest today, Ethan Tapper, is just the person to help us understand how forestry is changing. Ethan is a professional forester, and has incredibly unique personal experiences, which have helped him gain a compelling perspective on...

Snakes are the perfect topic for Nature’s Archive. They are often over-generalized to fit a worst-case stereotype, but they are critically important to our food webs and ecosystems. And like so much of what we discuss, once you start learning just a bit about them, you see how amazing and diverse they are.

And there are few better suited to guide us through the world of snakes than Dr. Emily Taylor. Dr. Taylor is a professor of biological sciences at California Poly San Luis Obispo and has been studying mating systems and physiology of rattlesnakes for 25 ye...

2024 is going to be another year of the cicada, with the emergence of two periodical cicada groups, or broods (Brood XIII and Brood XIX), at the same time, roughly in late April to early May.

Now, throughout much of the world, cicadas serenade us in summer afternoons - you might be familiar with that, and wonder “what’s the big deal”.

But in a few special locations, periodical cicadas emerge on a specific cycle, every 13 or 17 years. These emergences are like clockwork - somehow these insects know exactly when to emerge from the ground, in synchr...

When it comes to understanding nature, it often seems like the ocean surface - that undulating reflective layer of water - is more like an impenetrable curtain than just a layer of water.

There is just so much we don’t know about, and are too quick to dismiss, all because we can’t easily observe what’s going on down there.

Thankfully, octopuses are having a renaissance in popular culture, and as a result, serve as sort of an ambassador to the oceans. And this is in no small part due to the efforts of my...

My guest today is Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. Dr. Wynn-Grant is the co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, is a wildlife ecologist and affiliated researcher at the UC Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental and Science Management.

She’s also an author, with her new memoir entitled “Wild Life” coming out on April 2.

Today we discuss Dr. Wynn-Grant’s unique and inspiring personal journey into wildlife ecology, her awakening to the world of environmental justice, triggered by Hurricane Katrina, as well as some of her active research pursuits, including her work with bears and mountain l...

Have you ever seen a fuzzy looking ant? Maybe it looked like a little pipe cleaner with fuzzy red or yellow hair?

If so, you probably saw a velvet ant. And here’s the thing - it’s not even an ant at all. They’re wingless wasps, and they often turn up along hiking trails, roadsides, and sometimes even in your backyard! And if you haven’t seen one, hit pause and check out the show notes on naturesarchive.com for a few photos.

What’s more, these wasps have quite the reputation and an amazing...

In nature, tree physiology is like the engine that keeps forests running smoothly, similar to how human physiology keeps our bodies going. Just as we study how our bodies' metabolism, respiratory systems, and other systems work to keep us healthy, biologists can look at tree physiology to understand how trees grow, use energy, and cope with challenges in their environment.

Today’s guest, Dr. Lucy Kerhoulas, is an Associate Professor of Forest Ecophysiology at Cal-Poly Humboldt. She specializes in the forest physiology of northwestern California, which includes redwoods, Douglas fir, oaks, and more.

Today Dr. Ke...

You’re in for a treat today - it’s like two episodes in one.

My guest today is Allasandra Valdez, a botanist working on her PhD in plant physiology in  Cornell University’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department. Allasandra also has a background studying invasive species, and is the creator and host of The Happy Botanist podcast.

Today’s wide-ranging discussion touches on everything from studying plants' response to climate change through looking at carbon 13 isotopes, to invasive species including the Hemlock wooly adelgid, to the surprising behaviors of an invasive grass called Johnson Grass.

Many of you might recall the dramatic 2020 fire season in the western USA. In California alone, close to 4 million acres burned. Cities were clouded with smoke and unhealthy air for many weeks. I had ash fall at my home in San Jose, CA on several occasions.

But did you know that based on pre-colonial historical estimates, 4 million acres burned would be considered “below average”. How can that be? Does that mean that every summer in the 1700’s had smoke filled air and devastating fires? Spoiler alert: the answer is no.

In today’s episode, we reconcil...

I bet you’ve heard of the National Park Service. Or the US Forest Service which manages all of our National Forests.

But did you know that there is another land management agency that manages more public land than either the National Parks or National Forests? This overlooked agency is the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM.

Josh Jackson has become one of the BLM’s top enthusiasts, with a huge following on his forgottenlandscalifornia instagram. He’s also a writer and conservationist, and is working on a new book all about BLM lands.

To...

Today’s episode is all about California Condors with Tiana Williams-Claussen, the director of the Yurok Tribe’s wildlife department. This episode is actually from my friend Michelle Fullner of the Golden State Naturalist podcast. If you don’t know Golden State Naturalist, I think this episode is pretty indicative of Michelle’s work. She travels around California to meet and interview interesting people in the field. There is a definite advantage to in-person interviews, and I wish I could do more.

Even though this episode is about California Condors, and the podcast is California-centric, today’s episode is...

Double the nature content in the same amount of time as a typical Nature's Archive? Well, I think we've come close today, and no, we're not playing an interview at double speed.

Here's your chance to hear two episodes of the Jumpstart Nature podcast from our pilot season, covering the topics of treating your yard like a habitat  (The Yard of the Future Full Show Notes), and how shifting baseline syndrome affects our perception of the health of the environment (We Live in a 10% World Full Show Notes).

You might recognize bits and pieces of t...

Let’s dive into the enchanting world of hidden wonders that come to life after dark!

Our guests today are Charles Hood and José Martínez-Fonseca, authors of the new book “Nocturnalia: Nighttime Life of the Western USA" from Heyday Books.

Charles is an author, poet, birder, and world traveler, and as you’ll hear, an exceptional naturalist, too. Jose has a PhD in Bat Ecology, and as a result, has extensive experienced studying animals of the night.

Today we uncover the intriguing behaviors of nocturnal creatures such as nectar-feeding bats and vampire bats, sc...

Weather is like your mood, and climate is like your personality. Those are the words of today’s guest, Dr. Marshall Shepherd (Twitter,  Facebook and Instagram).

Despite the clear differences between these two concepts, there are many topics of confusion that persist. For example, is El Nino, which we discussed a few weeks ago on this podcast, a climate condition or a weather condition? And how can forecasters be confident in their long term climate predictions when it is so hard to predict weather 10 days out?

Dr. Shepherd is just the person to help us und...

There are living trees in the United States that are approaching 5000 years old - and I’m not talking about trees that clone (I’m looking at you, aspen). Imagine if those trees could talk! Well, in a way, they can!

That’s where dendrochronologists like Dr. Grant Harley come in.

And it turns out that the science of dendrochronology is so much more far reaching than I ever imagined. Dr. Harley tells us how he reads the trees, inferring things like climate patterns, wildfire history, and community ecology. But this unique science even allows for da...

As you all know, I find wildfire to be fascinating. It’s complex, simultaneously necessary and at times devastating, and wildly misunderstood. And the landscape of fire is rapidly changing - literally and figuratively. So, I hope to continue to bring a variety of voices and perspectives on wildfire - including today.

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be on the fire lines with a wildfire crew? Or what it takes to join a crew? Or the differences between crews, such as engine crews, hand crews, and hot shot crews? And how do they ac...

Dr. Emma Greig is a behavioral ecologist who has been leading Project FeederWatch, a multi-decade community science effort led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada.

Today's discussion could be broadly characterized as "how to take care of the birds that visit your yard" - and you might be surprised at some of the recommendations.

Our discussion begins in Australia, where Dr. Greig did her dissertation. Her work studied the amazing behavior of the splendid fairywren, a small and colorful Australian bird, who literally sing in the shadows of a predator.

...