Nature's Archive

EXPLORE

Society & Culture

© 2024 PodJoint

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/5d/3a/f3/5d3af361-a553-6131-efb0-daf48c1e375e/mza_15750471122484035183.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Nature's Archive

Michael Hawk

127 episodes

2 days ago

If you’ve been following Nature’s Archive for a while, you might be familiar with the idea of “leave the leaves”. It represents one simple act of omission - not raking, blowing, or mulching leaf fall - that is resoundingly positive for the environment. But even if you think you know why leaving the leaves is helpful, I invite you to listen to today’s guest, National Wildlife Federation naturalist David Mizejewski. If you are unfamiliar with David - let me just tell you his skill and enthusias...

Show more...

Natural Sciences,

All content for Nature's Archive is the property of Michael Hawk and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

If you’ve been following Nature’s Archive for a while, you might be familiar with the idea of “leave the leaves”. It represents one simple act of omission - not raking, blowing, or mulching leaf fall - that is resoundingly positive for the environment. But even if you think you know why leaving the leaves is helpful, I invite you to listen to today’s guest, National Wildlife Federation naturalist David Mizejewski. If you are unfamiliar with David - let me just tell you his skill and enthusias...

Show more...

Natural Sciences,

Episodes (20/127)

Nature's Archive

#122: Leave the Leaves: Hidden Layers of Benefit with David Mizejewski

If you’ve been following Nature’s Archive for a while, you might be familiar with the idea of “leave the leaves”. It represents one simple act of omission - not raking, blowing, or mulching leaf fall - that is resoundingly positive for the environment. But even if you think you know why leaving the leaves is helpful, I invite you to listen to today’s guest, National Wildlife Federation naturalist David Mizejewski. If you are unfamiliar with David - let me just tell you his skill and enthusias...

2 days ago

1 hour

Nature's Archive

Critical Mast: Acorn Woodpeckers and Oak Masting with Dr. Walt Koenig

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 spec...

3 weeks ago

1 hour 18 minutes

Nature's Archive

#121: Metamorphosis: The Actor Who Became a Butterfly Scientist - Liam O'Brien

Nearly every great story involves a transformation. In the butterfly world, we call it metamorphosis—the mysterious process where a caterpillar seemingly dissolves itself and is miraculously rebuilt into a creature that takes to the sky. Our guest today is a living parallel to that transformation. Liam O'Brien started his career far from the wild, under the bright lights of the stage as a professional actor. Yet, a shift was coming. At a pivotal time in his life, he traded the scripts and ...

1 month ago

51 minutes

Nature's Archive

#120: Just Listen: Amy Martin on the Unheard World Around Us

It was a surprisingly warm late February day. Needing to recharge, I drove to a park near Lincoln, Nebraska. When I arrived, I saw something new on the far side of the reservoir: what looked like massive white and gray boulders, lined up along the length of the dam. Then, in one astonishing moment, all of these boulders lifted out of the water, taking flight simultaneously by the thousands. My mind couldn't make sense of what I was seeing, and then the sound hit me. It was thousands of snow g...

1 month ago

50 minutes

Nature's Archive

#119: Are Worms the Solution to Toxic Algal Blooms? Sam Baker from WriggleBrew.

Today's episode is one of the more encouraging and hopeful conversations I've had the pleasure of recording. My guest is Sam Baker, co-founder of WriggleBrew, a company on a mission to combat one of the most insidious environmental issues we face today: toxic algal blooms. These blooms occur globally, devastating everything from our local inland lakes to the vast expanse of the Gulf of Mexico, and even here in the San Francisco Bay, right in my own backyard. They create vast "dead zones" that...

2 months ago

1 hour

Nature's Archive

#118: Does Science Communication Have Room for Emotion and Complexity? – Jocelyn Bosley's Approach

From the intricate dance of an ecosystem to the ripple effects of a warming planet, nature's stories are rarely simple. But in a world that craves quick, easy answers, how do we get people to lean in and listen to the full story? And how do we do that without glossing over the complexity and nuance of the situation? Today, we're getting a masterclass in just that with Jocelyn Bosely, a science communicator and Research Impact Coordinator at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She'll walk us ...

3 months ago

1 hour 1 minute

Nature's Archive

#117: Angry Activist, Rural Landowner: Finding Common Ground for Nature

Have you ever found it tough to talk about big issues, especially when people already have strong ideas? In the world of nature and climate, we often see communication that feels more like telling people what to do, or how to think. It's easy for us all to dig in our heels, even if we're wrong, and shut down new ideas. Today, we're exploring a different path. -- Griff: I was very radical and had really bad ecological depression because was from the Bay Area and watched all my favorite p...

4 months ago

50 minutes

Nature's Archive

#116: Iconic Joshua Trees with Barret Baumgart

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 th...

4 months ago

45 minutes

Nature's Archive

#115: Pollinator Friendly Yards with Leslie Inman

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 incred...

5 months ago

44 minutes

Nature's Archive

#114: Mistletoes Are Keystone Species - Dr. David Watson

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’...

6 months ago

1 hour 1 minute

Nature's Archive

#113: How Do Thunderstorms Form?

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. W...

7 months ago

25 minutes

Nature's Archive

#112: Incredible Deep Sea and Tropical Marine Habitats - Dr. Judith Gobin

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 Biolog...

7 months ago

1 hour 7 minutes

Nature's Archive

#111: Earthquakes: Myths, Surprises, and Hidden Dangers with Dr. Wendy Bohon

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...

8 months ago

1 hour 18 minutes

Nature's Archive

#110: Why We Need Apex Predators - Coexistence with Dr. Jonny Hanson

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 “...

9 months ago

1 hour 13 minutes

Nature's Archive

#109: Cultural Fire with Margo Robbins

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 Ang...

9 months ago

52 minutes

Nature's Archive

#108: Acorn Woodpeckers and Oak Masting with Dr. Walt Koenig

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 specie...

10 months ago

1 hour 16 minutes

Nature's Archive

Alison Pollack - Finding and Photographing Slime Molds

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 gue...

10 months ago

1 hour 5 minutes

Nature's Archive

#107: The Best of Nature's Archive 2024

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...

11 months ago

48 minutes

Nature's Archive

#106: Why Ants Might Be the Most Interesting Creatures on Earth with Chloe Jelley

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 ...

11 months ago

1 hour 6 minutes

Nature's Archive

#105: From Fear to Fascination: Kevin Wiener on His Journey at All Bugs Go to Kevin

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 i...

1 year ago

1 hour 4 minutes