In Defense of Plants Podcast
Episodes
Ep. 576 - Of Micro Moths & Plants
03 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Micro moths are a wonderfully diverse group of underappreciated insects living all around us. How they interact with their environment, particularly w...
Ep. 575 - Endemic Plants of the Gulf Coast
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Gulf Coast of southeastern North America is a biodiversity hotspot brimming with cool plants. Everywhere you look, there are plants that grow nowh...
Ep. 574 - Of Alumroots & Coral Bells: Hybridization in Heuchera
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you call them alumroots or coral bells, there is no denying the genus Heuchera is both beloved by gardeners and those who know where to find t...
Ep. 573 - Great Lakes Climate Refugia
12 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Climate refugia can provide unique opportunities for plants (and more) to persist for long periods of time in otherwise inhospitable areas. They have ...
Ep. 572 - Novel Weapons & Plant Invasions
05 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What makes an invasive plant species invasive? A lot of effort goes in to trying to understand the ecological and evolutionary underpinnings of invasi...
Ep. 571 - Pesticides In Your Garden
29 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
So many of us garden to attract wildlife. Adding native plants to support bees, butterflies, birds, and beyond is a fulfilling and noble cause but how...
Ep. 570 - How to Grow a Forest Pt. 2
22 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Successful forest regeneration projects require lots of different skill sets. This is especially true when trying to finance operations that work for ...
Ep. 569 - How to Grow a Forest Pt. 1
15 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to regenerate a native forest, especially in highly degraded landscapes? A lot, to put it mildly. Forest regeneration is an importan...
Ep. 568 - The Importance of Old Trees
08 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Understanding forest health requires looking across scales and gradients. How individual trees respond to stresses can tell us a lot about how forests...
Ep. 567 - Moss Traits and More
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Overlooking mosses is overlooking so many important aspects of ecosystem function. From nutrient cycles and seed banks to erosion control and atmosphe...
Ep. 566 - The Wonderful World of Bryophytes
22 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Bryophytes, AKA mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, are ubiquitous components of ecosystems around the world yet they are all too often underappreciate...
Ep. 565 - Let's Botanize!
15 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Botanizing is a skill set that, like muscles, must be exercised regularly. Whether just starting out or a seasoned specialist, botanical ID takes repe...
Ep. 564 - Leaf Fossils from a Hot House Climate
08 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Journey back in time some 60 million years to the Cenozoic with Dr. Ellen Currano by looking at fossil leaves. Aside from just being cool, leaf fossil...
Ep. 563 - The Harmful Consequences of Mosquito Sprays
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Mosquito sprays and fogs only kill mosquitos, right? Wrong! The kinds of pesticides used to control mosquito populations are lethal to all manner of i...
Ep. 562 - Life After Poaching
25 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Plant poaching is a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide and it doesn't get the attention it deserves. While the act of poaching plants from the wi...
Ep. 561 - The Soil Seed Bank & Restoration
18 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What is the soil seed bank and how does it influence the outcomes of restoration ecology? Seeds of various species can remain in the soil over a range...
Ep. 560 - Revisiting Earth's First Forests
11 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Devonian Period was for plants what the Cambrian Period was for animals. Land plants really started to experiment with new forms of growth some 38...
Ep. 559 - Looking Back on a Year of Botany
04 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The wonderful Sara Johnson returns to the podcast to look back at a year of botanizing in 2025. Join us as we celebrate our favorite botanical encount...
Ep. 558 - Insights into Pitcher Plant Evolution
28 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The drivers of evolution that result in the diversity of life we see around us are complex and fascinating. Nowhere is that more apparent than in pitc...
Ep. 557 - How to Help Fireflies
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fireflies, lightning bugs, whatever you call them, these wonderful bioluminescent beetles are wonderfully diverse, occur in a variety of habitats, and...
Ep. 556 - From Seeds to Plants: A Plant Conservation Pipeline
14 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Plant conservation comes in many forms. Today we explore a plant conservation pipeline that starts with propagation and continues through to reintrodu...
Ep. 555 - The Rookie Gardener
07 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gardening can be a daunting enterprise, especially for a beginner. Heck, even skilled gardeners still kill plants. The quest to become a better garden...
Ep. 554 - How Plants Handle Heat Stress
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Heat stress is a major component of plant health and it in growing more and more timely each year. Understanding how plants do or do not tolerate heat...
Ep. 553 - Soil Microbes & Desert Plant Restoration
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Deserts present a unique set of challenges to plants, especially when you are trying to restore them to the landscape. Drought, heat, soil salinity an...
Ep. 552 - Native Plant Seed Supply Chain
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the biggest hurdles to native plant gardening is sourcing native plants. Whereas nurseries are starting to fill the demand, it is nevertheless ...
Ep. 551 - Sagebrush, Pitcher Plants, & Leaf Microbiomes
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Microbes are everywhere and studying them isn't always easy, but microbial ecology is a vitally important field. Microbes influence the world around t...
Ep. 550 - For the Love of Flowers (feat. Sam Tallent)
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
People are drawn to plants for various reasons and that is why I wanted to talk with stand up comic and author Sam Tallent. From his early days haulin...
Ep. 549 - Advocating for Fallen Leaves
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fallen leaves provide habitat to countless organisms and maintain crucial ecosystem processes. At the same time, convincing people to keep leaf litter...
Ep. 548 - Gall Wasps & Their Host Plants
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Galls are among the most remarkable biological structures on our planet. The organisms that produce them are also extreme diverse and contribute a bew...
Ep. 547 - Ancient Tree Stories
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever looked at an old tree and wondered what stories it could tell? If so, this is a conversation for you! Dr. Valerie Trouet returns to the ...
Ep. 546 -Botanical Art Connects People to Plants
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Botanical art and science truly feed off of one another. A good botanical artist must understand their subjects to do them justice which fosters a dee...
Ep. 545 - The Dynamics of Kelp Forest Ecology
28 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kelp forests are among the most important marine habitats on our planet. They impact our lives in countless ways whether we realize it or not. To prot...
Ep. 544 - Helping Move the Needle on Sagebrush Restoration
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a foundational species in the ecology and economy of much of western North America. It also faces numerous thr...
Ep. 543 - Cryptic Ghost Pipe Diversity
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora) has captured the imaginations of many a hiker and can you blame them? What is not to love about a parasitic plant that...
Ep. 542 - The Passion Flower Family Revisited
07 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It is time to revisit this episode is all about the passion flower family - Passifloraceae. Joining us is long time friend of the podcast, the one and...
Ep. 541 - Coexistence & Maintaining Species Boundaries
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How are species boundaries maintained when groups of related plant species live near each other? Considering all the things that need to go right for ...
Ep. 540 - Orchids for Peace
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Orchids for Peace believes orchids are symbols for both peace and biodiversity. By empowering communities to conserve these plants, this wonderful org...
Ep. 539 - Exploring the Seed Microbiome
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Microbes are everywhere, even in seeds! Indeed, seeds from various plants can host a community of different microbes. Despite how cool this sounds, we...
Ep. 538 - Coastal Wetlands, Rising Seas, & Ghost Forests
10 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Coastal wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on our planet. They are a boon for plants, animals, and people alike. However, sea level ris...
Ep. 537 - From Seeds to Climate
03 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Large seed dispersers are disproportionately affected by human disturbances like habitat loss and poaching. At the same time, a disproportionate numbe...
Ep. 536 - Tropical Forests & Loss of Seed Dispersers
27 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Seed dispersal is a vital ecological process no matter what scale you look at. From the genetic diversity of plant populations to the impact of forest...
Ep. 535 - Quillworts Revisited
20 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Their ancestors once dominated the coal swamps of the Carboniferous Period, growing into massive trees that could reach upwards of 160 feet (50 m) int...
Ep. 534 - Self-Incompatibility in Phlox
13 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Self-Incompatibility is a means by which some plants prevent self-fertilization and promotes outcrossing. It has evolved independently in many differe...
Ep. 533 - Native Plants & Biodiversity on the High Line
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The High Line was once a major railway. Today, it is one of the best gardens in the United States. By focusing on and encouraging native plants, horti...
Ep. 532 - Fireflies & Plants Revisited
29 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fireflies are among the most celebrated organisms on Earth. What is not to love about their incredible light displays? However, fireflies can't exist ...
Ep. 531 - Native Plants Feed Ecosystems
22 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode explores the nuances of why it is so important to plant native plants. Native plants are the cornerstone of nearly every ecosystem on Ear...
Ep. 530 - Our Relationship with the Joshua Tree
15 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) has attained celebrity status in recent times, but that hasn't always been the case. For over a century, the Joshua...
Ep. 529 - Native Plants, Habitat, & Infectious Diseases
08 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you realize it or not, our lives depend on the native plant communities that comprise and support regional biodiversity. As we lose habitat, w...
Ep. 528 - Flower Color is Complex
01 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On face value, flower colors would seem to have everything to do with pollination, but it is far more complex than that. The pigments that give flower...
Ep. 527 - A Deep Dive on Medinilla
25 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understanding the relationships among plants can reveal so much about the history of our planet and the mechanisms of evolution. This is why Dr. Peter...
Ep. 526 - Biodiversity & Ecosystem Function
18 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Changes in biodiversity are happening all over the globe. From losses to homogenization, understanding the affects of biodiversity change are paramoun...
Ep. 525 - Lessons from Ancient Grasslands
11 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Say "old growth" and we all too often picture ancient forests with large, gnarly trees. However, forests aren't the only habitat types that can reach ...
Ep. 524 - Tackling the Oval Sedges
04 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sedges (genus Carex) can be an intimidating group of plants to get your head wrapped around, but it doesn't have to be that way. One key element to un...
Ep. 523 - Prickly Pear Cacti Are Wonderfully Complex
27 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The odds of encountering a prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.) in your lifetime is high no matter where you live. That is how abundant, diverse, and ch...
Ep. 522 - Shocking Relationships Between Trees & Lightning
20 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Getting struck by lightning is always thought of as a bad thing, but what if it wasn't? Trees can't get up and escape when storms roll in and the chan...
Ep. 521 - Plant Conservation from the Sky
13 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Go looking for information on rare plant population health and it can be surprisingly hard to come by. Plant monitoring, especially over the long term...
Ep. 520 - Saving Orchids!
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to save orchids from extinction? Saving Orchids by Dr's Philip Seaton and Larry Zettler showcase the dedicated folks who are making ...
Ep. 519 - Sonoran Desert, Past & Future
30 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Visit the Sonoran Desert and you too will fall in love with its beauty and diversity. It is truly one of the most incredible places on earth. Dr. Ben ...
Ep. 518 - The Complexities of Plant Reproduction
23 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to be a successful plant? Reproduction? Population growth? What factors influence these important events and which contribute more t...
Ep. 517 - Demystifying the Woolly Devil
16 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The woolly devil (Ovicula biradiata) is a fascinating and unique member of the daisy family (Asteraceae) that was only recently described to science. ...
Ep. 516 - Plants in the Afterlife
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Plants ARE habitat and that doesn't stop when they die. Countless species of microbes, fungi, arthropods, and more not only take up residence in dead ...
Ep. 515 - Phenology is Important
02 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The emergence of leaves, the blooming of flowers, the arrival of pollinators... these are all biological events that are closely tied to the changing ...
Ep. 514 - Parent/Offspring Conflicts in Moss
23 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Parents and children don't always get along. Sometimes they can even be competitors. Conflicts often lead to interesting evolutionary adaptations and ...
Ep. 513 - The Enigma of the Galax Genome
16 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Spend any time in the southern Appalachian Mountains and you are bound to cross paths with Galax urceolata. This wonderful little evergreen herb seems...
Ep. 512 - The Complexity of Mangrove Ecosystems
09 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mangrove forests are dynamic places and so too are the people that study them. From carbon capture and peat formation, to restoration and hydrology, t...
Ep. 511 - Paw Paw Randomness
02 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Paw paw (Asimina triloba) is a charismatic and special species. It is the most northerly growing member of a mostly tropical family. It also has consi...
Ep. 510 - Epiphytes & Phorophytes
26 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mosses, liverworts, and lichens live in a world of their own. Not unlike the trees they grow on, these tiny organisms must play out the dramas of obta...
Ep. 509 - The Power of Biotic Resistance
19 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Invasive species reduce native biodiversity and hinder an ecosystem's ability to support life, including our own. Managing invasive species can be ver...
Ep. 508 - The Cashew Family Revisited
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do cashews (Anacardium spp.), mangoes (Mangifera spp.), pistachios (Pistacia spp.), and poison ivy (Toxicodendron spp.) have in common? They are ...
Ep. 507 - The Beginning Revisited
05 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
January 2025 marks the 10 year anniversary (!!!) of the In Defense of Plants Podcast. To celebrate, I thought it would be fun to revisit the first epi...
Ep. 506 - The Digital Future of Herbaria
29 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The herbarium world is a fascinating one. These botanical repositories are goldmines of data and help us understand the present by looking at the past...
Ep. 505 - Leave the Dang Leaves!
22 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Leave the leaves! It is a phrase you hear a lot these days, but why is it so important to keep leaves and other plant debris on your landscape? These ...
Ep. 504 - The Genetic Mysteries of Creosote Bush
15 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is a species? On the surface, this seems like an easy question to answer. Get a bunch of biologists in the room together and you will quickly see...
Ep. 503 - Pollen Specialization
08 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bees run the gamut from generalists to specialists. Whereas the generalists visit a variety of plants for the resources they need, many specialists ex...
Ep. 502 - Unearthing the Mysteries of Underground Storage Organs
01 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tubers, corms, taproots, bulbs... There are many different kinds of underground storage organs in the plant world. Moreover, they form from many diffe...
Ep. 501 - Conservation of Crop Wild Relatives
24 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Domestication is a spectrum, especially for botanical crops. Regardless of where a plant is on that spectrum, it nevertheless has a wild origin. Under...
Ep. 500 - 500?!
17 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 y...
Ep. 499 - Aspen & Forest Health
10 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aspen (Populus tremuloides) are synonymous with many habitats throughout North America. This tree is a species of superlatives, but its grandeur doesn...
Ep. 498 - Planting a Future for Ecuadorian Biodiversity
03 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Ep. 497 - Understanding the Bewildering Diversity of Plant/Pollinator Interactions
27 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One cannot overemphasize the importance of plant/pollinator interactions. The world as we know it would not exist without these complex components of ...
Ep. 496 - Tree Rings Revisited
20 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Ep. 495 - Pack Rats & Paleoclimates Revisited
13 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Ep. 494 - The Botanical Mysteries of the Mazon Creek Formation
06 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Mazon Creek Fossil Formation is famous the world over for the exquisite preservation of soft tissues in animals. These rocks provide pristine snap...
Ep. 493 - Being Friendly to Bees
29 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"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...
Ep. 492 - Hope in Wetland Restoration
22 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Restoring healthy wetlands isn't an easy task. Often times, altered hydrologic cycles means wetlands no long act like they once did. Nevertheless, the...
Ep. 491 - Plants & Wetland Restoration
15 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Ep. 490 - Pinesap: A Parasitic Mystery
08 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pinesap (Monotropa hypopitys) produces no leaves nor any chlorophyl. It “eats” fungi and can be found growing in many areas around the globe. It f...
Ep. 489 - Protecting Peak Plants Revisited
01 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Adirondack Mountains are home to a remarkable diversity of plant species. Situated in northern New York, these mountains are harsh enough that the...
Ep. 488 - An Interesting Case of Variegation
25 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Variegation among leaves is a fascinating phenomenon. Though plant breeders have accentuated this trait in a variety of cultivated plants, variegation...
Ep. 487 - Fossil Seeds & Past Plant Diversity
18 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 extincti...
Ep. 486 - Sedge Diversity Gone Wild
11 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Ep. 485 - Paleo Grapes
04 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The grape family (Vitaceae) is known and appreciated the world over, largely for their culinary value. Ecologically speaking, they are very important ...
Ep. 484 - From Dune to Desert: Adventures in Plant Conservation
28 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Plant conservation isn't easy work, but it is vital to maintaining ecosystem health. Nowhere is this more apparent than in extreme environments like b...
Ep. 483 - When Palms Grew in Wyoming Revisited
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 recog...
Ep. 482 - Walnuts Above the Arctic Circle?
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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, th...
Ep. 481 - Borderlands Restoration in Action
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Deserts are difficult places for any organism to survive, let alone plants. Despite the challenges, rich a unique floras have evolved in deserts all o...
Ep. 480 - Understanding Bark Beetles
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bark beetles may be small, but they can have major impacts on forests around the globe. It may be easy to think of these insects as always a bad thing...
Ep. 479 - Insights into Nightshade Defenses
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Plants cannot run away from the herbivores that eat them, therefore plants have evolved numerous strategies to defend themselves from being consumed. ...
Ep. 478 - Milkweed Defense De-Escalation
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Plant defense compounds are great for the plants that produce them as they can ward off herbivore attacks. But what happens when a group of specialist...
Ep. 477 - Juncus, What a Rush!
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join Chief Botanist for NatureServe Wes Knapp and me as we take a deep dive into an all-too-often overlooked group of plants - the rushes (genus Juncu...