Tag: iNaturalist

Alison Pollack – Finding and Photographing Slime Molds

December 31, 2024

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 and their habitats. … More Alison Pollack – Finding and Photographing Slime Molds

#92: Secrets of Beautifully Fuzzy Velvet Ants with Dr. Joseph Wilson (and a bit about native bees, too!)

March 11, 2024

Those brightly colored fuzzy ants? Well, they aren’t ants at all! Learn what they are, how to find them, and also a bit about native bees from bee and velvet ant expert Dr. Joseph Wilson. … More #92: Secrets of Beautifully Fuzzy Velvet Ants with Dr. Joseph Wilson (and a bit about native bees, too!)

#68: Spring Galls: Nature’s Master Geneticists – a Conversation with Adam Kranz

April 10, 2023

Summary If you’re a long-time listener, you’re already familiar with the remarkable world of galls and the “Gall Week” community science events that have taken place in the past. But today, we’re taking a fresh look at galls with a specific focus on the importance of spring galls, which our guest Adam Kranz of gallformers.org, … More #68: Spring Galls: Nature’s Master Geneticists – a Conversation with Adam Kranz

#66: Krystle Hickman’s Quest to Raise Awareness about Native Bees

March 13, 2023

Summary Today’s guest is Krystle Hickman. Krystle is a TEDx speaker, artist, photographer, and community scientist. However, it is her passion for native bees that has led her to appear on Nature’s Archive today. Krystle has combined her tenacity and photographic talent to make a number of discoveries about native bees. She’s determined to raise … More #66: Krystle Hickman’s Quest to Raise Awareness about Native Bees

#59: Alison Pollack – Finding and Photographing Slime Molds

December 5, 2022

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 and their habitats. … More #59: Alison Pollack – Finding and Photographing Slime Molds

#45: Siena Mckim – The Wild World of Sea Sponges

May 2, 2022

Summary My guest today is Siena Mckim. Siena is a PhD student at UC Santa Barbara studying sponges in the kelp forest, which is arguably one of the most iconic marine communities. In particular, she’s looking at sponge symbionts – basically, the tiny marine organisms that use sponges as a habitat.  Today we hear about … More #45: Siena Mckim – The Wild World of Sea Sponges

#43: Alison Young – The City Nature Challenge

April 4, 2022

Summary Today’s guest is Alison Young, Co-Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California Academy of Sciences. Alison has a background in marine biology, including a MA in Marine Biology from Humboldt State University and a BA in Biology from Swarthmore College. At the Cal Academy, Alison is a driving force … More #43: Alison Young – The City Nature Challenge

#41: Michael Kauffmann: Conifers – Extreme Survivors

March 7, 2022

Summary My guest in this episode is Michael Kauffmann. He’s a life-long educator, ecologist, and author, as well as founder of Backcountry Press. He’s also an expert in conifers – those wonderful trees that include some of the tallest, widest, and oldest living trees on Earth. Think Giant Sequoia, Coast Redwood, and Bristlecone Pine for … More #41: Michael Kauffmann: Conifers – Extreme Survivors