Our wonderful colleague Ashley Locke discusses her first and greatest love: America's National Parks. In this episode, we'll pick Ashley's brain, which is chock full of National Parks history, trivia, and tips. She can tell you how to not get l

Eight-Legged Drum Solo ft. Dr. Dustin Wilgers

Aug 6th, 2020 47m 53s

Cassie and Allan talk to Spider Scientist Dustin Wilgers as he delves into the elaborate world of spider communication, as well as spider senses, arachnophobia, and what it’s like to get chomped on all of the time in the name of research.Show

The Smallest Falcon

May 23rd, 2020 26m 38s

Kestrels may be small, but they have plenty of attitude to survive and thrive in most of North America. Naturalist Deb Williams joins host Nicole Brown to dive into some fun stories and facts about the smallest falcon in North America.Show note

Danger Bugs (ft. Nicole and Alicia)

May 9th, 2020 58m 50s

Join Naturalists Nicole Brown and Alicia Oberg as they delve into the world of dangerous insects. They talk wasps, sure, but also butterflies and aphids. The now infamous "murder hornet" even gets a short appearance.Show notes: https://gpnc.org

Beat the Heat, Kick the Cold, and Stay Hydrated (ft Alicia Oberg)

May 2nd, 2020 58m

Fuzzy flowers, tree popsicles, bumblebee shivers, nocturnal cacti, jackrabbit ears, and vulture poop. This episode has everything! Join Alicia and Allan as they discuss the odd adaptations of plants and animals to the constant stress of harsh w

Plant Native! (ft Brad Guhr)

Apr 24th, 2020 1h 9m

Naturalist Nicole Brown is joined by Brad Guhr of Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Hesston Kansas for a nerd session on why native plants are awesome. Tune in for information on prairie restoration from large scale projects to your own native ga

The Lure of Fishing (ft Hollie Sanders)

Apr 18th, 2020 50m 38s

This ridiculously wholesome episode features our friend and colleague from the Central Arkansas Nature Center, Hollie Sanders, who finds fishing absolutely alluring. Rachel and Hollie talk fishing stories, super-secret bait recipes, how you can

Shorebirds (ft Allan Saylor)

Apr 11th, 2020 38m 27s

Naturalist Allan talks about shorebirds and seabirds, their amazingly dangerous migration, and his adventures in getting pooped at.Allan's notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/shorebirds-ft-allan-saylor/Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-

Morel Madness (ft Lyndzee Rhine)

Apr 3rd, 2020 51m 26s

It's morel season! Lyndzee talks about where you can find them and how to identify them along with other edible species and fun mushroom facts.Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: [email protected]

Our Least Favorite Things

Apr 1st, 2020 1h 13m

In the spirit of April Fool's Day, we got (almost) all of our naturalists to share about their LEAST favorite things. We've got cockleburs, snake poop, spiders, leeches, and more. These are the things we really can't stand, even if we can appre

Ep.16 – Stream Team FTW (ft Emily and Nicole)

Mar 26th, 2020 54m 56s

What do you do when you get the opportunity to travel and explore Kansas rivers and streams? You take it. Nicole Brown and Emily Davis share their stories about working on the Kansas stream team. Get ready for lots of water, lots of fish, and l

Ep.15 – PhotosyntheYES (ft Tyler Newman)

Mar 20th, 2020 38m 32s

Have you ever thought about how cool photosynthesis is? If you haven't, this episode is about to change that. Tyler Newman from Wichita State University nerds out with Lyndzee about his favorite... photosynthesis.Website: https://gpnc.org/tha

Ep.14 – Respect the King (ft Deb Williams)

Mar 5th, 2020 53m 36s

What's better than being the King of Rock and Roll? Being the King of Snakes. In this episode, Deb talks about her favorite.. the Speckled Kingsnake.Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: [email protected]

Ep.13 – Lumpers and Splitters (ft Jean Aycock)

Feb 22nd, 2020 47m 23s

This time, hosts Rachel Roth and Lyndzee Rhine are joined by former Kansan Jean Aycock who worked at the Wetlands Education Center and has LEFT US for Mississippi. We still love her, and her love for interpretation. Join us for this exceptional

Ep.12 – The Best Doggies (ft. Nicole Brown)

Feb 1st, 2020 1h 13m

Prairie Dogs: nature's baked potatoes, terraforming engineers, and chatterboxes. Nicole Brown loves them, loves their mind-blowing communication, and loves the critical part they play in our prairie homes. Also: spiders. Lots of spiders. Spider

Ep.11 – Slimy Fire Lizards (ft. Emily Davis)

Jan 18th, 2020 40m 50s

Salamanders are amazing, whether they are big or small! Emily Davis shares her love for this diverse group of creatures who have become legends. Learn about the weird stories told about these slimy boys and girls that led to them being a symbol

Ep.10 – O Cottonwood (ft Deb Williams)

Jan 3rd, 2020 53m 32s

Deb Williams loves the Cottonwood tree, and so did Native Americans and early settlers on the plains. With the whisper of their glittering leaves, their stately crowns, and their long history watching over the landscape, there's a lot to love.

Ep.9 – Cannibal Roly Polies (ft. Amanda Alessi)

Dec 23rd, 2019 29m 57s

Roly Polies (an isopod) are fascinating, accessible, common, and adorable. That's why GPNC naturalist Amanda Alessi adores them. What more do you want from a critter--important ecological roles, strange habits, diversity, crazy parasitic relati

Ep.8 – Single Dad Spin Cycle (ft Rachel Roth)

Dec 6th, 2019 1h 7m

In a world of birds, one single father stands above the rest. His name? Phalarope. Phalaropes are the best for two reasons, and yet GPNC bird nerd Rachel managed to talk about them for over an hour. Are we surprised? (No.) Nicole and Rachel tal

Ep.7 – Best Beetle (ft. Nicole Brown)

Nov 23rd, 2019 53m 11s

In this episode Nicole Brown, Naturalist at GPNC, takes hosts Rachel Roth and Emily Davis down the rabbit-hole that is the amazing world of a bess beetle. These tough little insects love frass, are great parents, and even inspired a little sing

Ep.6 – Puffballs (ft. Lyndzee Rhine)

Nov 8th, 2019 47m 56s

Naturalist Lyndzee Rhine is a giant nerd. She loves fungus. All fungus. For this episode, Lyndzee focuses on one "type" of fungus... the ever-pleasant puffballs. Buckle up, you're in for spore-covered coaster ride and it's about to get fungal.

Ep.5 – Don't Lick Deer (ft. Allan Saylor)

Oct 31st, 2019 39m 40s

Naturalist Allan Saylor is fascinated by a genuinely spooky topic: wildlife diseases. With werewolf myths, the actual zombie apocalypse, and flesh-eating fungi, we obviously had to release it a week early for Halloween. Buckle up for these ever

Ep.4 – Spider Sniffing (ft. Deb Williams)

Oct 25th, 2019 32m 58s

Deb delights in finding sparkling, shining eyes at night, and it's not just the deer, raccoon, and rabbit eyes that get her excited. This favorite pastime (and Halloween party activity!) of Deb's has led to countless rabbit holes on nightvision

Ep.3 – Dinosaur Lungs (ft. Rachel Roth)

Oct 11th, 2019 53m 15s

GPNC naturalist Rachel can't stop talking about birds, so hosts Lyndzee and Emily indulged. The best thing about birds? They're literally dinosaurs, and it goes well beyond feathers frozen in stone. With discoveries like plumage coloration, din

Ep.2 – Bee Mustaches (ft Nicole Brown)

Sep 26th, 2019 32m 57s

Bees are cute. They can have shiny butts, mustaches, fuzzy legs, and petal nests, but many people only think of honeybees when they think of bees. To Nicole Brown, GPNC naturalist, that's a real bummer, because most bees in the world are _compl