2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast

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Latest Episodes:

Sarah Red-Laird & Oregon DOT 'Re-Wild' Programs (011) Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

Sarah Red-Laird is the founder of The Bee Girl Organization. You might know her from her fabulous and informative posts on social media. Or perhaps you've heard of her Kids for Bees program. But this dynamic woman has an endlessly curious mind and is a scientist at heart.

Sarah has been working closely with the Department of Transportation in Oregon to help re-wild 200 acres and monitor the pollinators that show up. We had a chance to talk in-depth about her work with the DOT vernal pool restoration project. She's been visiting the site for almost half a decade and has witnessed some incredible changes to the landscape.

Competition, fire, restoration, insect surveying—we cover it all. Listen today to learn more.

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Learn more about the 2 Million Blossoms and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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We welcome Betterbee as sponsor of today's episode. BetterBee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, BetterBee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

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Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

A Natural History of Insects in 100 Limericks with Richard Jones (010) Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

Richard Jones, an entomologist and writer who has penned a delightful and ridiculous volume of 100 limericks. A Natural History of Insects in 100 Limericks is illustrated by Richard's son Calvin and right below the limerick is a wonderful paragraph introducing the subject's quirky personality and biology.

In this podcast, Kirsten talks with Richard about the different insects and their limericks. Richard explains how he uses the comical nature of limericks to help explain some of the quirky behaviors of insects. The book has been deemed "An addictive and jolly read." Pollination expert Jeff Ollerton, who has also been a guest on this show, called it "Entertaining and educational in equal measure."

Listen today!

Learn more about the 2 Million Blossoms and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Honey Bee Researcher & Author, Dr. Mark Winston (009) Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Mark Winston wrote the definitive book on honey bee biology in 1987 and is a science communicator extraordinaire. His writings have appeared in the New York Times, Orion Magazine, and the Globe, and he's a regular contributor to 2 Million Blossoms. He's currently the Simon Fraser University Library Nonfiction Writer in Residence where he emphasizes the power of non-fiction writing to share knowledge.

Listen and hear his bee origin story and why his book on honey bee biology has endured through the ages. He has seen a lot of changes to the beekeeping industry throughout the years. We talk about some surprises he's witnessed along the way and the future of pollination.

Learn more about the 2 Million Blossoms and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Nature Photographer - Jake Mosher (008) Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Kirsten speaks with award-winning nature photographer Jake Mosher. If you're a subscriber to the magazine, you've seen his stunning landscapes and detailed macro photography in our April and Autumn issues last year.

Jake grew up in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, right near the Quebec border. He spent his childhood immersed in nature, often taking off to fish, hunt and explore the great outdoors and develop his survival instinct. But the Vermont landscape was changing, and so immediately after finishing college he headed west to Montana. As he says "I believe that perhaps now more than ever, as our world hurtles along with technology none of us could have imaged even a decade ago, there's great value in viewing and trying hard to preserve the wilder places around us."

They chat about the wild places he's been and the changes in Vermont that drove him West. Jake discusses how development is changing the landscape of Montana, the grit it takes to reach some of the remote locations he likes to photograph, and some of the misadventures that have hit him while out alone in the field. Tune in to learn more about the hidden places through a photographer's eye.

Learn more about the 2 Million Blossoms and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Butterflies, Pollination and Kim Pegram with Kirsten (007) May 27, 2021

Show notes

Can you make a career out of studying butterflies? Kim Pegram from the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ sure did. She fell in love with butterflies as a child and never let go. She's an expert in butterfly coloration, which the butterflies form during the chrysalis stage via pigments and structural coloration—a specific way of layering cuticle to reflect light. Just like traffic signs catch our attention with bright colors, making them easy to spot, butterflies warn off predators with the same types of warning signals.

At the desert botanical garden, she works on plant propagation. Plant natives has become a rallying cry, but seed sources can be difficult to find. The Desert Botanical Garden has been trialing how to best grow out native milkweeds. 30 species of milkweed grow in Arizona. The team has expanded into other native plants, experimenting with how to best cultivate them. Tune in to learn more about how research can be channeled into practice.

Learn more about the 2 Million Blossoms and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Pollinators & Pollination with Jeff Ollerton (006) May 13, 2021

Show notes

Jeff Ollerton is one of the leading experts on pollinators, which has culminated in his new book "Pollinators & Pollination." In its pages, he delves deep into how plants manipulate, coax, and charm pollinators into spreading their genetic material. Listen as he explains how 87.5% of all flowering plants depend on pollination, how hummingbirds once existed in Europe, and how pollinators help create that caffeinated buzz from your morning coffee.

Jeff tells us about how he created an urban pollinator oasis in his home garden, and how we can all help pollinators thrive.

What to read the book? Here is a 2 Million Blossoms – The Podcast special: Use the discount code BLOSSOMS30 on www.pelagicpublishing.com to receive a 30% discount on Jeff Ollerton's book, Pollinators & Pollination! Go there directly here: https://pelagicpublishing.com/products/pollinators-and-pollination-ollerton-9781784272289

Learn more about the 2 Million Blossoms and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Wasps & Pollination with Heather Holm (005) Apr 29, 2021

Show notes

Award-winning author Heather Holm chats with 2 Million Blossoms about her new book on wasps, the drastic changes in our landscapes, and the importance of observing nature as a child. She's an avid naturalist with a horticultural background. When she moved to Minnesota 18 years ago, she started exploring native landscapes and the transition between oak dominated forests and prairie. She got sucked into protecting pollinators because of the huge diversity she witnessed on these native plantings and has never looked back.

She's active in restoration efforts, fighting off garlic mustard and European buckthorn, which chokes out woodlands. We also had a chance to talk about the efforts to protect the rusty patched bumble bee, the state insect of Minnesota. Be sure to check out her books and her upcoming author events at https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com/.

Learn more about the magazine and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Shevaun Doherty - Artistry in Native Irish Bees (004) Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

Shevaun Doherty is a botanical artist, who volunteered to help the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and designed a bumble bee logo for them. Her accuracy, detail, and beautiful style of drawing led to the creation of a set of Irish postage stamps. And while the stamps feature four different native Irish bees, a garden bumble bee, the ashy mining bee, the tawny mining bee, and the heather bee, she managed to sneak a honey bee onto the minisheet first day cover. You can watch her paint a bumble bee on lavender at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtFlDncin2A

We had a chance to chat about how Shevaun became an artist, why she finds pollinators make good subjects, and her penchant for using vellum—animal skin—as her painting surface, reminiscent of old illuminated manuscripts. You can find examples of her wide-ranging work on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/shevaundohertyartist/

Learn more about the magazine and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Dave Goulson - A Sting In The Tale (003) Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

On today's show, I chat with bumble bee scientist and author Dave Goulson about hairy-footed flower bees Anthophora plumipes, one of the first bees to emerge in spring, and how to make our gardens more friendly to pollinators.

As humans we have a tidy streak that extends to our home gardens and our farm fields. But our tendency to chop away the dead and keep everything trim and orderly works against pollinator survival.

We also discuss how his landmark letter in Science called for a re-evaluation of neonicotinoids. This was the rallying cry that resulted in a ban of this class of pesticide in many countries. Although its use has been severely limited, chemical companies have quickly rolled out replacements. Banning harmful chemicals, Goulson reports, is a bit like playing whack-a-mole with new versions cropping up as soon as one is removed from the market.

Tune in and learn about the many issues impacting pollinator health and how we can make our landscapes more hospitable.

Learn more about the magazine and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Why 2 Million Blossoms? (002) Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Kirsten Traynor introduces us to 2 Million Blossoms. First the quarterly publication of the same name and now this podcast. How did she get started with honey bees and how did this expand to cover all pollinators great and small? Why?

Listen as Kirsten explains in her own words, why she is taking on spreading the message of protecting our pollinators and what direction she is going with her lineup of authors, illustrators and guests on the podcast.

Learn more about the magazine and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

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