Completely Arbortrary

Latest Episodes:

Completely Arbortrary: World Tour! Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

It's season 2 of Completely Arbortrary! They (Alex) said we couldn't make it! This season we're globetrotting to talk about a smattering of international trees.

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Perfect Flower (Southern Magnolia) Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

It’s the end of our first season and, to celebrate, we’re talking about a blooming beauty with a perfect flower, the Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora). Mr. Bean beetles, ancient sex organs, and one intelligent flower that knows how to get it done. Then we play a fun game about ancient Greek gods and answer a listener question. See you next season!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Yee-Haw! (Ponderosa Pine) Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

This week we head out west and marvel at the orange-clad giants of the pine world, the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). We dive into one of the most interesting weather phenomena in the world, the rain shadow effect, and chat about how seemingly unrelated patterns of geology and weather change who grows where. Then, you guessed it, we ruminate on the nature of sasquatch.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Liquid Sunshine (Sugar Maple) Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to Vermont, sugar! This week we're charging headlong into the snowy forests of the Northeast United States to tap one of the sweetest trees in the game, the Sugar Maple! Sap, syrup and sugar... this one goes out to the sweet tooths.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New Roots, New Shoots (Black Willow) Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

The tree that does it all. This week we dive into what makes the black willow (Salix nigra), and willows more broadly, such revered trees. From curing your dysentery or soothing an aching tooth to restoring wetlands and always putting out new roots and new shoots, this tree has something for everyone.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Death by 1,000 Beetles (Lodgepole Pine) Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

This week we're talking about the tragic tale of the Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta). Human greed, voracious beetles, and graveyard forests... it's our most depressing episode yet!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Street Tree Manifesto (European Hornbeam) Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

This week we're taking it to the streets to discuss the European Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus). Casey waxes poetic about his great interest and love for urban forests, which includes explaining to Alex what an urban forest actually is. Then we answer a question from a listener about trees and climate change.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

met-a-se-KOY-a glyp-to-stro-BOY-des (Dawn Redwood) Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

A sleeping giant awakens! Enter dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). The deciduous conifer (gasp!) dominated the Northern hemisphere for thousands of millenia before Mother Nature spirited it away entirely… or so we thought. Then, we take a journey through time and space as we journey The Cone Zone.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Tree Before Time (Ginkgo) Feb 04, 2021

Show notes

What smells like barf, lived with dinosaurs, and makes for a great tattoo? This tree! Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is a living fossil; a tree so old it lived among prehistoric monsters, and so long-lived that it lives among modern humans. A true survivor, this tree spent thousands of millenia hermitting in its little corner of China. But today we've all got Ginkgo fever, and this ancient species is now planted worldwide and beloved by many. It's a vomit-scented episode that'll really stick with you.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jupiter's Nut! (Black Walnut) Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

Villainous arboreal poisoner, or misunderstood forest benefactor? Despite its bipinnately gorgeous appearance and emotional significance to the general public, the black walnut (Juglans nigra) has spent decades under the critical gaze of tree lovers for its allegedly allelopathic behavior. But when new studies come to light, this cold case turns red hot! Misophonia warning: candied nuts will be munched.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.