The Wandering Naturalist

Latest Episodes:

Episode 170 - The Bug Balance - The Xerces Society Jun 07, 2023

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Sarah Fultz, Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist with Xerces Society, talks with us about the insects that help maintain a healthy garden, how you can encourage them to live in your garden, and techniques for going pesticide free.

Episode 169 - The Bug Balance - Samurai Wasps Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

Jared Dyer, an entomology educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County New York wanders with us to discuss what Integrated Pest Management is, how parasitoid wasps help control unwanted species, and his research on one of those parasitoid wasps, the Samurai Wasp.

Episode 168 - The Bug Balance - Farming Without Pesticide Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

Did you know Disney World doesn't use pesticides? If they don't need them, your garden doesn't either. Hope Flanagan, member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, and Community Outreach and Cultural Teacher for Dream of Wild Health joins us to discuss how they farm without pesticides. She provides a Native perspective on our relationship with insects and provides some strategies we can use in our gardens.

Episode 167 - Highway to the Nature Zone - MN DOT May 03, 2023

Show notes

Ken Graeve, Erosion & Stormwater Management Unit Supervisor, and Chris Smith, Wildlife Ecologist, with the Minnesota Department of Transportation join us to discuss how the Minnesota DOT is working to make highways and other roads safer for animals, a better habitat for plants, and safer for the people who drive on them.

Episode 166 - Highway to the Nature Zone - Road Ecology May 03, 2023

Show notes

Ben Goldfarb, Environmental Journalist and author of such books as award winning, "Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter" is about to release a new book, "Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet" in 2023. He wanders with us to discuss the impacts roads have on humans and wildlife, new habitats created by roads, and direct impacts to Minneapolis and St. Paul from highway construction.

Episode 165 - Highway to the Nature Zone - The Need for Green May 03, 2023

Show notes

Brandon and Angela feel the need… the need for green, so they jump on the highway to the nature zone and explore what you can see as you drive to a Three Rivers park. From the large birds on light posts, to how bridges are making some birds' wings shorter, and more, learn about the nature outside your car window. Just don't buzz to close to any cell towers. After all Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.

Episode 164 - Nature Fools - Myths of the Past Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

Our favorite historian is back to discuss the myths of the past! Why are beds really shorter in the 1800's? Were our parks untouched wilderness? Is Minnesota really a Scandinavian state? Find out!

Episode 163 - Nature Fools - Nature Center Edition! Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

Allie Gams Beeson and Brett Sieberer join us to discuss some of the common myths they hear at the nature centers they work at. From insects predicting the weather to baby birds, wander with us to find the truth.

Episode 162 - Nature Fools - Brandon and Angela's Favorite Myths Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

Brandon and Angela share some of the myths from their childhood they believed for years, then get into the meat of persistent nature myths. What's the truth about Daddy Long Legs' venom? How did Walt Disney create a brand new nature myth? Is your dog really colorblind? Wander with us as we discover the truth and look into where these myths came from.

Episode 161 – BONUS – Women and Wilderness – Breaking Trail Mar 29, 2023

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Join as aspiring winter backpacker and thru-hiker, Emily Ford, shares on the remarkable journey of being the first woman to thru-hike Wisconsin's 1,200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Hiking Trail in winter. Hear how Emily continues to seek adventure and represent the underrepresented in outdoor spaces.

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