Have you seen all of the scary headlines about massive venomous Joro spiders invading the eastern USA? Well, as you might imagine, these headlines are designed to drive clicks so that individuals and media can monetize their content.

Dr. Sarah Rose helps set the record straight, and also answers some questions about spider mating rituals, which turn out to be complex and fascinating!

And after that short Q&A, we play the full interview with Dr. Rose from Episode 58. Here is the introduction from that episode:

Today we’re going to discuss an animal that can make wind sails, cast nets, produce its own antifreeze, and is an A-list impersonator. Well, it’s not one animal, but a category of animals – spiders!

And my guest today, Dr. Sarah Rose, is here to tell us all about it. Dr. Rose is the author of a spectacular new field guide, Spiders of North America from Princeton University Press, is chair of the American Arachnological Society’s Common Names Committee, and has a PhD in Restoration Ecology from The Ohio State University.

We discuss Sarah’s journey to spiders, including her research into how spiders function as indicator species for habitats and ecosystems. Sarah tells us about the varied lifestyles of spiders, ranging from orb web weavers to sensing web weavers to ambush hunters, and more. We talk about different types of webs, spider guilds, profile some particularly interesting species such as the trash-line orb weaver, bolus spiders, and ant mimicking spiders, and much more.

And be sure to check Sarah’s YouTube for lots of fun spider videos.

Check the full show notes (link below) for some amazing spider photographs.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
All Bugs Go To Kevin – Facebook group
American Arachnological Society
Jack Pine Forests
Joro Spider Post by Dr. Rose
Lucas the Spider – a YouTube channel with a cute animated jumping spider
Spider Guilds – Cardoso et al

Books
Common Spiders of North America by Richard Bradley and Steve Buchanan (illustrator)
Spiders of North America, An Identification Manual, by Darrell Ubick (Editor), Pierre Paquin (Editor), Paula Cushing (Editor), Nadine Dupérré (Illustrator)
Spiders of North America, by Dr. Sarah Rose [Princeton University Press | Amazon]

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
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Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Gabe Brown, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

The ocean’s surface is a bit like the cover of a book. We have a title - the ocean - which gives us a hint about what it is. And we probably have some preconceived ideas about it based on the cover graphics or author.

But we can’t see inside to truly understand the stories it wants to tell.

One of those stories is about a forest - yes, an underwater forest that serves multiple critical purposes for life on earth. I’m talking about kelp forests, which generates oxygen, stores carbon, balances chemical cycles critical to life, and supports amazing biodiverse habitats.

But kelp are in trouble. In fact, 96% of the kelp forests in today’s guest’s region have disappeared in just a few years, and the reasons are multiple and solutions unclear.

And that guest is Tristin Anoush McHugh, the Kelp Project Director for The Nature Conservancy in California.

I knew I had to meet Tristin after seeing a wonderful short film called Forests Above and Forests Below, which was written and narrated by Tristin. It’s a powerful 6 minute film - check the show notes for a link.

And Tristin didn’t disappoint! Today Tristin helps us understand what kelp are and why they are in trouble. We discuss the complex relationships they have with sea otters, purple urchins, and sunflower sea stars.

We also discuss the dramatic impacts of sea star wasting disease, as well as how warming oceans might be disrupting kelps ability to reproduce.

I found the conversation to be incredibly enlightening, and extremely important. Oceans are disproportionately important to our climate and life in general, yet we all too often keep that book closed and on the shelf.

You can find Tristin at Tristin.McHugh(at)TNC(dot)org.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Forests Above and Forests Below

Friday Harbor Labs, Jason Hodin - an article about his research on sea star wasting disease

Reef Check is looking for diving volunteers

The Bay Foundation - restoring Santa Monica Bay

Kelp Forest Alliance

Thanks to Erica Zador for editing help!

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Gabe Brown, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

Forestry is incredibly interesting and important, and it really speaks to me personally, because it’s one of these fields that is inherently interdisciplinary. You have to understand how things relate and connect to create a healthy, sustainable system.

But traditionally, forestry was all about resource extraction, which often is done at the expense of long term sustainability.

And my guest today, Ethan Tapper, is just the person to help us understand how forestry is changing. Ethan is a professional forester, and has incredibly unique personal experiences, which have helped him gain a compelling perspective on what makes for a “healthy” forest, and the trade-offs involved in getting there.

Ethan personally manages a tract of forest called Bear Island in Vermont, and has had to deal with expanses of invasive species, disease, mismanagement, and much more to turn the tides and make the forest healthier.

Today, we discuss exactly how Ethan defines what a healthy forest is, the trade-offs he considers when facing challenges such as invasive species and disease, the use of herbicides and forest thinning, and much more.

And by the way, Ethan has packaged his personal journey into a book, due out in September 2024 called How to Love a Forest. And you can find him on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Also find Ethan at ethantapper.com, and his new consultancy, Bear Island Forestry.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Bringing Nature Home – by Doug Tallamy
The Hidden Forest Biography of an Ecosystem by Jon R. Luoma [Amazon Link]
Nature’s Best Hope – by Doug Tallamy, Dr. Tallamy’s 2020 release
The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees – by Doug Tallamy, 2021
Runes of the North by Sigurd Olsen

Previous Podcast Episodes Mentioned
Doug Tallamy on Nature's Archive

People and Organizations
Griff Griffith TikTok / Facebook and Redwoods Rising TikTok / Facebook
Kyle Lybarger at The Native Habitat Project
Tom Groves

Support Us On Patreon!
Buy our Merch!

Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Gabe Brown, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!