Podcast Episodes

Golden Cone Ratio (Austrian Black Pine)

Episode 121

The Golden Ratio: a fact of life on Earth, or an copy and pasted alien blueprint? Perhaps the answer lies in the cones of the Austrian black pine (Pinus nigra). Let’s discuss Phyllotaxis, the mathema…

Published on 4 months, 2 weeks ago

BONUS: Lord of the Tree Rings Marathon

Episode 120

What's up, Middle-Earthlings! Casey and I are taking a much-needed break this week, and so we present to you a hilariously massive extended edition episode that includes all three episodes of our Lor…

Published on 4 months, 3 weeks ago

Inside Sprout: Joy (Money Tree)

Episode 120

What makes you happy? Is it money? Or maybe it’s the money tree (Pachira aquatica). This famous houseplant is also a forest tree, so why did it become synonymous with feng shui, harmonious qi, and in…

Published on 5 months ago

Inside Sprout: Sadness (Weeping Cherry)

Episode 119

What makes trees weep? Perhaps the answer lies in the aptly named weeping cherry (Prunus x subhirtella 'Pendula'). Today we talk gravitropism and why some plants just have it backward. Then, we liste…

Published on 5 months, 1 week ago

Inside Sprout: Anger (Jeffrey Pine)

Episode 118

What makes you angry? Is it the Jeffrey pine (𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘫𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘺𝘪)? Perhaps it’s the smell, a controversial topic among tree lovers that causes all sorts of anger.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hos…

Published on 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Inside Sprout: Fear (Silver Maple)

Episode 117

Why are we so afraid of the silver maple (Acer saccharinum)? Perhaps because of the risk involved. In today’s episode of Inside Sprout, we discuss tree risk assessment as we ask ourselves the questio…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Inside Sprout: Disgust (Black Locust)

Episode 116

Welcome to Inside Sprout, a 5 part mini-series on trees that best embody and illicit our most basic human emotions. Today we start with disgust and the black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). This tree …

Published on 6 months ago

Ball is Life (Rubber)

Episode 115

Take me out to the ball game… the one where they bounce a solid rubber (Castilla elastica) ball between their hips. Today we take it way back for a discussion about rubber (the tree) and rubber (the…

Published on 6 months, 1 week ago

Little Kid (Balsa)

Episode 114

The lightest wood there is, the balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) is one excited little kid. It grows fast, has ice cream cone flowers, and you can even carry it around on your shoulders! But what gives thi…

Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago

The Chipko Movement (Banj Oak)

Episode 113

In the second part of our eco-feminism series, we discuss the Chipko movement, a practical manifestation of eco-feminist ideologies out of India. Author/activist Vandana Shiva makes an appearance, as…

Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago