That's My Favorite

Our wonderful colleague Ashley Locke discusses her first and greatest love: America's National Parks. In this episode, we'll pick Ashley's brain, which is chock full of National Parks history, trivia, and tips. She can tell you how to not get lost, how to avoid being eaten by a cougar, and which park to skip entirely (spoiler: it has an apocalyptic mosquito problem) Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/national-parks-best-fangirl-ft-ashley-locke Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite Email: myfavorite@gpnc.org

Cassie and Allan talk to Spider Scientist Dustin Wilgers as he delves into the elaborate world of spider communication, as well as spider senses, arachnophobia, and what it’s like to get chomped on all of the time in the name of research. Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/eight-legged-drum-solo-ft-dr-dustin-wilgers/ Our Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite Dr. Wilgers' website: https://dustin-wilgers.square.site/ Email: myfavorite@gpnc.org

Kestrels may be small, but they have plenty of attitude to survive and thrive in most of North America. Naturalist Deb Williams joins host Nicole Brown to dive into some fun stories and facts about the smallest falcon in North America.Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/the-smallest-falcon-ft-deb-williamsWebsite: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

Join Naturalists Nicole Brown and Alicia Oberg as they delve into the world of dangerous insects. They talk wasps, sure, but also butterflies and aphids. The now infamous "murder hornet" even gets a short appearance.Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/danger-bugs-ft-nicole-and-alicia/Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

Fuzzy flowers, tree popsicles, bumblebee shivers, nocturnal cacti, jackrabbit ears, and vulture poop. This episode has everything! Join Alicia and Allan as they discuss the odd adaptations of plants and animals to the constant stress of harsh weather and extreme climates.Editor’s Note: Alicia wanted to correct herself- she said pasque flowers have five petals when they, in fact, have six!Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/beat-the-heat-kick-the-cold-and-stay-hydrated-ft-alicia-oberg/ Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite Email: myfavorite@gpnc.org

Naturalist Nicole Brown is joined by Brad Guhr of Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Hesston Kansas for a nerd session on why native plants are awesome. Tune in for information on prairie restoration from large scale projects to your own native garden in your backyard.Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/native-plants-ft-brad-guhr/Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

This ridiculously wholesome episode features our friend and colleague from the Central Arkansas Nature Center, Hollie Sanders, who finds fishing absolutely alluring. Rachel and Hollie talk fishing stories, super-secret bait recipes, how you can gameify fishing skills in your own backyard, and why your best teacher may already be on youtube. Get outside often, and go catch some memories.Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/20-the-lure-of-fishing-ft-hollie-sanders/Buy your Kansas Fishing License online: https://ksoutdoors.com/Fishing/Fishing-Application-and-Fees GPNC Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite Email us: myfavorite@gpnc.org Central Arkansas Nature Center: https://www.facebook.com/centralarkansasnaturecenter/

Naturalist Allan talks about shorebirds and seabirds, their amazingly dangerous migration, and his adventures in getting pooped at.Allan's notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/shorebirds-ft-allan-saylor/Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

It's morel season! Lyndzee talks about where you can find them and how to identify them along with other edible species and fun mushroom facts.Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

In the spirit of April Fool's Day, we got (almost) all of our naturalists to share about their LEAST favorite things. We've got cockleburs, snake poop, spiders, leeches, and more. These are the things we really can't stand, even if we can appreciate them (a bit).Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

What do you do when you get the opportunity to travel and explore Kansas rivers and streams? You take it. Nicole Brown and Emily Davis share their stories about working on the Kansas stream team. Get ready for lots of water, lots of fish, and lots of sunscreen. Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/steam-team-ft-emily-and-nicole/Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

Have you ever thought about how cool photosynthesis is? If you haven't, this episode is about to change that. Tyler Newman from Wichita State University nerds out with Lyndzee about his favorite... photosynthesis.Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

What's better than being the King of Rock and Roll? Being the King of Snakes. In this episode, Deb talks about her favorite.. the Speckled Kingsnake.Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

This time, hosts Rachel Roth and Lyndzee Rhine are joined by former Kansan Jean Aycock who worked at the Wetlands Education Center and has LEFT US for Mississippi. We still love her, and her love for interpretation. Join us for this exceptionally nerdy trip down Taxonomy Lane. This is our first attempt at long-distance podcast recording, so please excuse us as we work out the kinks!Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/lumpers-and-splitters/Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

Prairie Dogs: nature's baked potatoes, terraforming engineers, and chatterboxes. Nicole Brown loves them, loves their mind-blowing communication, and loves the critical part they play in our prairie homes. Also: spiders. Lots of spiders. Spiders everywhere. Help.Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/the-best-doggies-ft-nicole-brown/Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

Salamanders are amazing, whether they are big or small! Emily Davis shares her love for this diverse group of creatures who have become legends. Learn about the weird stories told about these slimy boys and girls that led to them being a symbol of fire still used today and to stories of monsters in Asian rivers and streams. Lasagna lizards, devil dogs, and snot otters, oh my!Visit our website for videos, pictures, and other fun stuff from this episode: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/Website: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

Deb Williams loves the Cottonwood tree, and so did Native Americans and early settlers on the plains. With the whisper of their glittering leaves, their stately crowns, and their long history watching over the landscape, there's a lot to love. So honk at the old Cottonwood for luck, and listen for its reply.Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/o-cottonwood-ft-deb-williamsWebsite: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

Roly Polies (an isopod) are fascinating, accessible, common, and adorable. That's why GPNC naturalist Amanda Alessi adores them. What more do you want from a critter--important ecological roles, strange habits, diversity, crazy parasitic relationships? One word: isopods!! These tiny cute animals make Amanda's case for turning over rocks and digging in the dirt an easy sell.Show notes: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/cannibal-roly-polies-ft-amanda-alessiWebsite: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favoriteEmail: myfavorite@gpnc.org

In a world of birds, one single father stands above the rest. His name? Phalarope. Phalaropes are the best for two reasons, and yet GPNC bird nerd Rachel managed to talk about them for over an hour. Are we surprised? (No.) Nicole and Rachel talk gender roles, manic spinning, and throw lots of shade at Pixar. Enjoy.Visit our website for videos, pictures, and other fun stuff from this episode: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/

In this episode Nicole Brown, Naturalist at GPNC, takes hosts Rachel Roth and Emily Davis down the rabbit-hole that is the amazing world of a bess beetle. These tough little insects love frass, are great parents, and even inspired a little singing from our hosts.Visit our website for videos, pictures, and other fun stuff from this episode: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/

Naturalist Lyndzee Rhine is a giant nerd. She loves fungus. All fungus. For this episode, Lyndzee focuses on one "type" of fungus... the ever-pleasant puffballs. Buckle up, you're in for spore-covered coaster ride and it's about to get fungal.Visit our website for videos, pictures, and other fun stuff from this episode: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/

Naturalist Allan Saylor is fascinated by a genuinely spooky topic: wildlife diseases. With werewolf myths, the actual zombie apocalypse, and flesh-eating fungi, we obviously had to release it a week early for Halloween. Buckle up for these ever-changing, horrifying ecological challenges that Allan loves.Visit our website for videos, pictures, and other fun stuff from this episode: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/

Deb delights in finding sparkling, shining eyes at night, and it's not just the deer, raccoon, and rabbit eyes that get her excited. This favorite pastime (and Halloween party activity!) of Deb's has led to countless rabbit holes on nightvision and even got her digging into real cow eyeballs! Let's geek out about eyeshine.Visit our website for videos, pictures, and other fun stuff from this episode: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/

GPNC naturalist Rachel can't stop talking about birds, so hosts Lyndzee and Emily indulged. The best thing about birds? They're literally dinosaurs, and it goes well beyond feathers frozen in stone. With discoveries like plumage coloration, dinosaur lungs, and literal therapod fledglings in amber, the things that make birds Rachel's favorite are dinosaur traits.Visit our website for videos, pictures, and other fun stuff from this episode: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/

Bees are cute. They can have shiny butts, mustaches, fuzzy legs, and petal nests, but many people only think of honeybees when they think of bees. To Nicole Brown, GPNC naturalist, that's a real bummer, because most bees in the world are _completely _different. Nicole adores them all, and she thinks you should too.For photos, videos, and more visit https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite

Hands-down, frogs and toads are Emily's favorite. Host Lyndzee Rhine gets all the warty details from KDWPT and GPNC Naturalist Emily Davis in this episode of That's My Favorite. Who doesn't love grabbing jumpy frogs, getting peed on, and startling toadish screams?? We sure do!Visit our website for videos, pictures, and other fun stuff from this episode: https://gpnc.org/thats-my-favorite/Want to get involved with frogs and toads in your area? Join a Frog Watch chapter and contribute to actual amphibian science!