Ep. 69 - Mallows, Clovers, and Questions

The Kankakee mallow is getting a lot of attention this month and rightly so. The Langham Island population is flowering for the first time in over a decade! I checked in with Robb Telfer to get some updates on the push for making the Kankakee mallow the official state flower of Illinois. We also get an update on how his leafy prairie clover seeds are doing as he and others attempt to resurrect them from 100+ year old herbarium collections. We also update you on the Thismia Centennial Hunt coming up on August 20th, 2016. It's always fun talking with Robb. Also, I am collecting questions for the first ever In Defense of Plants question show. If you have a botanical question, email it to indefenseofplants@gmail.com. This episode was produced in part by Gregory and Mark. 

Click here to learn more about the Kankakee mallow

Click here to learn more about the Thismia Centennial Hunt

Click here to learn more about the Friends of Langham Island

Click here to learn more about Habitat2030

Click here to watch The Brain Scoop's mallow videos

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Ep. 38 - A Tour of The Field Museum With Robbie Q. Telfer

You may remember Robbie from Episode 11 of the In Defense of Plants Podcast. He is the poet who is pushing to change the Illinois state flower from a nondescript violet to the Illinois endemic Kankakee mallow. I caught up with Robbie at his day job at The Field Museum in Chicago. He gives us a tour and updates us on his work with the Kankakee mallow as well as another endangered species. It is wonderful to see a museum taking such an active role in research and conservation. 

Visit The Field Museum

Click here to learn more about Habitat 2030

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Music by Moneycat

Ep. 28 - The Friends of Langham Island

I spent the day volunteering with the Friends of Langham Island. They are a group of concerned citizens working to restore Langham Island's unique flora, which includes the endangered endemic Kankakee Mallow. It was a fun day and I met a lot of great people along the way. 

Click here to learn more about the Friends of Langham Island

Strategies for Stewards: from woods to prairies

Music by Moneycat

Ep. 11 - Changing a State's Flower

Do you think your state's flower is boring and uninspiring? American poet Robbie Q. Telfer does and he is calling for a change. He would like to see the state flower of Illinois represent something truly Illinoian. Robbie stops by the podcast for a conversation regarding his call to action and so much more. It is people like Robbie that remind us of the Ed Abbey quote - "The idea of wilderness needs no defense. It only needs more defenders." 

Click here for Habitat 2030's website

Click here to check out the Jackass Gardener blog

Music by Moneycat