Between the Leaves at the Lloyd Erin Campbell

Welcome to the spring episode of Between the Leaves. Our guest is Brandon Reynolds, who’s talking with host Meg Hanrahan about bees and biodiversity. He learned beekeeping before starting B the Keeper, a landscape company that focuses on native plants. Follow his journey from advertising to beekeeping to becoming a landscaper, restorationist and activist. Brandon highlights the importance of preserving native bee populations and creating pollinator habitats, discusses how native plants help to attract and sustain biodiversity, and talks about his work with community groups to achieve these goals.

As the Lloyd Library’s exhibition, “Flora Mania,” celebrates flowering plants, host Meg Hanrahan speaks to Dr. Valerie Pence. Dr. Pence is the Director of Plant Research at the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Her work focuses on applying in vitro methods and cryobiotechnologies to the conservation of plant species that cannot be conserved in conventional seed banks, species known as exceptional species. In a world where 45% of plant species are threatened with extinction, listen as Dr. Pence talks about her work to save them.

In this Between the Leaves episode, we explore the world of fungi with renowned mycologist Dr. Nicholas Money. The scientific study of fungi is evolving, and new areas of research are having impacts in areas of human health, natural medicine, forest ecology and more. Dr. Money discusses some of the leading-edge research, and helps us glimpse a multitude of ways that fungi interact with human and non-human life on Earth. What is the mycobiome? Are mushrooms medicinal? How is fungi being used to treat depression, anxiety and other mental illness? How do fungi support healthy trees and forests? Listen to learn more!

In connection with the Lloyd’s recent exhibit, The Mighty Deep: An Exploration of Sea Life, we talk to Dr. Erin Curry about the natural history of polar bears and their plight in a changing world. Dr. Curry is the Director of the Polar Bear Signature Project® at CREW, the Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Listen as Dr. Curry talks about the work she and other scientists are doing to understand and support polar bears -- in zoos and in the wild. What are the challenges? Why are they so difficult to study? What is their outlook as global temperatures continue to rise? What can we do to help this iconic and beloved wildlife species?

In this episode we talk to Dr. David Lentz, a biologist and professor at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Lentz previously served as Director of Graduate Studies at the New York Botanical Garden, was Vice President of Scientific Affairs at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and last year was a fellow at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library in Washington DC. He is currently writing a book about ancient Mesoamerican agriculture. Dr. Lentz talks about agriculture practices of the Maya, what may have contributed to the civilization’s collapse, and how the photographic collection of Curtis Gates Lloyd provided unique documentation for his studies.

Meet Audrey Bell – this year’s Artist in Residence at the Lloyd Library. Audrey is a fine artist and medical illustrator who combines her artistic and scientific talents with her love for the natural world in a project titled Transformative Encounters. The project is a series of illustrations and maps that depicts interactions of plants and animals in three different ecosystems in Ohio, and explores some of the impact of those interactions on our world. Taking inspiration from diverse materials in the Lloyd’s collection, Audrey’s artwork highlights some of the overlooked connections in our human and natural histories. With a fresh look, she hopes to find clues to a healthier future where our relationship with the non-human world is more respectful and symbiotic.