Grubbing In The Filth: An Invertebrate Podcast Grubbing In The Filth

Today, its time for a lofty subject, as it were: Tom is joined by Abbey Hayes to discuss the original (and best?) form of flight: insect flight. We’ll  be delving into millenia-long developments, and considering wild unknowns. We'll speculate, exploring genetics and molecular tools, as well as settling big questions like 'who's got the best wings?'. Join us, for a thorough and exciting look at this incredible subject. 

Alert! Alert! This is a time sensitive episode! 

The new year monarch count is nearly upon us, and if you want to get involved, now is the time!

www.westernmonarchcount.org

Whether or not you are geographically able to count the monarch, I'm sure you'd love to learn more about one of our most charismatic invertebrates. The monarch butterfly is a migratory butterfly; well-documented, and surely one of the public-facing wonders of the insect world. In this episode, we learn all about the monarch, from its fascinating relationship with plants, to the ways that colonialism has impacted ancient migratory routes. We learn about its toxic defenses, and hear what its like to stand among and experience, first-hand, one of nature's great sights. There's something for everyone here (providing that everyone is wild about butterflies).

Eagle eared listeners will hear that I didn't have my proper mic. Eagle eared listeners will mind their own. 

What on earth's an alvar?

In this episode, you can discover precisely what an alvar is, and learn about the spiders that live there. We consider what it means to study a place with reference to animals, and vice versa. Jillian Suh Kurovski-Legris joins Tom to share her alvar expertise, rhapsodise about spiders, and consider the challenges and pleasures of studying the small and oft-ignored.

 Whats going on with these jellyfish then? What are they, and what are they up to? In this episode, Tom is joined by jellyfish scientist Bailey Steinworth to wrestle with the challenge of the jellyfish. How much sense can we make of a gelatinous and translucent animal? What is it doing, why is it doing it, and what does it feel like to live the jellyfish lifestyle? We discuss all things jellyfish, and touch on the judgements and hierarchies that we foist upon the natural world, as well as exploring with greater depth Bailey's study species: Cassiopea, the upside down jellyfish. 

Microscropic laughs are lurking in the green. Come and discover tardigrades, rotifers, nematodes and more with Andy Chandler-Grevatt, educator and man-of-moss. We discover 'the big 5' of the moss world, think about life at a wholly different scale and sit in a gentle awe as we consider quite how much is going io, close at hand yet out of sight. 

In this episode, we look at how our attitudes towards invertebrates can change. Tom is joined by podcaster Ellen Weatherford from Just The Zoo Of Us to examine what it means to learn about invertebrate life, and how that process of learning changes our outlook on the world at large. What does it take to become an invertebrate fan in adulthood? And what changes in your parenting as your feelings our scuttling pals changes? All this, plus Tom mentions Army Men for the PS1 as part of a broader discussion around our relationships with the natural world.