The Field Guides

The Field Guides
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Nature nerds rejoice! The Field Guides is a monthly podcast that will bring you out on the trail, focusing on the science of our North American wildlife.

  1. 6D AGO

    Ep. 80 - The Deer Are NOT Alright: Chronic Wasting Disease

    Something’s not right in the woods, at least if you’re a white-tailed deer. In this episode, the guys dig into chronic wasting disease (CWD), a strange illness reshaping deer populations in many areas of the Lower 48 (and Scandinavia!). It’s not caused by a virus or a bacteria, but it is related to mad cow disease. They break down what it is, how it spreads, what’s happening inside infected animals, and why it’s so dang hard to contain. The deer are not alright… and there’s a reason. This episode was recorded on April 23, 2026 at Walton Woods Park in Amherst, NY (a suburb of Buffalo). Episode Notes and Links ·         Are there different CWD strains in a single animal? Chronic wasting disease isn’t a single, uniform pathogen. It’s more like a shifting swarm. Infected deer can carry multiple prion “strains” at once, meaning different misfolded shapes of the same protein that behave in slightly different ways. They could spread through the body differently, build up in different tissues, and cause disease at different rates. Lab experiments show this most clearly: when CWD prions are passed through model systems, what looks like one strain can split into multiple distinct variants, or reveal that a mixed population was there all along (e.g., Angers et al. 2010 PNAS; Béringue et al. 2012 Journal of Virology; Li et al. 2010 Journal of Virology). In actual deer, the picture is harder to pin down, but studies comparing prions from different tissues and individuals show real strain diversity and suggest that more than one strain can exist within a single animal (e.g., Angers et al. 2009 Journal of Virology; Moore et al. 2016 Emerging Infectious Diseases). The takeaway is that CWD behaves less like a single disease agent and more like a moving target: a cloud of protein shapes, some dominant, some hidden in the background, that can shift over time, giving the disease more chances to adapt, persist, and potentially jump into new hosts. ·         Does repeated exposure to CWD reduce incubation time in deer? Repeated exposure to CWD prions does likely shortens incubation time, mainly because prion diseases are strongly dose-dependent. Higher cumulative exposure, whether from a single large dose or many smaller ones over time, can both increase the chance of infection and accelerate disease progression. Experimental studies in deer and elk show that animals exposed to higher or repeated doses tend to develop symptoms faster than those exposed once at low levels. In the wild, this likely plays out through repeated contact with contaminated environments like soil, plants, and carcass sites. That said, factors like genetics and prion strain can still influence how quickly the disease develops in any given animal. ·         Is CWD the only prion disease that affects wildlife? CWD is the only prion disease currently thriving as a self-sustaining epidemic in wild populations. The others mostly sit at the edges and are livestock diseases that occasionally spill into wildlife or appear in captive/wild interface cases. For example, scrapie occasionally “leaks” into the wild (it has been found in bighorn sheep), but it doesn’t take over. It flickers at the edges of livestock systems. Nothing like the landscape-level, self-sustaining spread we see with CWD. That’s what makes CWD so concerning: it’s not just present in wildlife, it seems to be built for it. ·         Steve talked about the possibility of vampire bats and wild hogs spreading CWD. What’s the story? There’s currently no evidence that vampire bats are spreading CWD, but the wild hog story has gotten more interesting recently. Blood-feeding bats like the Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus) are often mentioned because prions can occur in blood at low levels, but there are no peer-reviewed studies showing bat-mediated transmission,  nor any field patterns linking bats to CWD spread. So the bat idea remains speculative. Wild hogs (Sus scrofa), on the other hand, have moved beyond pure theory. A recent peer-reviewed study (e.g., Soto et al. 2025 Emerging Infectious Diseases) detected low levels of CWD prion activity in free-ranging pigs in endemic areas, suggesting they can pick up and carry prions after scavenging infected carcasses. Combine this with earlier work showing prions can survive digestion and still remain infectious (e.g., Nichols et al. 2009 PLoS ONE), it all points to hogs as plausible mechanical vectors: in other words, organisms that can move infectious material without necessarily developing the disease themselves. The takeaway: vampire bats are still a biologically interesting but unsupported idea, while wild hogs are emerging as potential “messy middlemen,” capable of redistributing prions across the landscape, even if they’re not a primary engine of CWD transmission, which is still driven by deer-to-deer contact and long-lived environmental contamination. ·         Why doesn’t NYS do more free testing? New York doesn’t offer broad, free testing for every deer. Not because it’s ignoring CWD, but because it uses a more targeted, strategic approach. There are a few key constraints on broad, free testing: Cost & logistics: Each test isn’t just a swab. It involves lab processing (often PCR or amplification assays), trained staff, and sample handling. Scaling that to hundreds of thousands of deer is a major lift. Low prevalence (right now): When disease prevalence is near zero, mass testing tends to return very few positives, so agencies prioritize early detection in hotspots instead. Management strategy: Agencies often invest more in prevention (carcass transport rules, feeding bans, education) than broad surveillance. Hunter participation: “Free for all” testing can overwhelm systems unless tightly managed, and many states have learned that targeted programs get better data per dollar. So NYS is focusing its efforts on where they see it mattering most: high-risk areas, roadkills, sick/dead deer, and zones near known outbreaks—because testing every hunter-harvested deer statewide would be extremely expensive for relatively low yield in a state with no established CWD population. More info on NY’s response, as well as what’s happening nationally: The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s page on CWD (including information on how you can help, scroll down to “Members of the Public”) CWD in Captive Deer: DEC’s Response in 2024 Chronic Wasting Disease Detection and Management: What Has Worked and What Has Not? A report by the CWD Alliance, a nonprofit organization focused on education, coordination, and outreach around chronic wasting disease. It was created to bring together a mix of stakeholders: state wildlife agencies, federal partners, scientists, and hunting/conservation groups to help share reliable information and improve how CWD is managed across North America. Sponsors and Ways to Support Us Thank you to Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for providing the artwork for many of our episodes. Support us on Patreon. Works Cited Bian, J., et al. (2022). Transmission of cervid prions to humanized mice demonstrates the zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease. Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 10, 149. Edmunds, D. R., Kauffman, M. J., Schumaker, B. A., Lindzey, F. G., Cook, W. E., Kreeger, T. J., Grogan, R. G., & Cornish, T. E. (2016). Chronic wasting disease drives population decline of white‑tailed deer. Ecology, 97(3), 620–632. Henderson, D. M., Denkers, N. D., Hoover, C. E., Garbino, N., Mathiason, C. K., & Hoover, E. A. (2015). Longitudinal Detection of Prion Shedding in Saliva and Urine by Chronic Wasting Disease-Infected Deer by Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion. Journal of virology, 89(18), 9338–9347. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01118-15 Küry, S., et al. (2023). The zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease—A review. Pathogens, 12(3), 342. Miller, M. W., et al. (2024). U.S. Geological Survey science strategy to address chronic wasting disease. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1546. Monello, R. J., Powers, J. G., Hobbs, N. T., Spraker, T. R., O’Rourke, K. I., & Wild, M. A. (2014). Endemic chronic wasting disease causes mule deer population decline in Colorado. PLOS ONE, 9(10), e110353. Pirisinu, L., et al. (2024). Zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease after adaptation in sheep. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 30(12). Sandberg, M. K., et al. (2022). Humanized transgenic mice are resistant to chronic wasting disease prions from reindeer and moose. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 226(5), 933–942. Saunders, S. E., Bartelt‑Hunt, S. L., & Bartz, J. C. (2012). Occurrence, transmission, and zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 18(3), 369–376. Visit thefieldguidespodcast.com for full episode notes, links, and works cited.

  2. APR 1

    Ep. 79 - The Brown Tree Snake on Guam: Using Genetics to Unlock the Secrets of an Invasive Species

    The Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis) has wreaked ecological havoc on Guam since its accidental release in the years following WWII, playing a major role in the extinction of endemic bird species and causing trophic cascades that have rewired how the island’s forests function. But how did a population of millions come from just a handful of snakes? And how does this species continue to thrive after eliminating so much of its prey base? A soon-to-be-released study looked into the genome of this invasive species and uncovered some intriguing possibilities. In this episode, the guys welcome their special guest, Dr. Christopher Osborne, to discuss his study and its implications for species management. This episode was recorded on March 15, 2026 at Rollin T. Grant Gulf Wilderness Park in Lockport, NY, a place Bill has (jokingly) called “the armpit of WNY” despite its deep history and the fact that he’ll absolutely encourage you to check it out. Episode Notes and Links In the beginning of the episode, Steve said we would definitely, 100%, without doubt, cover something called Lewontin’s paradox. Well, we skipped it! The main idea behind the paradox is that genetic variation varies little among species, but population size varies massively. We would expect large populations to have a lot of genetic diversity, but we often find that they don’t. Population size doesn’t always scale with genetic diversity. Sponsors and Ways to Support Us Thank you to Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for providing the artwork for many of our episodes. Support us on Patreon. Works Cited A single preprint!Osborne, C.A., Foote, B.M., Fleck, S.J., Waterman, H.M., Chang, S.L., Nafus, M.G., Bellinger, M.R., Gray, L.N. and Krabbenhoft, T.J., 2026. Genomic Structural Variation Rescues a Classic Biological Invader from a Population Bottleneck. bioRxiv, pp.2026-01.https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2026/02/02/2026.01.30.702330.full.pdf Photo Credit Brown tree snake, USDA/APHIS, Public Domain, https://www.fws.gov/media/brown-tree-snake

    1h 13m

  3. JAN 31

    Ep. 78 - 3 Guys and A Gator (featuring Chip Campbell)

    It’s gator time, folks! It seems like we should’ve already covered this topic, but, nope, this is our first ever episode on the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), and we’ve got two ringers to help: Daniel returns (our Field Guide host who moved to Florida last year) and he’s joined by his mentor in all things swamp-related, Chip Campbell. Chip spent twenty years running Okefenokee Adventures, leading interpretive tours in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and his knowledge of alligator natural history and ecology runs deep. Thanks to our Patrons, this episode is also an on-the-road joint. The guys are deep in the Florida Everglades on a multi-day paddling trip, and they take a break at camp to talk with Chip about all things alligator — with a special focus on separating gator myths from reality. And, unfortunately for those of you crushing on Steve, this one’s 100% Steve-free. This episode was recorded on Dec. 31, 2025 at Watson’s Place campsite in Everglades National Park. Episode Notes and Links Alligators, metabolism, and the “dog comparison”During the episode, Chip mentioned a study suggesting that several alligators could be maintained on roughly the same caloric intake as a single dog. We were not able to locate a study that makes that specific numerical comparison. However, the underlying idea is strongly supported by research on alligator physiology: American alligators have extremely low metabolic rates compared to warm-blooded mammals because they are ectothermic and do not spend energy maintaining body temperature. Classic physiological work shows that adult alligators can have daily energy expenditures that are only a small fraction of those of similarly sized mammals, making informal comparisons like this directionally accurate even if the exact ratio is anecdotal rather than experimental. Source: Coulson, R. A. (1989). Biochemistry and physiology of alligator metabolism in vivo. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 29(3), 921–934. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/29.3.921 Freshwater “sipping” — the study behind the observation The behavior Chip describes is documented in a study by Nifong and Lowers, which examined how coastal alligators use estuarine habitats. The authors note that after heavy rainfall, a thin layer of freshwater can temporarily sit on top of saltier water, and alligators will take advantage of this by drinking from the surface. This helps them manage hydration and salt balance in brackish environments, despite lacking the salt-excreting glands found in crocodiles. Source: Nifong, J. C., & Lowers, R. H. (2017). Reciprocal intraguild predation between Alligator mississippiensis and elasmobranchs in the southeastern United States. Southeastern Naturalist, 16(3), 383–396. Alligator growth vs. ageChip addressed the myth that alligators continue to grow throughout their life. Echoing what he reported, research on American alligators shows that although hatchlings and juveniles grow rapidly, their rate of growth slows substantially as they get older, and studies indicate they reach near-maximum body size well before the end of their lives. Long-term data suggest many alligators stop adding significant length by roughly 25–35 years of age, and more recent work has revised the classic idea of indefinite growth toward a pattern of determinate growth with a growth plateau in adulthood. Human harvest of alligators in LouisianaAs Chip said, Louisiana supports the largest wild harvest program for the American alligator in the United States, with more than 2,000 licensed hunters routinely harvesting an estimated 30,000–35,000 wild alligators annually under a regulated tagging system. In contrast, other states such as Florida have had regulated harvest programs with substantially lower annual take.” Sources: Joanen et al. (2021), Evaluation of Effects of Harvest on Alligator Populations in Louisiana, Journal of Wildlife Management; Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Alligator Annual Report (2019–2020); Hines (SEAFWA) status report on Florida alligators. Fatal Alligator Attacks In this episode, Chip discusses the history of fatal alligator-human conflicts, highlighting the 1973 Sharon Holmes incident as the first "fully confirmed" fatal attack in modern records. While the Holmes incident is often cited as the definitive first case, there was an earlier death that some consider to be the first modern fatality.  Historical records show why Chip’s reference to the Holmes case being the first “fully confirmed” case is accurate: Sharon Holmes (1973): On August 16, 1973, 16-year-old Sharon Holmes was killed while swimming at Oscar Scherer State Park. This is widely cited as the first fully confirmed fatality because of the absolute nature of the evidence: the attack was witnessed by bystanders, and a subsequent necropsy of the 11-foot 3-inch alligator found conclusive physical remains. This event marked a turning point in how state agencies, like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), tracked and verified alligator-related deaths. Allen Rice (1957): While most official FWC lists of fatal attacks begin in 1973, the 1957 death of 9-year-old Allen Rice in Eau Gallie is often mentioned as an earlier case. However, it is technically categorized as presumed. Rice went missing while fishing, and though his body was recovered with injuries consistent with an alligator and a large gator was seen nearby, there were no direct witnesses to the strike.  Sponsors and Ways to Support Us Gumleaf Boots, USA (free shipping for patrons) Thank you to Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for providing the artwork for this and many of our episodes. Support us on Patreon. Works Cited Coulson, R. A. (1989). Biochemistry and physiology of alligator metabolism in vivo. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 29(3), 921–934. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/29.3.921 James C. Nifong & Russell H. Lowers (2017). Reciprocal Intraguild Predation between American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and Elasmobranchii in the Southeastern United States. Southeastern Naturalist 16(3): 383–396. Joanen et al. (2021), Evaluation of Effects of Harvest on Alligator Populations in Louisiana, Journal of Wildlife Management; Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Alligator Annual Report (2019–2020); Hines (SEAFWA) status report on Florida alligators. McIlhenny, E.A. (1935) The Alligator's Life History. Boston: The Christopher Publishing House. Photo Credit Thanks again Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for the amazing gator painting!

    1h 16m

  4. 11/01/2025

    Ep. 77 - Mite-y Cool: The Amazing, Unseen World of Feather Mites

    In this episode, Bill and Steve dive into a tiny, bustling world - a world that’s hiding on the feathers of the birds we see every day. Joining them is Dr. Alix Matthews, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo, and she reveals the strange lives of feather mites — how these barely-visible hitchhikers feed and get around and whether or not they’re helping or hurting their avian hosts. This episode was recorded on September 4, 2025 at Walton Woods in Amherst, NY. Episode Notes and Links Check out Dr. Matthews’s website and research here. And watch a presentation on mites she did for Audubon Arkansas in October 2025. Sponsors and Ways to Support Us Gumleaf Boots, USA (free shipping for patrons) Thank you to Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for providing the artwork for many of our episodes. Support us on Patreon. Check out the Field Guides merch at our Teespring store. It’s really a great deal: you get to pay us to turn your body into a billboard for the podcast! Photo Credit Dr. Alix Matthews - https://matthewsalix.weebly.com/feather-mites.html

  5. 10/15/2025

    Ep. 76 - The Insect Apocalypse?! (Part 2)

    It’s part 2 of our dive into the Insect Apocalypse, with our good friend Dr. Jason Dombroskie from the Cornell University Insect Collection! In this part, Jason fills us in on the drivers of the Insect Apocalypse and - most importantly - what we can do about it. This episode was recorded on August 21, 2025 at Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area in Dalton, NY.. Episode Notes During the episode, we made the claim that 40 million acres of the US is lawn, and that that area is equal to all of the country’s National Parks put together. True? Well, sort of. The claim that the U.S. has about 40 million acres of lawn—roughly equal to all our national parks combined—is only partly true. A NASA-funded study led by Cristina Milesi estimated that turfgrass covers about 128,000 km² (≈31 million acres) of the continental U.S., making it the largest irrigated “crop” in the country (Milesi et al., Environmental Management, 2005; NASA Earth Observatory). Later analyses and popular summaries often round that up to ≈40 million acres (e.g., Scienceline, 2011; LawnStarter, 2023). By comparison, the total land area of all officially designated U.S. National Parks is about 52.4 million acres, while the entire National Park System—which also includes monuments, preserves, and historic sites—covers about 85 million acres (National Park Service, 2024). So while lawns and parks occupy areas of similar magnitude, lawns do not actually equal or exceed the combined area of the national parks. Is it better to mulch leaves on your lawn or leave them be? Here’s what we found: It’s generally best to mulch your leaves with a mower rather than rake or remove them. Research from Michigan State University found that mowing leaves into small pieces allows them to decompose quickly, returning nutrients to the soil and reducing weeds like dandelions and crabgrass (MSU Extension, “Don’t rake leaves — mulch them into your lawn”, 2012). Cornell University studies similarly show that mulched leaves improve soil structure, moisture retention, and microbial activity (Cornell Cooperative Extension, “Leaf Mulching: A Sustainable Alternative”, 2019). However, in garden beds, wooded edges, or under shrubs, it’s often better to leave leaves whole, since they provide winter habitat for butterflies, bees, and other invertebrates that overwinter in leaf litter (National Wildlife Federation, “Leave the Leaves for Wildlife”, 2020). The ideal approach is a mix: mow-mulch leaves on grassy areas for turf health and leave them intact where they naturally fall to support biodiversity and soil ecology. Episode Links The Cornell University Insect Collection Also, check out their great Instagram feed And their annual October event Insectapalooza Find out more about the recently discovered species of Swallowtail, Papilio solstitius, commonly known as the Midsummer Tiger Swallowtail- https://www.sci.news/biology/papilio-solstitius-13710.html Sponsors and Ways to Support Us Thank you to Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for providing the artwork for many of our episodes. Support us on Patreon. Works Cited Biesmeijer, J.C., Roberts, S.P., Reemer, M., Ohlemuller, R., Edwards, M., Peeters, T., Schaffers, A.P., Potts, S.G., Kleukers, R.J.M.C., Thomas, C.D. and Settele, J., 2006. Parallel declines in pollinators and insect-pollinated plants in Britain and the Netherlands. Science, 313(5785), pp.351-354.   Boyle, M.J., Bonebrake, T.C., Dias da Silva, K., Dongmo, M.A., Machado França, F., Gregory, N., Kitching, R.L., Ledger, M.J., Lewis, O.T., Sharp, A.C. and Stork, N.E., 2025. Causes and consequences of insect decline in tropical forests. Nature Reviews Biodiversity, pp.1-17.   Burghardt, K.T., Tallamy, D.W., Philips, C. and Shropshire, K.J., 2010. Non‐native plants reduce abundance, richness, and host specialization in lepidopteran communities. Ecosphere, 1(5), pp.1-22.   Colla, S.R. and Packer, L., 2008. Evidence for decline in eastern North American bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), with special focus on Bombus affinis Cresson. Biodiversity and Conservation, 17(6), pp.1379-1391.   Crossley, M.S., Meier, A.R., Baldwin, E.M., Berry, L.L., Crenshaw, L.C., Hartman, G.L., Lagos-Kutz, D., Nichols, D.H., Patel, K., Varriano, S. and Snyder, W.E., 2020. No net insect abundance and diversity declines across US Long Term Ecological Research sites. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 4(10), pp.1368-1376.   DeWalt, R.E., Favret, C. and Webb, D.W., 2005. Just how imperiled are aquatic insects? A case study of stoneflies (Plecoptera) in Illinois. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 98(6), pp.941-950.   Edwards, C.B., Zipkin, E.F., Henry, E.H., Haddad, N.M., Forister, M.L., Burls, K.J., Campbell, S.P., Crone, E.E., Diffendorfer, J., Douglas, M.R. and Drum, R.G., 2025. Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century. Science, 387(6738), pp.1090-1094.   Gaona, F.P., Iñiguez-Armijos, C., Brehm, G., Fiedler, K. and Espinosa, C.I., 2021. Drastic loss of insects (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in urban landscapes in a tropical biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Insect Conservation, 25(3), pp.395-405.   Gardiner, M.M., Allee, L.L., Brown, P.M., Losey, J.E., Roy, H.E. and Smyth, R.R., 2012. Lessons from lady beetles: accuracy of monitoring data from US and UK citizen‐science programs. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 10(9), pp.471-476.   Groenendijk, D. and van der Meulen, J., 2004. Conservation of moths in The Netherlands: population trends, distribution patterns and monitoring techniques of day-flying moths. Journal of Insect Conservation, 8(2), pp.109-118.   Haddad, N.M., Haarstad, J. and Tilman, D., 2000. The effects of long-term nitrogen loading on grassland insect communities. Oecologia, 124(1), pp.73-84.   Hallmann, C.A., Sorg, M., Jongejans, E., Siepel, H., Hofland, N., Schwan, H., Stenmans, W., Müller, A., Sumser, H., Hörren, T. and Goulson, D., 2017. More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas. PLoS ONE12 (10): e0185809   Hallmann, C.A., Ssymank, A., Sorg, M., de Kroon, H. and Jongejans, E., 2021. Insect biomass decline scaled to species diversity: General patterns derived from a hoverfly community. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), p.e2002554117.   Harris, J.E., Rodenhouse, N.L. and Holmes, R.T., 2019. Decline in beetle abundance and diversity in an intact temperate forest linked to climate warming. Biological Conservation, 240, p.108219.   Hembry, D.H., 2013. Herbarium Specimens Reveal Putative Insect Extinction on the Deforested Island of Mangareva (Gambier Archipelago, French Polynesia). Pacific Science, 67(4), pp.553-560.   Høye, T.T., Loboda, S., Koltz, A.M., Gillespie, M.A., Bowden, J.J. and Schmidt, N.M., 2021. Nonlinear trends in abundance and diversity and complex responses to climate change in Arctic arthropods. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), p.e2002557117.   Huryn, A.D. and Wallace, J.B., 2000. Life history and production of stream insects. Annual review of entomology, 45(1), pp.83-110.   Kawahara, A.Y., Reeves, L.E., Barber, J.R. and Black, S.H., 2021. Eight simple actions that individuals can take to save insects from global declines. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), p.e2002547117.   Leuenberger, W., Doser, J.W., Belitz, M.W., Ries, L., Haddad, N.M., Thogmartin, W.E. and Zipkin, E.F., 2025. Three decades of declines restructure butterfly communities in the Midwestern United States. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(33), p.e2501340122.   Liang, M., Yang, Q., Chase, J.M., Isbell, F., Loreau, M., Schmid, B., Seabloom, E.W., Tilman, D. and Wang, S., 2025. Unifying spatial scaling laws of biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Science, 387(6740), p.eadl2373.   Lister, B.C. and Garcia, A., 2018. Climate-driven declines in arthropod abundance restructure a rainforest food web. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(44), pp.E10397-E10406.   Owens, A.C., Pocock, M.J. and Seymoure, B.M., 2024. Current evidence in support of insect-friendly lighting practices. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 66, p.101276.   Myers, L.W., Kondratieff, B.C., Grubbs, S.A., Pett, L.A., DeWalt, R.E., Mihuc, T.B. and Hart, L.V., 2025. Distributional and species richness patterns of the stoneflies (Insecta, Plecoptera) in New York State. Biodiversity Data Journal, 13, p.e158952.   Pilotto, F., Kühn, I., Adrian, R., Alber, R., Alignier, A., Andrews, C., Bäck, J., Barbaro, L., Beaumont, D., Beenaerts, N. and Benham, S., 2020. Meta-analysis of multidecadal biodiversity trends in Europe. Nature communications, 11(1), p.3486.   Pinkert, S., Farwig, N., Kawahara, A.Y. and Jetz, W., 2025. Global hotspots of butterfly diversity are threatened in a warming world. Nature Ecology & Evolution, pp.1-12.   Raven, P.H. and Wagner, D.L., 2021. Agricultural intensification and climate change are rapidly decreasing insect biodiversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), p.e2002548117.   Rodrigues, A.V., Rissanen, T., Jones, M.M., Huikkonen, I.M., Huitu, O., Korpimäki, E., Kuussaari, M., Lehikoinen, A., Lindén, A., Pietiäinen, H. and Pöyry, J., 2025. Cross‐Taxa Analysis of Long‐Term Data Reveals a Positive Biodiversity‐Stability Relationship With Taxon‐Specific Mechanistic Underpinning. Ecology Letters, 28(4), p.e70003.   Salcido, D.M., Forister, M.L., Garcia Lopez, H. and Dyer, L.A., 2020. Loss of dominant caterpillar genera in a protected tropical forest. Scientific reports, 10(1), p.422.   Sánchez-Bayo, F. and Wyckhuys, K.A., 2019. Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological conservation, 232, pp.8-27.   Schowalter, T.D., Pandey, M., Presley, S.J., Willig, M.R. and Zimmerman, J.K., 2021. Arthropods are not declining but are responsive to disturbance in the Luquillo Experi

    1h 1m

  6. 09/30/2025

    Ep. 76 - The Insect Apocalypse?! (Part 1)

    The guys are back in the field with our good friend Dr. Jason Dombroskie from the Cornell University Insect Collection! Listen in as Jason leads us through fields and forests, trusty butterfly net in hand, filling us in on the so-called “Insect Apocalypse.” Are insect populations really collapsing worldwide? What do the numbers say? How bad is it, and — most importantly — what can we do about it? In this part, we head out on the trail with Jason. He introduces us to some insects we find along the way and schools us on why insects are so important, and in part two – he delves into the details of the insect apocalypse – what we know and what we don’t know. And since we feel bad that you can’t see what we got to see – we bring back a little trick we had in our last episodes with Jason – each time we find a critter listen for the sound of a camera shutter. That’s the signal to visit this episode’s page on our website – thefieldguidespodcast.com -  we’ll have photos there timestamped so you can see what we’re looking at, along with some extra info. Enjoy… This episode was recorded on August 21, 2025 at Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area in Dalton, NY.. Episode Notes Steve said he heard that there are more species of just weevils than there are of fish. Is that true? At one point in the episode Steve mentioned he’d heard there are more species of weevils than there are of fish. I looked it up, and he’s right! Scientists have described around 60–70,000 weevil species, with the real total likely over 100,000, while all the fish in the world come in at about 35,000 species. So as surprising as it sounds, Steve’s claim checks out—the humble weevil family really does outnumber all the fish. It was also mentioned that some insects are only known from a single specimen in a collection and have never been seen again in the wild. We looked for a study and found a large one from 2018 that looked at more than 800,000 insect species – it found that about one in five—around 19%—are described from a single specimen and never collected again (Lim et al., Current Biology, 2018). It really shows how much of insect diversity is still barely known. Pollard Walk - During the episode Bill asked about something called a Pollard Walk. That’s actually a standard insect survey method. The idea is simple: you walk a fixed route—usually the same path each time—at a steady pace and record every insect you see within a certain distance, often about 2.5 meters on each side. It’s kind of like a birding “point count,” but moving. The method, named after Eric Pollard who developed it in the 1970s for butterfly monitoring, is still one of the most widely used ways scientists track insect populations over time. Visit thefieldguidespodcast.com for full episode notes, links, and works cited.

    57 min

  7. 09/15/2025

    Ep. 75 - A Naturalist's Life (Part 2) - A "Hike" with Sandy Geffner

    Part 2 of our time in the woods with naturalist Sandy Geffner. This time, Sandy leads Steve and Bill on a “hike”—though with Sandy, the word takes on a different meaning. You might not cover much distance, but you’ll travel miles in understanding: exploring ecology and hearing stories of the forest and the wildlife within it. Enjoy! This episode was recorded on July 21, 2025 at JP Nicely Memorial Park in West Falls, NY. Episode Notes and Links Sandy’s favorite books: A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold and Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. But we feel that we have to call ourselves out here because we’ve been critical of Simard’s work before and maybe we should’ve brought this up with Sandy during the episode (but we obviously didn’t have the stones). For a deep dive into some of the criticisms of Simard’s word, check out the In Defense of Plants podcast’s series of episodes that starts here. Or this article by three professors who’ve spent their careers studying forest fungi. Sponsors and Ways to Support Us Thank you to Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for providing the artwork for many of our episodes. Support us on Patreon. Photo Credit The Natural Side of UB by Robby Johnson

    42 min

  8. 08/31/2025

    Ep. 75 - A Naturalist's Life (Part 1) - A Conversation with Sandy Geffner

    What exactly is a “naturalist”? Spend a little time with Sandy Geffner, and you’ll find out. Steve and Bill rarely go more than an episode or two without mentioning him—a naturalist who profoundly shaped both their lives. This month, they head into the woods to talk with Sandy about how a baseball-loving kid from Long Island became someone who’s inspired countless people to deepen their connection with the natural world. This episode was recorded on July 21, 2025 at JP Nicely Memorial Park in West Falls, NY. Episode Notes and Links Earth Spirit Educational Services Rogers Environmental Center The State University of NY at Buffalo’s Dept. of Environment and Sustainability Sandy’s UB Faculty Page Santee Sioux Reservation Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center Tifft Nature Preserve Cayuga Nature Center / Treetops Sponsors and Ways to Support Us Thank you to Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for providing the artwork for many of our episodes. Support us on Patreon. Photo Credit SUNY at Buffalo

    1h 6m
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4.8
out of 5
453 Ratings

About

Nature nerds rejoice! The Field Guides is a monthly podcast that will bring you out on the trail, focusing on the science of our North American wildlife.

Information

  • Creator
    The Field Guides
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    The Field Guides

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