The Valley Oak

Once thought to seed the soil with gold, the California Poppy has a rich cultural and visual history with the Golden State where it bears the honor of being the official flower. But what does the future look like for this decorated wildflower? (BotaniCal Season 1 Finale)

Before orange and almond orchards, before tomato and garlic farms, there were large agricultural swaths of deer grass in California? Find out this native's (pre-) history and how it may be a plant of the future.

Ancient warriors, gruit ales and an investigation into the latent meanings of "native" abound in the thousand-faceted Achillea millefolium, more commonly known as yarrow.

Tune in to hear what this SoCal native has to do with quarantined breakfasts, Irish intellectuals and the American poet Walt Whitman.

So what does a coyote have to do with a native mint? Turns out it may be more than you might think. Tune in to hear about the plant's similarities with its fuzzy nominal forebear, and, fitting for the month of February (or any month, rather), how it may have been used as a potent love drug.

If you've ever wondered about the distinctive Joshua Tree endemic to the Mojave Desert, well, I think you've found what you're looking for. From U2 to a German Polymath, to a prehistoric gourmand and a pioneering conservationist, it's all here.

You have likely heard stories of how finnicky and moody the maidenhair fern is as a houseplant. Did you know we have a native species with some pretty remarkable features? Tune in to see what the California maidenhair fern has to do with an unplaceable deadly pathogen, ginkgo trees, and a sci-fi imagination. 

Toyon, also known as the Christmas berry or the California holly, is a native plant adorned with so many colorful histories that it can be confusing to sort out what's fact from fiction. What is certain, however, is that it has been one of the most popular natives in California, and has brought a host of its own traditions to the landscape, for better or for worse. 

The Sonoma Spineflower is one of the rarest natives in all of California. Listen to see what it shares with the Dodo, Buckwheat pancakes, and that mysterious Point Reyes National Seashore fog. If you stay tuned till the end, there's a bonus song that you will want to listen to if you're planning on hiking in Abbotts Lagoon anytime soon.

On our very first episode, tune in to hear what da Vinci, Ovid, and natural dying have in common with this California native plant: the Quercus Podcastus . . . or wait, the Quercus Lobata, the beautiful Valley Oak! The largest of all oaks on the west coast, it is a powerful symbol of the Golden State's past, present, and possible future.