Ginkgo Stink

in

In this episode:

Ginkgo Biloba is a beautiful tree with an incredible history that dates back millions of years – it’s also a popular street tree among urban foresters. So why are some cities clamoring to have all their ginkgoes cut down, while others are planting them in the thousands? The answer has to do with your dirty gym socks, 19th century London smog, and maybe, the curious appetites of long-dead dinosaurs.

Editor’s Note: This episode, as it was originally published, contained insensitive and offensive language and is not currently available. For more information, listen to the updated episode here.

TOKYO JAPAN 撮影：2012年12月上旬　東京の秋を代表する名所としても有名なのが明治神宮外苑のイチョウ並木。大正12年にイチョウが植えられ、青山通りから続く約300ｍの黄金のトンネルは壮大かつロマンチックで石造りの絵画館が見え隠れして気分を盛り上げる。146本のイチョウの他にケヤキ196本、トウカエデ159本などベンチに腰をおろしながらのんびり過ごせる。 Gingko Avenue in tokyo. Perhaps the prettiest autumn leaves in the tokyo can be found along Ginkgo Avenue, a street connecting Aoyama Dori to the sports fields of Meiji Jingu Gaein. The famous 300-meter avenue lined with gingko tree leading to the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery is spectacular.

Photos

Pier Pressure

in ,

...or I'll Give You My Dock When You Pry it From My Cold, Dead Hands

In 1998, Forest Quimby spent thousands of dollars building one of the most beautiful, most elaborate docks on Franklin Pierce Lake in New Hampshire. There was just one problem – it was illegal.

In this story, we hear about Quimby’s seventeen-year battle with the NH Department of Environmental Services, and find out why small-scale environmental regulations are so hard to enforce.

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Before and after shots of the dock.

The Moose Whisperer

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...or, why moose hunting is like watching a soap opera.

In 2015 about 2,700 of the 50,000 people who applied will receive a moose permit in Maine and if you’re one of the lucky ones who has waited 20 years for this moment, you’re going to want an expert on your team. You’re going to want a moose whisperer.  

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Photo Gallery

Happened in Gaspesia, Quebec.

10x10 - Vernal Pools

in , ,

....or, why you should always be careful where you step when you're traipsing through the woods in the springtime.

But first, what is 10x10?

Occasionally, we're going to be looking really, really closely at certain really cool spots. We're calling these types of segments 10x10, because--hey--we've got to draw the line somewhere. But it could be a 10x10 plot anywhere: in the woods, on a mountain, in the water, in the air. And really it could be 10 anything by 10 anything: feet, inches, miles, FATHOMS...we're not big on making any hard and fast rules. 

 

credit: sara plourde

credit: sara plourde

For this first foray out into the woods, we're checking out something called vernal pools. Vernal, meaning springtime, and pools as in... pools. These are little (and sometimes not so little!) pools that form when spring rains combine with winter snow-melt to make some really wet spots. These puddles might look a little gross, especially after they have been sitting there for a few weeks--and are full of all sorts of sliminess--but they are absolutely essential to all sorts of bizarre critters.

You'll never listen to the spring peepers the same way again.

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A video of frogs, uh...doin' their thing

As promised, here's a video of a Frog Orgy. We're not entirely sure what's going on here, but watching it made Maureen and Logan very uncomfortable.

the horror.....the horror.......

Photos from the field

The Kiwi Apocalypse

in

…or, how Sam Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cold Hardy Kiwi.

Iago Hale has a vision: it’s one where the economy of the North Country is revitalized by local farmers selling delicious cold hardy kiwi berries to the masses.

Meanwhile, Tom Lautzenheiser has been battling a hardy kiwi infestation in Massachusetts for years, and is afraid that this fight will soon be coming to the rest of New England.

Should we worry about the cold hardy kiwi and what does the quest to bring it to market tell us about what an invasive species is?

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Check out photos of Sam's new favorite fruit: