Cable Natural History Museum

Cable Natural History Museum · cablemuseum.org

At the heart of this podcast is Emily’s passion for sharing her discoveries with both kids and adults. Join her on a hike, paddle, or ski, and you’ll soon be captivated by her animated style and knack for turning any old thing into a shining bit of stardust. While her essays contain many of your familiar friends, through Emily’s research and unique perspective, you will discover something new in every essay and around every bend in the trail.

10 episodes

10d ago latest

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Episodes 10

440 – Turtle Travels
10d ago · 4:54
Rosie Wollums is about to start her Junior year as an Environmental Studies and Creative Writing major at Coe College. Being in the Northwoods for the first time as a Summer Naturalist Intern at the Museum, Rosie was excited to explore and visit Lake Superior. There she met a snapping turtle with mystery and empathy.
439 – Weirdos in the Kaleidoscope
17d ago · 6:29
Late summer days are a kaleidoscope of vibrant flowers in all colors of the rainbow. Some of the blossoms have their perfect petals neatly arranged while their leaves form regular patterns up their stems. They are a testament to the precision that can be written into genetic instructions for growth. I find myself drawn to the weirdos, though, like the pearly everlasting flowers woven into a new shape by black-spiked caterpillars, or the milkweed leaves whose tattered appearance hints at a feeding frenzy. These weirdos are great examples of how our relationships with other beings can be both me
438 – Front Yard Safari
24d ago · 6:05
The flower head looked odd. Pearly everlasting—with their beautiful flat-topped cluster of white flowers with yellow centers—had finally bloomed. And now the petals would dry out and hold their shape for many months. Except, as I walked past the small patch of native plants between the Museum and the Forest Lodge Library, I noticed that one of the flower clusters was a shapeless blob of petals. Peeling open a corner, I spotted yellow stripes, red dots, and multi-tipped black spikes. Yikes! That’s what this American painted lady caterpillar wanted me to think…and then to leave them alone. Some
437 – House Finches Get a New Coat of Paint
1mo ago · 4:26
Katherine Woolley is about to start her senior year as an environmental education major at Western Colorado University. When Katherine arrived for her second round as a Summer Naturalist Intern at the Museum, she announced that she hit a certain age and suddenly became a birder! This week she shares a neat ornithological observation. "'Peep peep peep peeeep PEEP PEEEEEP peep peep' I rolled over in my bed and groaned. Spring had come early to Colorado’s Gunnison Valley where I attend university. A flash of yellow on my window bird feeder caught my attention. There perched a male house finch spo
436 – A Yellow-bellied Surprise
1mo ago · 4:01
The Wild Wonders Summer Camp kids chattered away as they dug into their lunches, oblivious to the yellow-bellied sapsucker who skirted up and down the bark of the tree just a few feet away, in search of their own lunch. I watched as the sapsucker took flight, their speckled wings flapping quickly through the trees, until they landed on the bark of another tree and disappeared! It took me a second to realize that they had entered into a small hole hidden in the bark of the tree. Had I not watched them enter, I never would have noticed the hole high up in the bark, or learned of the nest inside.
435 – Who’s Hiding in the Tapestry
1mo ago · 6:32
From a distance, the forests of July look like a lush tapestry of green. But when you step into the loosely woven strands and take a closer look, the leaves are etched with feeding trails, dissected by holes of all shapes and sizes, and covered with the debris of life. It’s a principle of ecology, of course, that every Being is food for someone else. Feeding style vary. Some invertebrates are “leaf folders,” while others are “leaf rollers” or “leaf tiers.” All of these insects and spiders use silk that contracts as it dries to shape leaves into shelters. I set out to find examples of all of th
434 – Stalking Wonder
1mo ago · 6:12
I barely caught the flash of brown out of the corner of my eye, but Kevin had a clear view. He followed the flight path of the bird until they landed on the far side of a small channel lined with arching sedges. Despite the bird’s pinstriped camouflage blending seamlessly with the tall grass, and having never before seen one in the wild, his identification came instantly: American bittern! Bitterns hunt alone, mostly at dawn and dusk, and are said to be easier to hear than to see. Their deep booming, gulping calls travel far across marshes, but the male “thunder-pumpers” are vocal only during
433 – Heartbeats and Birds
1mo ago · 7:18
My heart raced as I reached my hand into the bag. What if I broke them? What if I let them escape? Then my fingers found a familiar grip, and before I knew it, I was holding this bird just like I had the warbler. Now that I was the bander and not just the releaser, the vibration of their heart felt different. Their safety was in my hands. My own heart slowed, and I took a steadying breath. Maneuvering the veery so that I could grip their right leg in my left thumb and forefinger, I slipped the open band over their leg. Now they were ready to contribute to science! “This bird will be forever co
432 – The Making of a Master Naturalist
2mo ago · 4:58
The sound of boots crunching on sandy sediments and excited chatter filled the air. The first day of our Wisconsin Master Naturalist training had begun, and twenty people from all walks of life were eager to learn about the ecology of the Northwoods. Over the next five days, these participants would be exploring sites all over Bayfield County, and learning from experts across multiple natural resource fields. Our goal was not to instantly train experts in Northwoods ecology, but rather to spark curiosity and connection with the natural world. Whether coming from a natural resource background t
431 – Preserving the Legacy of Black Ash
2mo ago · 6:27
Dappled light, mosquitoes, and the roar of a chainsaw filled the humid air on a morning in early June. Guided by skilled hands, the blade sliced through pale wood. Lacey green leaves trembled against the blue sky before tipping toward a gap in the canopy, brushing past the twigs of neighbors, and easing quietly onto the earth exactly where the feller intended. If a black ash tree falls in the forest, must it land with a crash? Deep in the woods east of Lake Namakagon, I’d gathered a small team of volunteers on an urgent mission.

Episodes

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Cable Natural History Museum

Episodes 10

440 – Turtle Travels

439 – Weirdos in the Kaleidoscope

438 – Front Yard Safari

437 – House Finches Get a New Coat of Paint

436 – A Yellow-bellied Surprise

435 – Who’s Hiding in the Tapestry

434 – Stalking Wonder

433 – Heartbeats and Birds

432 – The Making of a Master Naturalist

431 – Preserving the Legacy of Black Ash

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Episodes 10

440 – Turtle Travels

439 – Weirdos in the Kaleidoscope

438 – Front Yard Safari

437 – House Finches Get a New Coat of Paint

436 – A Yellow-bellied Surprise

435 – Who’s Hiding in the Tapestry

434 – Stalking Wonder

433 – Heartbeats and Birds

432 – The Making of a Master Naturalist

431 – Preserving the Legacy of Black Ash