iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Sometimes, you can just tape two plants together and they’ll become one plant. How does that even work?

Image: a grafted cherry tree with white and pink blossoms. Image by Jina Lee.

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

The long-awaited sequel to our Jurassic Salad episode from Season 1! This episode, we concoct a salad from the Pliocene of Africa to feed our hominin ancestors!

Text says "Season 2 Episode 8, Australopithecus Salad, What Would Lucy Eat?" above a photo of an Australopithecus skeleton (by Emőke Dénes) looking at a cartoon salad (by j4p4n)

031

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

In the high Arctic and high mountains, plants get tiny and tough! This episode, Nora and Aly gush over the incredible adaptations that allow plants to survive the wind, cold, and darkness beyond the tree line. Image by Matthias Zepper

130

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Sometimes there are plants where we don’t want them! What makes weeds so … weedy? Why do we dislike them so much? And is a weed truly in the eye of the beholder?

A variety of small green plants grow in the cracks of a concrete staircase. Above the image, words say "Season 2 Episode 3: What's Up With Weeds?"

051

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Season 2 Episode 2 is out now! Forests have age, and it’s not just about the age of the trees! What happens as a forest grows older? How is a young forest different from an old forest? Answers to these questions and more in this episode! Image by Ximesmp

A photo of a forest with lots of young trees, below text that says "Season 2 Episode 2 Life Cycle of a Forest"

021

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

To start off Season 2, Nora asks Aly to explain the complex and confusing science behind what is and isn’t a berry! Did you know bananas are berries? Also watermelon! But strawberries and raspberries aren’t! What’s the deal? Listen to find out! leafittouspod.podbean.com/e/s2e1-whats...

043

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

We’re doing something new this year! Reading Between the Pines, a plant-themed book club hosted by Aly! A new book each month, chosen by our Patrons. This month’s book is Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer! Join us for our Book Club meeting on Discord, May 30th at 4pm EDT!

Text: Introducing our new plant-themed book club! Reading Between the Pines (fittingly placed in this image between two simple pine trees)

030

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Season 2 is about to bloom! The Trailer is out today, and Episode 1 drops on May 7th! Please consider joining us on Patreon and Discord to keep updated and engage with our lovely community! And join us for something new: Reading Between the Pines, our plant-themed book club! More details soon!

A pair of leaves over the podcast title: Leaf it to Us (with Nora Spurling and Aly Baumgartner). Above it all, text reads "SEASON 2 IS BLOOMING!"

032

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

A year ago, Nora and Aly recorded an “Episode 0” to get a feel for the process and decide if they really wanted to make a podcast. Some plants are famously active in the winter. So famous, in fact, that they have become immediately recognizable symbols of Christmas and Winter Solstice holidays.

0111

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Nora and Aly wrap up Season 1 by answering a bunch of questions from fans! A huge thanks to all of our listeners and supporters for making this podcast happen. Stay tuned for Season 2 in 2026!

150

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Scientists organize the history of the Earth based on the experiences of animals. But what if the Geologic Time Scale was plant-centric? This episode, Aly presents Nora with her take on a time scale based on the evolution and extinction of plants through time. Image by Lucy Wayland

A photo of rock layers tilted in multiple directions, all overgrown with plants.
Text above the image says "Episode 12 - The Geologic Time Scale According to Plants"
Image by Lucy Wayland

1134

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Plants require sunlight to survive, but when night falls and the daytime-dwellers disappear, many varieties of flower come alive. This episode, Nora and Aly explore the allure of “moon gardens” and the adaptations that allow beautiful and aromatic flowers to thrive in darkness.

096

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Some plants get big – like, several acres big – like, an entire forest big – like, the largest living things on the planet big. This episode, Nora and Aly address some of the most sprawling plants on Earth and explore the plant super-powers that allow them to achieve super-size.

An image of a grove of Pando trees, with text that says Episode 10: Plant Super-Organisms.

041

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

We all learned that roots are the below-ground part of a plant. Well, it turns out there are exceptions … a lot of them. This episode, Nora asks Aly to explain the many and varied reasons why a plant might wave its roots in the air like it just don’t care.

An image of the aerial roots of a mangrove. Text above the image says "Episode 9 Roots in the Air"
Image by Peripitus

041

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Did you know that placing a banana next to an apple can help the banana ripen faster? Well that was news to some people! This episode, Nora and Aly discuss what exactly is going on inside a ripening fruit and how the fruit knows it’s time to signal its own deliciousness. Image by Dominique Hessel

A bunch of grapes hangs among leaves. The grapes are different colors at different levels of ripeness. Text above the image says "Episode 8 What Makes Fruit Ripe?"
Image by Dominique Hessel

091

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Plants do not have mouths, but that doesn’t stop them from expressing themselves! This episode, Nora and Aly touch on the topic of plant communication and explore how plants signal distress. Image by Mtaufiqurrahman

Close up of grass with cows grazing in the background. Text above the image says "Episode 7 How do Plants Scream Without a Mouth?"

Image by Mtaufiqurrahman

063

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

What if you traveled back in time to the Jurassic Period … and got hungry? Could you make a meal with the plants available at the time? This episode, Nora and Aly do some speculative cooking to see what they might include in a Jurassic Salad.

A painting of a Jurassic scene with plenty of plants and some ancient animals. Text above the image says "Episode 6 Jurassic Salad"

092

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Since they first moved onto land, plants have had to adapt to world full of fire, and not only do they survive, they thrive! This episode, Nora and Aly explore how plants persist despite being some of the most flammable things around. Episode 5 is out now!

A photo of a forest with a backdrop of fire and smoke. Text above the image says "Episode 5 - Plants and Fire" (Image in the Public Domain)

030

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Episode 4 - Brassica! Did you know that dozens of our favorite vegetables are all the same species? How did that happen? This episode, Nora and Aly explore the science and history of Brassica! leafittouspod.podbean.com/e/episode-4-...

A head of broccoli and some green and purple cabbage, all different forms of Brassica.

1131

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Episode 3 - What's Inside a Pinecone? Out now! Featuring an animated discussion about these CT-scan images from the Regents of the University of Michigan.

CT-scan image of a pinecone, showing the internal structure and positions of seeds within.

CT-scan image of a pinecone, showing the external structure.

1156

Leaf It To Us Podcast @leafittouspod.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Episode 2 - Houseplants vs Housepets Why are so many of our favorite houseplants so dangerous to our pets? Nora and Aly investigate the antagonism between plants and animals and share some of their favorite stories of plants vs pets. leafittouspod.podbean.com/e/episode-2-...

A close up of a houseplant on a desk whose leaves have a bunch of little holes in them that are roughly the size and shape of cat teeth. Text says "I wonder how these holes got here?"

3147