Botany Episodes

Author Barret Baumgart traces the strange cultural and natural history of Joshua trees, from early disgust and failed schemes to commercialize them to their modern role as icons of desert resistance.

Chris Clarke talks with botanist Naomi Fraga about Tiehm's buckwheat at Rhyolite Ridge and Tecopa bird's beak, exploring how rare endemic plants collide with lithium mining and rapid industrialization.

Chris Clarke talks with Sant Khalsa and Juniper Harrower about the book Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees, bringing together artists, writers, and scientists to explore Joshua-tree ecology and culture.

Desert plants often look timeless, and some nearly are. Chris Clarke explores the astonishing longevity of desert vegetation, from the roughly 11,700-year-old King Clone creosote ring to chollas and Mojave yuccas that can survive far longer than their appearance suggests. He also explains how researchers estimate plant ages when tree rings aren't available, using historical photographs, repeated observations, and long-term ecological studies. The result changes the way we see seemingly ordinary plants: some desert landscapes contain living organisms whose histories stretch back centuries or millennia.

What can Joshua trees teach us about family? Chris Clarke reads an excerpt from his book in progress about the Mojave Desert's signature plant, weaving natural history with personal memory and reflections on kinship. Through encounters with Joshua trees and the landscapes they inhabit, he considers relationships among plants, animals, people, and place—and challenges the idea that nature consists of isolated individuals rather than communities of interconnected lives.

The saguaro cactus is an enduring symbol of the American Southwest, yet its life story is even more remarkable than its silhouette. This episode explores the biology, ecology, and cultural significance of the Sonoran Desert's iconic giant, revealing how saguaros support countless other species throughout their centuries-long lives.

Every spring, brilliant orange globemallow flowers brighten the desert landscape, but their importance goes far beyond their beauty. Learn about one of the Southwest's most recognizable native wildflowers, its role in supporting pollinators and wildlife, and the ways native plants help desert ecosystems recover and thrive.

A desert superbloom is one of nature's most spectacular events, transforming dry landscapes into seas of wildflowers after the right combination of rain and temperature. This episode explores what causes these rare displays, why they don't happen every wet year, and how visitors can experience a superbloom while helping protect the fragile habitats that make it possible.

The creosote bush is so common across the Southwest that it's easy to overlook—but it may be the single most important plant in North American deserts. This episode explores the biology, ecology, and remarkable adaptations of Larrea tridentata, from its ancient clones to its role in supporting wildlife and shaping entire desert ecosystems. You'll never look at a creosote flat the same way again.

Ironwood trees are among the ecological giants of the Sonoran Desert, supporting hundreds of species while helping entire ecosystems flourish. In the Season 1 finale, we celebrate this extraordinary tree, explore its biology and importance, and reflect on the first year of 90 Miles from Needles with thanks to the listeners who made it possible.

The debate over protecting California's western Joshua tree continued long after the initial proposal for legal protection. This episode provides an update on the political and scientific discussions surrounding the species and explains why decisions made today will shape the future of one of the Mojave Desert's defining plants.

At a demonstration in the Nevada Mojave, environmental advocate Shannon Salter discussed the growing pressures facing the desert Southwest and the campaigns working to protect public lands and wildlife. Together we explore grassroots organizing, effective advocacy, and why individual voices continue to make a difference.