Micronesian marine botanist and ocean advocate Dr Nicole Yamase meditates on the Pacific with a conversation spanning Hawaiian seaweeds, snorkelling across the Federated States of Micronesia and her submersible expedition to the Mariana trench. She generously shares her cultural perspective as a Micronesian scientist and discusses what lessons she's learned from the sea. Bio: Dr. Nicole Yamase is from the islands of Pohnpei and Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Although she...

Forest ecologist Jen Sanger spends more time in big trees than most. In our conversation, she takes us into another world of canopy of Australia's tallest trees and into Tasmania's aptly named Grove of Giants. She shares the story of the evolution of the distinctive Tasmanian flora, the ecology of these special forests and  the summer she helped get 500 community members nearly 100m up into the canopy. Bio: Dr Jennifer Sanger is the co-founder for The Tree Projects, a Tasmanian based an...

Partners in life and work, herbalist Deatra Cohen and reference librarian and researcher Adam Siegel are the authors of the incredible resource Ashkenazi Herbalism. Together they spent years researching little known texts, translating ethnobotanical surveys and cross-referencing cultural databases to unearth lost Ashkenazi plant practices from the pale of settlement region. They share the stories and traditions of a few of their favourite plants along with Deatra's own journey to plant...

Tennessee-based artist Ripley Whiteside creates art as a way to explore and connect to nature, history and speculative ecological futures. In a wide-ranging conversation spanning, contemporary ecological thought, invasive species and an ancient Medieval text—the Augsburg Book of Miracles—the conversation looks at the mysterious constructs of our understanding of nature. His place-based work is inspired by time spent Montreal, North Carolina and his home in Tennessee. Bio: Ripley Whiteside...

Urban ecologist Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez in conversation with Catherine Polcz.  He shares his journey from researching plant physiology in the Mexican Veracruz Montane Forests to future-proofing diverse urban forests of Western Sydney. His work is driven by understanding our relationship to the urban environment where people and plants are reliant on one another. Bio: Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez is a Sydney-based, Mexican ecologist who studies the effects of climate on plant function in urban...

Plant Kingdom is a conversation series about plants, nature and environment featuring scientists, artists, researchers, writers and healers. We release two conversations each month, and hear form people who have an intimacy with plants and nature. We discuss their work, stories and reflections from the field. We record in Sydney, Australia on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and pay respect to their elders - past, present and future. Hosted and produced by Catherine Polcz.