Tag: #insects — 25 segments on Living on Earth
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April 03, 2026:
A Citizen Science Bioblitz
The City Nature Challenge is an international contest known as a bioblitz: a brief, intensive survey of biological diversity over a set area and time. A few years back Host Aynsley O'Neill met up with the Boston BioBlitz Initiative for Girls during a trip to Thompson Island in Boston Harbor, where a group of teens practiced their observational skills for the competition. And anyone can participate in this year’s bioblitz.
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March 27, 2026:
BirdNote®: Meet the Tiniest Owl in the World
At just six inches tall, the desert-dwelling Elf Owl is the smallest known species of owl in the world. As BirdNote®’s Michael Stein reports, despite its tiny stature the Elf Owl is a fierce predator of crickets, scorpions, and mice.
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February 20, 2026:
Under Milkweed
One of the most heavenly scents on Earth is that of milkweed in bloom, says Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender. But fewer and fewer monarch butterflies are showing up to feed and lay their eggs on this vital plant that gives them a powerful toxic defense against predators.
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February 20, 2026:
Bluetooth Butterfly Tracking
Monarch butterflies can travel thousands of miles each year between Mexico and North America in an epic relay race of multiple generations. And thanks to new technology, our phones and other Bluetooth devices can now tell us what paths these brave little insects take on this journey. Dan Fagin, who teaches environmental journalism at NYU and is writing a book about monarchs, talks with Host Steve Curwood about the tiny trackers and what it’s like to be among millions of monarchs where they overwinter in Mexico.
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February 13, 2026:
BirdNote®: Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroats, one of the most abundant warblers in North America, thrive in places that pickier warblers pass over. BirdNote®’s Ariana Remmel reports that they’re easy to find in urban areas, marshes, overgrown fields and more.
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January 30, 2026:
Punxsutawney Phil and Earlier Springtimes
While Punxsutawney Phil of Groundhog Day correctly predicts when spring will come only around 40% of the time, he has been predicting earlier springs more often in recent decades, trending with the reality of climate change.
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October 17, 2025:
BirdNote®: Melanin Makes Feathers Stronger
Birds as different as gulls, pelicans, storks, and flamingos all have black-tipped wings. These flight feathers are rich in a pigment called melanin. BirdNote®’s Michael Stein reports that melanin doesn’t just provide color – it also helps make feathers stronger.
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August 08, 2025:
Fireflies at Risk
The summertime magic of fireflies lighting up at dusk is facing threats because of climate change and habitat destruction. Living on Earth’s Ashanti Mclean shares with Hosts Aynsley O’Neill and Paloma Beltran a few tips that can help to protect firefly species.
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February 21, 2025:
The Bog in Winter
Just under the ice at Pine Hole Bog north of Boston, diverse forms of life from dragonfly nymphs to turtles and frogs await the spring thaw. Living on Earth’s Don Lyman shares a reflection from a winter walk through this beloved place.
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January 17, 2025:
BirdNote®: Waxwing Nightlight
Waxwings were once believed to glow in the dark, and Pliny the Elder reported that their feathers were said to “shine like flames” in the dark forests of central Europe. That is, until one sixteenth-century Italian birder decided to take a closer look, says BirdNote®’s Mary McCann.
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December 27, 2024:
FaceTime: Bumblebees
What’s going on inside the tiny, fuzzy head of a bumblebee? Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender, says there might be much more going on than you may think.
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December 27, 2024:
How To Be A Good Creature
From tarantulas in French Guinea to reclusive, aquarium-dwelling octopuses to the dogs and chickens in her own backyard, naturalist and author Sy Montgomery has connected with creatures all over the globe. They are her friends, her family, and especially her teachers. In her book, How To Be A Good Creature, she looks back on the valuable life lessons she’s learned from her friendships with feathered, furred and tentacled animals. Sy Montgomery joins Host Steve Curwood to discuss her treasured memories of these creatures.
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September 27, 2024:
Tree Swallow Funnel
One of the smallest and most agile migrating birds is the tree swallow. Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender marvels at how these little fliers gather in huge airborne displays as they prepare for the fall migration.
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August 30, 2024:
Science Note: Can Plants Hear?
Flowers don’t have ears like ours, but recent research finds that some flowers, like evening primrose, can “hear” the buzzing of bees’ wings. Living on Earth’s Don Lyman reports on how these flowers sometimes quickly respond to nearby pollinators by sweetening their nectar.
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May 10, 2024:
Wake! Up!: Paper Wasp
Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender aids a paper wasp trying to get outdoors.
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December 15, 2023:
How To Be A Good Creature
From tarantulas in French guinea to reclusive, aquarium-dwelling octopuses to the dogs and chickens in her own backyard, Sy Montgomery has connected with creatures all over the globe. They are her friends, her family, and especially her teachers. In her latest book, How To Be A Good Creature, she looks back on the valuable life lessons she’s learned from her friendships with feathered, furred and tentacled animals. Sy Montgomery joins Host Steve Curwood to discuss her treasured memories of these creatures.
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August 11, 2023:
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
Every animal species experiences the world in a way that is totally unique to them. Mantis shrimp, for example, have many more photoreceptors than humans and can filter polarized light, and star-nosed moles can smell under water. At a Living on Earth Book Club event, author Ed Yong joined Living on Earth’s Steve Curwood to share the fascinating sensory abilities he learned about in researching his new book, “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us”.
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May 26, 2023:
Note on Emerging Science: How Lizards Can Breathe Underwater
Some anole lizards can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes to evade predators, and now researchers have discovered their secret. Living on Earth’s Don Lyman reports that these lizards use a bubble of air around their snouts and rebreathe the bubble in and out.
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May 05, 2023:
No-Mow May
Biologists are encouraging homeowners to leave their lawnmower in the garage for a month this spring to create crucial habitat for pollinators. A proponent of the "No-Mow May" movement, Biology Professor Israel Del Toro from Lawrence University joins Host Bobby Bascomb to discuss why we should be rethinking our lawn care habits.
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April 21, 2023:
Earth Chats With the Moon
Master storyteller Jay O’Callahan joins Living on Earth’s Paloma Beltran to share a poetic story about a conversation between the Earth and its friend and companion, the Moon.
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March 24, 2023:
Insects Need More Protection
Roughly three quarters of the world’s insect species are inadequately protected, even in conservation areas. To help insects, which are important pollinators and the base of many food chains, Scott Black of the Xerces Society tells Host Bobby Bascomb that even small areas of protected habitat can make a big difference.
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March 10, 2023:
The Human Toll of Pollinator Loss
A study conducted by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health shows the decline of pollinators is contributing to the deaths of an estimated half a million people a year worldwide. That’s because yields of nutritious foods like most fruits, vegetables, and nuts are falling as the pollinators they depend on disappear. Dr. Sam Myers, the study’s lead researcher, joins Host Bobby Bascomb to discuss how this falling yield is linked to more preventable deaths from ailments such as heart disease and diabetes.
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March 03, 2023:
Climate Change and Mating
Showy traits like dark pigmentation on a dragonfly’s wings or a lion’s big, dark mane play a key role in how some animals choose a mate. New research suggests that climate change is making some classically attractive traits more difficult to pull off. Evolutionary ecologist Michael Moore at the University of Colorado Denver joins Host Bobby Bascomb to share more.
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March 03, 2023:
BirdNote®: Sound Escapes – Learning to Be a Deep Listener
Sound recordist Gordon Hempton brings us the sounds of the Amazon in this BirdNote® from Ashley Ahearn.
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February 17, 2023:
Note on Emerging Science: Electric Honeybees
A recent study from the University of Bristol reveals how large insect swarms may affect the electrical charge of the atmosphere. Living on Earth’s Fern Alling explains the phenomenon and the findings.
