New to the podcast?
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hey there, fellow naturalist –
Welcome to The Single Acorn podcast. You probably found your way here because you’ve got a surplus of questions about the natural world and a dearth of answers. I know I have plenty of questions of my own (and hopefully a few answers as well). As a naturalist and educator, there’s nothing I like more than sharing what I’ve learned with others. So whether you’re a middle schooler in Texas or an arborist in Washington, come join Glenn and me as we give our questions the attention they deserve and explore the weird, fascinating, and often gross natural world.
And if you’re new to the podcast, I suggest the following 3 steps to start your adventure towards expert naturalist-dom:
- Subscribe to the podcast: This way you won’t miss out on any new episodes, which drop roughly every other week (iTunes, Google, Stitcher, Spotify).
- Subscribe to the Wild Burlington Newsletter: The Wild Burlington Newsletter is a great visual counterpart to the podcast. With photos, videos, online quizzes, and contests, it’s a great way to learn natural history and stay up-to-date on seasonal events in nature.
- Get in touch: We love getting questions, comments, and feedback from you, our devoted listeners! You can also post to our Woodland Message Board (we’ll read our favorite postings on the podcast).
The Podcast
The podcast developed as a natural extension of the Wild Burlington Newsletter. The initial idea was to offer a short audio course on tree identification, but how could you fully explain tree identification without exploring geology, wildlife, land-use history, and everything else? So here we are! The podcast will give you a framework for understanding the relationships that organisms have with their environment (but always in a fun and engaging way, to be sure). Each season focuses on a particular natural history topic, with each episode narrowing in on a particular part of the broader context. In season 1, for example, we investigate the world of symbiosis, with the episodes covering mutualism, predation, parasitism, competition, commensalism, and amensalism. You can listen to each episode on its own, though I suggest listening to each season from start to finish.
Episodes are published roughly every fortnight and organized into seasons that span 6-10 episodes depending on the topic.
The Newsletter
The related (mostly) weekly Wild Burlington Newsletter covers a wide range of natural history topics, but mostly focuses on the northeast (and Vermont in particular). The newsletter is phenology-based, and will help you discover the wildness in your own (sub)urban backyard and tune you into the comings and goings of your wild neighbors from season to season. You’ll also get nature quizzes, notes on upcoming events (like the Wild Burlington Lecture series), contests, and guides to hands-on activities, all delivered right to your inbox. It’s the perfect learning tool for naturalists of all abilities!
Get in touch
Our newsletter and podcast are here to serve you! So let us know what you think about the podcast, what’s working, what isn’t, what you want more of. Your feedback and suggestions are much appreciated (contact us). You can also submit postings to our Woodland Message Board (see below for details).
The Woodland Message Board
“Roommate wanted: Diurnal seeking solitary nocturnal life partner for studio apt. Indoor trash pile. Shared bed. Must poop outside. No indoor spraying. Pets okay. Ectoparasites not okay. Contact Mr Monax”
We lucky humans have Craigslist, eBay, Amazon, and the rest of the internet to connect with our fellow humans about missed connections, ride shares, and items for sale. But where would you look if you were a rabbit in search of an antique credenza for your warren? To the Woodland Message Board, of course. So if you know an ancient bur oak, a larval ichneumon wasp, a migratory red-winged blackbird, or another woodland critter in need of help getting a message out there, post it to the Woodland Message Board!
