Critter Chat

The Gifts of the Caddisfly

Why is the Caddisfly a favorite of some nature lovers? Is it their clever engineering of silk? Their essential role as stream garbage cleaners? Maybe it’s the artistic houses they create using stream artifacts, or their role as a favorite fish snack? So many reasons to appreciate this incredible millions-of-years-old native.  Critter Chat hosts Susan Brandt and Marney Blair take a field trip to Little Deer Creek, Nevada City, California with biologist Dr. Dave Herbst of Sierra Streams Institute [https://sierrastreamsinstitute.org/] to discuss these profound critters of our streams.

Wildlife Babies Amongst Us

With Spring comes wildlife emergencies anew. Unfortunately, it's us humans who are often the cause of these emergencies. In this episode, we are pleased to welcome two guests to Critter Chat to help us think carefully about living around wildlife as they have their offspring.  Wildlife rescue expert Christy Berger of Gold Country Wildlife Rescue [https://goldcountrywildliferescue.org/] tells us about the challenges this critical non-profit organization faces during this busy season, the animals in their care and what people can do to help. Then we speak with Nora Kirk, manager of Wild Birds Unlimited [https://order.wbu.com/grassvalley?clientId=5c829371c403762208f2dcaf&locationId=5cb8ee53ce61756c6cdcfbda&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=8622874995&gbraid=0AAAAAC1VLXsVDrdl4Gy568sKtoz95nkJ4&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItuzvgJTSkwMVkw2tBh1xuztkEAAYASAOEgIxUPD_BwE] in Grass Valley, who outlines three important elements around our living spaces that we can address in order to best help Spring babies in the wild.   Photo: Black bear cubs by Maya Khosla

Jumping Spiders

What is it about Jumping spiders that have people intrigued? Is it their big beguiling eyes that look back at you, or their furry bodies? The entertaining way they stand on garden hoses waving their arms to attract a mate?  If you haven’t experienced any of these qualities of a Jumping spider, then here is one of life’s enchantments that may await you on this wonderful spinning globe.   Jumping spiders are the most distinctive spiders living in North America and there are approximately 130 species of Jumping spiders known in the state of California, somewhere between 50 or 60 of these are found in the Sierra. In this episode of Critter Chat, hosts Susan Brandt and Marney Blair talk about Jumping spiders with naturalist, biologist, artist Dr. Tim Manolis, illustrator of the Field Guide to the Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States. Photo: Paramarpissa griswoldi, jumping spider found in oak woodlands, by Ken Schneider.

Thinking Raccoons

Rocky Raccoon stars in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, a scrappy, genius, tinkering with tools to solve problems of the universe. It’s not surprising that our raccoon neighbors inspired this character as these adorably masked nocturnal critters solve the trickiest problems to access food and shelter.  In this episode, Critter Chat talks with cognitive ecologist Dr. Lauren Stanton, UC Berkeley and The Schell Lab [https://schell-lab.squarespace.com/], where she studies raccoon behavior and what makes them so adaptable to living among humans and thriving as their wild habitats have become increasingly more inhabited by humans.  For more information, see critterchat.org [http://critterchat.org/] or Instagram: critterchat1 Critter Chat tells stories of Sierra Nevada wildlife featuring interviews with experts in the field. Critter Chat is locally produced and hosted by Susan Brandt and Marney Blair. Critter Chat is a project of Rational Animal [https://rational-animal.org/].    Image credit: Raccoon, Lemongrass, works the puzzle box © Dr. Lauren Stanton

Nature Poetry

Our guest is acclaimed poet Una Kobrin, author of Words Between Darkness & Light [https://unakobrin.com/], who will share some of her poems about stags, crickets, cows and hummingbirds to give us a new perspective on sharing the earth with these wonderful beings.