Leaf it to Us

We love plants, and we love fossils! But the two don’t always play well together. This episode, Aly explains why living plants are bad for fossils and how paleontologists deal with the conflict.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

If you’re reading this, you probably like plants! Well, you’re not alone – people have been bringing plants into their homes for ages. In this episode, Aly takes us through a brief history of plant parenting!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Plants have devised many chemical defenses to ward off trouble, but they don’t always work as intended. Some animals are immune to those defenses, and some strange species even seek them out for their own enjoyment!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

*There were some issues with the original upload of this episode. Those have been fixed!

Sometimes, you can just tape two plants together and they’ll become one plant. How does that even work?

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Last season, we had so much fun cooking up a Jurassic salad that we’re doing it again! Join Nora and Aly for another episode of speculative cooking (Cook-E!) as they plan out a salad for our hominin ancestors to enjoy in the Pliocene Epoch of Africa.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

There’s a secret world beneath the soil, where networks of fungi connect plant roots to each other in a massive wood wide web. Just what sorts of materials and information are being transmitted through this network? This episode, Aly explains what we know and what we don’t!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

In the high Arctic and high mountains, plants get tiny and tough! This episode, Nora and Aly gush over the incredible adaptations that allow plants to survive the wind, cold, and darkness beyond the tree line.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Acacias are Aly’s favorite plants! What are they? Where are they? Why does Aly love them so much? And can Aly convince Nora to love them, too? Listen in and find out!

We’re doing something new this season, a plant-themed book club called Reading Between the Pines! Follow us at the links below to join in!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

All plants need to send their seeds off into the world, but some do it rather energetically – or even explosively! This episode, we explore the various ways that plants bounce, bob, and burst their way to the next generation.

We’re doing something new this season, a plant-themed book club called Reading Between the Pines! Follow us at the links below to join in!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Sometimes there are plants where we don’t want them! What makes weeds so … weedy? Why do we dislike them so much? And is a weed truly in the eye of the beholder?

We’re doing something new this season, a plant-themed book club called Reading Between the Pines! Follow us at the links below to join in!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Forests have age, and it’s not just about the age of the trees! What happens as a forest grows older? How is a young forest different from an old forest? Answers to these questions and more in this episode!

We’re doing something new this season, a plant-themed book club called Reading Between the Pines! Follow us at the links below to join in!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Welcome to Season 2!

To start off the season, Nora asks Aly to explain the complex and confusing science behind what is and isn’t a berry! Did you know bananas are berries? Also watermelon! But strawberries and raspberries aren’t! What’s the deal? Listen to find out!

We’re doing something new this season, a plant-themed book club called Reading Between the Pines! Follow us at the links below to join in!

Please consider supporting Leaf it to Us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Many places to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Season 2 is about to bloom! Episode 1 drops on May 7th!

As always, please consider joining us on Patreon, Discord, Instagram, and Bluesky to keep updated and engage with our lovely community!

And join us for something new: Reading Between the Pines, our plant-themed book club! Details on Discord!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Back in January 2025, during the planning of Season 1, Nora and Aly sat down to record an “Episode 0” to get a feel for the process and decide if they really wanted to make a podcast after all. Spoilers: they did. Merry Christmas!

Some plants are famously active in the winter. So famous, in fact, that they have become immediately recognizable symbols of Christmas and Winter Solstice holidays. This episode, Nora and Aly talk Christmas trees, mistletoe, holly and ivy!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Nora and Aly wrap up Season 1 by answering a bunch of questions from fans!

A huge thanks to all of our listeners and supporters for making this podcast happen. Stay tuned for Season 2 in 2026!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Scientists organize the history of the Earth based on the experiences of animals. But what if the Geologic Time Scale was plant-centric? This episode, Aly presents Nora with her take on a time scale based on the evolution and extinction of plants through time.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Plants require sunlight to survive, but when night falls and the daytime-dwellers disappear, many varieties of flower come alive. This episode, Nora and Aly explore the allure of “moon gardens” and the adaptations that allow beautiful and aromatic flowers to thrive in darkness.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Some plants get big – like, several acres big – like, an entire forest big – like, the largest living things on the planet big. This episode, Nora and Aly address some of the most sprawling plants on Earth and explore the plant super-powers that allow them to achieve super-size.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

We all learned that roots are the below-ground part of a plant. Well, it turns out there are exceptions … a lot of them. This episode, Nora asks Aly to explain the many and varied reasons why a plant might wave its roots in the air like it just don’t care.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Did you know that placing a banana next to an apple can help the banana ripen faster? Well that was news to some people! This episode, Nora and Aly discuss what exactly is going on inside a ripening fruit and how the fruit knows it’s time to signal its own deliciousness.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

Our theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/