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Golden State Naturalist: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Michelle Fullner
Golden State Naturalist is a love letter to California's ecological past, present, and future. Come with Michelle Fullner as she climbs to the top of a beaver dam, descends into a tar pit, peers into the canopy of a giant sequoia, and basks in the glow of the Milky Way under the eerie silhouettes of Joshua trees. Each episode, Michelle interviews captivating experts in their natural habitats across California to find out how the unique plants, animals, geology, and hydrology of this biodiversity hotspot make this state Golden.
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- 6 days ago20 min
Spooky Special: Bats (Part I) with Joey Curti and Rachel Blakey
In the late 1800s, the people of New England believed there were vampires in their midst. Many had a neighbor who had gone pale, who'd felt as if someone were lying across their chest at night, who'd woken up with blood splattered across their pillow. Neither vampires nor vampire bats had caused these symptoms, but Bram Stoker would soon tie elements of this vampire panic to bats in his classic work of Gothic horror, Dracula. Come with me, Joey Curti, and Rachel Blakey on a misty October evening, duck beneath a lonely concrete bridge in Southern California, and find out not only what Bram Stoker knew (and didn't know) about bats, but also the true story of these oft-maligned creatures. Note: This is part one of a two-part episode. In this portion, we get up close and personal with bats. Come back to hear a full conversation about the world's only flying mammals soon! Links: Penguin Books page about Bram StokerBook: Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula (this book contains the New York World article)Bats really are faster than birdsGlowing bat toesMexican free-tailed bat migrationSupport Golden State Naturalist on Patreon and get perks starting at $4/month. Follow me on Instagram. My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com. Get podcast Merch. The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found here.Photo (Mexican free-tailed bat) by Charles Hood; used with permission.
- Sep 10, 202652 min
Catalina Foxes with Lauren Dennhardt and Katie Elder
In 1999, the once-healthy population of Catalina foxes plummeted suddenly and without explanation. Over the next few years, scientists worked to find out what was wrong and to bring this tiny fox, found nowhere else on earth, back from the brink. Join me and Lauren Dennhardt as we discuss Catalina fox's story, and then come with me into the field with Katie Elder to trap foxes for their annual population count and vaccinations. Links: Check out this mini doc on the Catalina fox's story. NPS page on the island fox. Get 15% off your order of California native seeds from the California Collection by Nature’s Seed by using the code Golden15 at checkout. Support Golden State Naturalist on Patreon and get perks starting at $4/month. Follow me on Instagram. My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com. Get podcast Merch.The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found here.Episode cover photo by Michelle Fullner.
- Aug 14, 20261h 0m
Island Biogeography with Kevin Alison and John Knapp
Humans have been fascinated by islands since the writing of the earliest works of literature, but the outsized role they play in our imaginations isn't limited to fiction. Islands make up only a tiny percentage of the land on earth, but they represent about a fifth of the planet's total biodiversity. And things stranger than fiction happen on islands, from the evolution of miniature mammoths and enormous flightless birds with no fear of humans to the illumination of the theory of evolution itself. Join me and two experts, Kevin Alison and John Knapp, as we trundle along island roads deep into the unique ecology of Santa Catalina Island and discuss giant buckwheats, tiny foxes, and what islands have to teach us about the living world back on the mainland. Links: Recommended reading: Song of the Dodo by David QuammenFremontia issue on CA Islands Ways to support the pod: Get 15% off your order of California native seeds from the California Collection by Nature’s Seed by using the code Golden15 at checkout. Support Golden State Naturalist on Patreon and get perks starting at $4/month. Follow me on Instagram. My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com. Get podcast Merch.Sources: Penglai: https://www.npm.gov.tw/Exhibition-Content.aspx?sno=04010138&l=2 Island landmass: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1306309110 Island biodiversity: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8556160/ Plant endemism on islands: https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10565488 Global extinctions on islands and success of invasive species removal: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-14982-5 Bird extinctions: https://datazone.birdlife.org/articles/many-bird-species-have-already-gone-extinct Island role in biological and linguistic diversity: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274380594_The_Importance_of_Islands_for_the_Protection_of_Biological_and_Linguistic_Diversity House cat origins: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/28/science/domestic-cats-origins-ancient-dna Miscellany:The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found here.Episode cover photo by Michelle Fullner
- Jul 31, 20262 min
Schedule Update
The pod is going stronger than ever, but it's also part of a larger picture than ever, which means a little shuffle is in order. Have a listen to find out the specifics. I'll see you on the next full episode soon! Stay golden, Michelle
- Jul 17, 20261h 1m
California Grasslands with Justin Luong
The golden hills of California are hiding things. At first glance, grasslands like these ones appear to be simple systems. And to some degree, they are simplified versions of their precolonial selves, but they’re also home to thousands of species of native plants that support an intricate ecology. Look a little closer, peer between the swishing blades, know what to look for, and you’ll see not only a mesmerizing web of life but also California’s history written in the grass. Come with me and Dr. Justin Luong of UC Berkeley as we explore a California grassland and discuss the past, present, and future of an ecosystem vital to both biodiversity and human wellbeing. Links: Justin’s websiteThe Colonial Roots of Black Mustard Get 15% off your order of California native seeds from the California Collection by Nature’s Seed by using the code Golden15 at checkout. Speak up for California’s public lands with CalWild.Support Golden State Naturalist on Patreon and get perks starting at $4/month. Follow me on Instagram. My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com. Get podcast Merch. The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found here.Production support by Laine Kaplan Levenson. Episode cover photo by Michelle Fullner.
- Jun 26, 20261h 8m
Seeds with Cheryl Birker
Seeds are far more present in our lives than most of us realize. They compose everything from our morning coffee to our favorite chocolates and have helped shape the world as we know it. California native seeds are just as vital, and protecting them is a way of safeguarding our very future. Join me and Cheryl Birker at the California Botanic Garden as we explore the hidden world of seeds. In this episode, we take a deeper look into the difference between spores and seeds, seeds that require fire to germinate, seeds that survived for 2,000 years in the Judean Desert, and how safeguarding seeds is a way of safeguarding life as we know it. Links: Get 15% off your order of California native seeds from the California Collection by Nature’s Seed when you use the code GOLDEN15 at checkout. Speak up for California’s public lands with CalWild.Cacao Seeds as Currency California Plant RescueSeed Germination DataSeed photos by John Macdonald Seed Savers Exchange (the catalogue mentioned at the end of the episode)Support Golden State Naturalist on Patreon and get perks starting at $4/month. Follow me on Instagram. My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com. Get podcast Merch. The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found here.Photo: Prickly poppy seeds by Michelle Fullner, taken at the California Botanic Garden.
- Jun 11, 20261h 31m
Forgotten Lands with Josh Jackson
California is home to 15 million acres of a kind of land most people have never heard of. These lands span deserts, grasslands, oak woodlands, and coastal rainforests. They’re free or very inexpensive to visit, and they’re almost never crowded. But what are these mythical wonderlands? These are the largely overlooked lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, and you can go and see them. Josh Jackson, author of The Enduring Wild: A Journey Into California’s Public Lands, took me to see one of these places he refers to as Forgotten Lands. While we were there, we discussed the history of BLM lands, nature behind a velvet rope and not behind a velvet rope, current threats to the land, how we can find and access BLM lands, and how connecting with these places can change not only how we look at nature far from home, but also how we see the living world in our own backyards. Links: Get Josh’s book, The Enduring Wild. Speak up for California’s public lands with CalWild.Support Golden State Naturalist on Patreon and get perks starting at $4/month. Follow me on Instagram. My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com. Get podcast Merch. The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found here.Tidy tips photo by Josh Jackson
- Jun 7, 20262 min
Did someone say season 5?
What do California lizards and tiny foxes have in common? Check out this special announcement episode to find out. More soon, friends!Michelle Kayleigh Shawn McCollum
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About Golden State Naturalist
Golden State Naturalist is a love letter to California's ecological past, present, and future. Come with Michelle Fullner as she climbs to the top of a beaver dam, descends into a tar pit, peers into the canopy of a giant sequoia, and basks in the glow of the Milky Way under the eerie silhouettes of Joshua trees. Each episode, Michelle interviews captivating experts in their natural habitats across California to find out how the unique plants, animals, geology, and hydrology of this biodiversity hotspot make this state Golden.
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