Between the Leaves at the Lloyd

Hello Pawpaw! Welcome to Between the Leaves! In this episode, we talk about Ohio’s native tree fruit with Rob Brannan, professor of Food and Nutrition Sciences at Ohio University. Have you enjoyed Pawpaw’s intoxicating fragrance? Eaten its custardy fruit?  Made beer, salsa or mousse with it? If not, you’re not alone. Despite its ancient origins and tropical fruit characteristics, the Pawpaw is not widely known or cultivated. Rob explains the challenges in commercialization of Pawpaw and highlights their similarities with other common fruits. He talks about ongoing efforts to reintroduce Pawpaw to the USDA Nutrient Database and the potential for growth in the Pawpaw industry in the U.S. and around the world.

Summer’s ripe zucchini and tomatoes are coming in, bringing with them some of the year’s best eating. To honor the season, we talked with Bryn Mooth, food and wellness writer, and editor of Edible Ohio Valley Magazine about Cincinnati’s food culture, area farms and farmers, and the benefits of eating locally raised fruits, vegetables and meats. Why shop at your local farmers market? How are local farmers doing, and what is regenerative agriculture? How does eating local, seasonal produce affect our health? What is the environmental impact of our food choices? How do community gardens support food accessibility and better diets for all? Listen in, then go visit your local community garden or farmers market to do your own mouth-watering research!

Welcome to the spring episode of Between the Leaves. Our guest is Brandon Reynolds, who’s talking with host Meg Hanrahan about bees and biodiversity. He learned beekeeping before starting B the Keeper, a landscape company that focuses on native plants. Follow his journey from advertising to beekeeping to becoming a landscaper, restorationist and activist. Brandon highlights the importance of preserving native bee populations and creating pollinator habitats, discusses how native plants help to attract and sustain biodiversity, and talks about his work with community groups to achieve these goals.

As the Lloyd Library’s exhibition, “Flora Mania,” celebrates flowering plants, host Meg Hanrahan speaks to Dr. Valerie Pence. Dr. Pence is the Director of Plant Research at the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Her work focuses on applying in vitro methods and cryobiotechnologies to the conservation of plant species that cannot be conserved in conventional seed banks, species known as exceptional species. In a world where 45% of plant species are threatened with extinction, listen as Dr. Pence talks about her work to save them.

In this Between the Leaves episode, we explore the world of fungi with renowned mycologist Dr. Nicholas Money. The scientific study of fungi is evolving, and new areas of research are having impacts in areas of human health, natural medicine, forest ecology and more. Dr. Money discusses some of the leading-edge research, and helps us glimpse a multitude of ways that fungi interact with human and non-human life on Earth. What is the mycobiome? Are mushrooms medicinal? How is fungi being used to treat depression, anxiety and other mental illness? How do fungi support healthy trees and forests? Listen to learn more!

In connection with the Lloyd’s recent exhibit, The Mighty Deep: An Exploration of Sea Life, we talk to Dr. Erin Curry about the natural history of polar bears and their plight in a changing world. Dr. Curry is the Director of the Polar Bear Signature Project® at CREW, the Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Listen as Dr. Curry talks about the work she and other scientists are doing to understand and support polar bears -- in zoos and in the wild. What are the challenges? Why are they so difficult to study? What is their outlook as global temperatures continue to rise? What can we do to help this iconic and beloved wildlife species?

In this episode we talk to Dr. David Lentz, a biologist and professor at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Lentz previously served as Director of Graduate Studies at the New York Botanical Garden, was Vice President of Scientific Affairs at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and last year was a fellow at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library in Washington DC. He is currently writing a book about ancient Mesoamerican agriculture. Dr. Lentz talks about agriculture practices of the Maya, what may have contributed to the civilization’s collapse, and how the photographic collection of Curtis Gates Lloyd provided unique documentation for his studies.

Meet Audrey Bell – this year’s Artist in Residence at the Lloyd Library. Audrey is a fine artist and medical illustrator who combines her artistic and scientific talents with her love for the natural world in a project titled Transformative Encounters. The project is a series of illustrations and maps that depicts interactions of plants and animals in three different ecosystems in Ohio, and explores some of the impact of those interactions on our world. Taking inspiration from diverse materials in the Lloyd’s collection, Audrey’s artwork highlights some of the overlooked connections in our human and natural histories. With a fresh look, she hopes to find clues to a healthier future where our relationship with the non-human world is more respectful and symbiotic.

Our recent exploration into birds continues in this conversation with educator, activist, and avid birder Tykee James. James is cultivating connections among diverse individuals and communities through love of birds and leading us into conversations about freedom and justice along the way. Following the example and inspiration of the Freedom Riders, he’s our guide on the Freedom Birding bus, encouraging consideration of social history, natural history, and land use as we come together in outdoor spaces to appreciate birds. Learn how Freedom Birding expands traditional ideas about birding. Hear why James, who’s employed by the National Audubon Society, feels he wouldn’t see eye to eye with John James Audubon if he were alive today.

The Lloyd’s exhibit, On the Wing: A Chapter on Birds, got us thinking more about these feathered phenoms. Since Audubon, people have tried to learn more about birds by tracking them. How do ornithologists track birds now? What are they learning? What can they tell us about reports of declining numbers among birds? In this episode, host Meg Hanrahan talks via Zoom to ornithologist and master bird bander, Dave Russell, to find out more about the current challenges facing migratory birds and how bird banding can help. Learn more about mist nets, nanotags, Motus towers, and more. Listen as Russell discusses the latest news, numbers and technologies being used in efforts to limit bird decline, and what you can do to help.