Beneath Illinois’ soil lives a little-known but ecologically important animal — the plains pocket gopher. In this episode, hosts Amy Lefringhouse and Darci Webber talk with Nathan Alexander, postdoctoral researcher at the Illinois Natural History Survey, about what makes this gopher unique to Illinois. Nathan shares how this “angry potato” of the prairie shapes soil health, how agriculture has influenced its habitat over time, and why this subspecies has a fascinating Ice Age origin story. Listeners will also learn how community science can help researchers better understand and protect this elusive species.

Share your own Everyday Observation

Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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