Plant Crimes

The biggest threat to plants is climate change and habitat destruction. There's some people who are more responsible for those crises than others, and they might have to speak for their disastrous dec...

There's a form of virtually indestructible phytoplankton that can hold the secret to a murder investigation. In this episode, guest Kirstie Scott, lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, shows u...

Professor Nina-Marie Lister had a yard she loved. The City of Toronto wanted to put a stop to it. In this episode, we hear from Lister as well as Simon Chollet, assistant professor at the Université d...

People were stealing living rock cactuses from Big Bend National Park. In this episode, we learn about the institutions and people who stopped them. We hear from guests Al Barrus, public affairs speci...

Citizen science apps can be invaluable to researchers and give everyone a chance to document wildlife. However, they could also lead people with less-than-ideal intentions directly to rare plants. In ...

Obtaining endangered plants is not as difficult as you might think. In this episode, my friend and I have a competition to see who can find illegal plants online the fastest. We also hear from a resea...

Growing hybrid flowers in Animal Crossing takes a lot of game time. In this episode, we talk about people who have found a shortcut.  Plant Crimes is written and produced by me, Ellen Airhart. If you ...

In this episode, we learn about people who rob our country’s most iconic tree. We also speak to a team of scientists who did something about the problem.   Plant Crimes is written and produced by me, ...

In this episode, we review the controversy of what happened to Chris McCandless, a 24-year-old college grad who died in Alaska in 1992.    Plant Crimes is written and produced by me, Ellen Airhart. If...

In this episode, we hear from a reluctant whistleblower who found escaped genetically modified petunias.   Plant Crimes is written and produced by me, Ellen Airhart. If you like this episode, please s...

Someone has been planting spotted butterwort in Tongariro National Park in New Zealand. They seem to be trying to establish a population, which could put native plants at risk. In this episode, we inv...

Today, we’re investigating harmful algae blooms, the mysterious bacteria that killed a dog this in Austin.  Plant Crimes is written and produced by me, Ellen Airhart. If you like this episode, please...

In this episode, we learn how the biology of lemons, combined with the historic weakness of the Italian state, is tied to the rise of the Silician mafia. We’ll also learn about what it takes to grow l...

For plant crimes, we need plant laws. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora regulations are the closest thing to international plant laws in existence. To...

In this episode, we learn about Arthur Koehler, who pioneered the field of forensic botany. He brought this evidence strategy onto a national stage at the trial of Bruno Hauptmann for the Lindbergh ba...

In April 2019, Miley Cyrus sat on a Joshua tree. In this episode, we investigate the consequences of that plant crime. While trying to figure out basic information about Joshua trees, we learn how mys...

In this episode, we learn about how the world’s smallest water lily was stolen from The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 2014. We speak to those closest to the crime to hear their stories of what happene...

Plants don’t have rights in the same way that humans do. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t be the victims, the drivers, and the perpetrators of crime. Join host Ellen Airhart on September 30 as sh...