Author finds beauty in nature after dark, and gardeners grapple with jumping worms

Air Date:
Heard On The Larry Meiller Show
Spotted salamanders are common in Wisconsin
Spotted salamanders are common in Wisconsin. Peter Paplanus (CC BY 2.0)

With artificial light increasingly disrupting the life cycles of plants and animals, author Leigh Ann Henion advocates for more darkness. Then, we talk about the vexing problem of jumping worms with ecologist Brad Herrick.

Featured in this Episode

  • Revel in the natural beauty found in darkness, author says

    Though we are taught to fear the dark, more people are discovering wildlife that thrives at night. Just as crowds are drawn to synchronous fireflies and glowworms, increasing amounts of artificial light threaten plants, animals and us, explains Leigh Ann Henion, author of “Night Magic.”

  • Spread of jumping worms worrisome to researcher, gardeners

    The latest research on jumping worms indicates the invasive species are spreading from where they were first found, in the UW-Madison Arboretum in 2013. Brad Herrick, former ecologist for the arboretum, joins us.

Episode Credits

  • Larry Meiller Host
  • Leigh Ann Henion Guest
  • Brad Herrick Guest
  • Jill Nadeau Executive Producer
  • Joel Patenaude Producer
  • Lee Rayburn Technical Director

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