Three prairie biologists make the ever-growing argument for why grasslands are the world's best biome. Features hosts Rachel Roth, Nicole Brown, and Allan Saylor of Kansas-based nonprofit Grassland Groupies.
Our conservation spotlight this episode highlights the Monarch Butterfly as we chat with Katelyn Strack, an education Ambassador with Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. We get an update on their population trends, information on how to help preserve them, and chat a bit about our favorite bugs.
Nicole then shares a few special grassland pollinators that many are unaware of: beetles and their 100 million year old relationship with flowers, how the Large Blue Butterfly convinces ants to take care of it, and a few other fun friends including... crustaceans?
Learn more about Xerces Society on their website (https://xerces.org).
Read the full USFWS EPA ruling on monarchs here (https://www.regulations.gov/document/FWS-R3-ES-2024-0137-0001).
Primary Sources:
Fallon, C. 2020. Notes from the Other Orders: Beetles as Pollinators (https://www.xerces.org/blog/notes-from-other-orders-beetles-as-pollinators) . Xerces Society.
Pollinator Syndromes (https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/What_is_Pollination/syndromes.shtml) . US Forest Service.
The ant, the butterfly and their chemical warfare with an oregano plant (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/ant-butterfly-chemical-warfare-oregano-plant) . PBS News.
Dajose, L. These Beetles Have Successfully Freeloaded for 100 Million Years (https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/these-beetles-have-successfully-freeloaded-100-million-years) . Caltech California Institute of Technology.
Smokebush (https://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/tag/smokebush) . In Defense of Plants.
Tussenbroek, B., et al. 2012. Meso-fauna foraging on seagrass pollen may serve in marine zoophilous pollination (https://www.int-res.com/journals/meps/articles/meps10072) . Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 469, 1-6.
Knauer, A., Bakhtiari, M., Schiestl, F. 2018. [Crab spiders impact floral-signal evolution indirectly through removal of florivores](
2 Jul 2026
[S5E2] The Life of a Prairie Wanderer
ALERT: NEW FAVORITE BIRD DROPPED. In this episode of The Best Biome, Rachel lets us live vicariously through bobolinks, the "lackadaisical migrants", whose home is wherever they are and whose destination is wherever they're going. With habitat use that spans grasslands across the western hemisphere and a lengthy migration unlike any other, the bobolink is an unpredictable traveler. But that's exactly what makes them so special!
In this episode's Conservation Spotlight, Allan discusses the battle brewing between the federal government and buffalo on public lands. We cover the American Prairie Reserve's canceled leases, the concerns of tribal organizations, and vendetta-driven grazing policies that ignore science. Most importantly, we talk about what you can do to get involved.
Actions Items:
Provide a public comment on the Bureau of Land Management's proposed changes to grazing permits here. (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/12/2026-09387/revision-of-regulations-for-grazing-administration-exclusive-of-alaska)
Learn more about the Indian Buffalo Management Act (https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/stories/after-a-decade-as-the-national-mammal-americas-bison-still-need-help-from-congress/) and contact your representatives! (https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/)
Primary Sources:
Renfrew, R., A. M. Strong, N. G. Perlut, S. G. Martin, and T. A. Gavin (2020). Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. [https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.boboli.01 (https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.boboli.01) ](
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26 Mar 2026
[S5E1] If You Mess with The Bull
We open the episode with an update on the Lesser Prairie Chicken delisting, why all hope is not lost, and some interviews with experts in the field: Dr. Jackie Augustine (Executive Director, Audubon of Kansas) and Stacy Hoeme (Co-Lead, Lesser Prairie Chicken Landowner Alliance).
The deep dive for this episode is led by Allan on the origin of cows: the mighty aurochs. Humans have lived and traveled alongside cows farther back then recorded human history. They shaped ancient and modern human pastoralist societies and we're finally giving them a spotlight on the pod.
Primary Chicken Sources:
Leave a comment on the Lesser Prairie Chicken delisting on the FWS Federal Register here (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/26/2026-03882/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-status-review-for-the-lesser-prairie-chicken)
Lesser Prairie-Chicken Landowner Alliance website (https://www.grousepartners.org/lpcla)
Audubon of Kansas website (https://www.audubonofkansas.org/)
Email Jackie Augustine your fan-mail or chicken stories at: aok@audubonofkansas.org (mailto:aok@audubonofkansas.org)
Primary Cow/Auroch Sources:
Rossi, C., Sinding, MH.S., Mullin, V.E. et al. The genomic natural history of the aurochs (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08112-6) . Nature 635 , 136–141 (2024).
"The Story of Aurochs is More Complicated Than We Thought" (https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/where-did-aurochs-live) by Andrew Coletti, Atlas Obscura. 12/12/2024.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility: Bos primigenius (https://www.gbif.org/species/113391424)
+++ More of Our Work +++
Website (https://www.grasslandgroupies.org/)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GrasslandGroupies)
TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@grasslandsrule)
Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/grasslandgroupies)
Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/grasslandgroupies.bsky.social)
+++ Contact Us +++
Text/Call: (316)-512-8933
info@grasslandgroupies.org (https://pinecast.com/dashboard/podcast/the-best-biome/mailto:info@grasslandgroupies.org)
+++ Support Us +++
Bonfire Merch Store (https://www.bonfire.com/store/grassland-groupies/)
CashApp: $GrasslandGroupies
Or... donate directly to our org (https://www.grasslandgroupies.org/give/).
This podcast is powered by Pinecast (https://pinecast.com).
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14 ratings
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15 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100
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Quality
73
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YouTube
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Engagement
51
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