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Bug Banter Podcast

Bug Banter with the Xerces Society is a podcast where we explore the world of invertebrates and discover how to help these extraordinary animals.

Each episode, co-hosts Matthew Shepherd and Rachel Dunham will dive into the mysteries of native insects and other invertebrates in North America.  Your imagination will travel underground, overhead, and in between as you listen to expert guests share the secrets of tiny creatures that live amongst us but are often unknown. Learn all about the fascinating ways in which these animals are unique, but also the ways in which we aren't that different after all. In just half hour sessions, become an apprentice in the ways we can better share the earth with wildlife and help these precious animals in peril. 

Listen online or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Bug Banter podcast cover art featuring insect silhouettes and the Xerces Society logo

Recent Episodes

Brick pathway through a lush pollinator garden with tall green plants, yellow flowers, trees, and a blue metal structure near a community center

Beyond the Backyard: Building Pollinator Habitat in the Community

25 MinutesGuests: Kelly Gill

Alt text: A front yard converted into a lush flowering meadow, with pink, purple, yellow, and white blooms growing along a walkway in front of a house

Goodbye Grass, Hello Bugs: Bringing Life Back to Our Yards

50 MinutesGuests: Stephanie Frischie, Emily May

A blue butterfly with dark-edged wings rests on a pale flower against a softly blurred grassy background

The Story of a Little Blue Butterfly: The Karner Blue

37 MinutesGuests: Julie Michaelson

All Episodes

Listen Now

Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Amazon Music
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Meet Your Hosts

Matthew Shepherd - Xerces Society

Matthew Shepherd

Director of Outreach and Education

Matthew has spent four decades working with people from all walks of life to create better places for wildlife. His career began in England and took him to Kenya before his arrival in the United States. He has worked for the Xerces Society for over 25 years, initially at the vanguard of the movement to protect pollinators, but he shifted to communications, and now community engagement and conservation in towns and cities. Matthew is author of numerous articles and other publications, including Attracting Native Pollinators (Storey Publishing, 2011) and Gardening for Butterflies (Timber Press, 2016).
Rachel Dunham - Xerces Society

Rachel Dunham

Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator

As the Xerces Society’s first Community Engagement Coordinator, Rachel has built the volunteer program from the ground up and is finding new ways for Xerces to connect to communities. As an Oregonian, she has always loved wildlife and being outdoors. Rachel pursued her passion for nature at Seattle Pacific University, graduating with a bachelor's in ecology, and earning a master's of wildlife conservation from the University of Maine. Her work history includes the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Princess Cruise Lines, and Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.

Contact

Contact [email protected] with comments or questions about the Bug Banter podcast.