Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't

In this episode we sit down with Kyle Elmore of the youtube channel @popmilk for a two hour talk about herping (lurking for reptiles and amphibians), creating habitat, passionately obsessing over milksnakes, why Indigo Snakes are so chill, self-education, embracing the living world as a side-hobby, coping with habitat loss, naming milk snakes,, the glory of tin, getting bit by copperheads, being attacked by africanized bees, teaching organic chemistry, and more. Check out Kyle's stuff at @popmilk_herping (instagram) and @popmilk (youtube).  Reminder that if the ads bum you out (and they should, because they're mostly for garbage and adjusted to targeted demographics), for a measly five bucks a month you'll have access to all the Crime Pays podcast episodes on the Crime Pays Patreon at www.patreon.com/crimepaysbutbotanydoesnt

Rants about ruining Christmas, disappointed family members, mixing and making soil recipes, Thornscrub Sanctuary update, maintaining a positive outlook despite the spiritually-poisonous effervescent fart of modern consumer society, feral pigs, ruderal plants, and more. Before you whine about the ads, keep in mind all episodes of the podcast are available Ad-Free on the Crime Pays Patreon.

In this episode we talk with Crime Pays Field Correspondent WIll Doran about his traumatic experiences in the Car and Retail Slums of the American Sunbelt, possibly one of the ugliest and most soul-crushing landscapes in the first world. This is a landscape that exists as pure "anti-culture", and as many of you may know, is the only kind of landscape and infrastructure option offered to many people living in the lower-latitude United States. It leads to deteriorating mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health in myriad ways, and we here at Crime Pays are excited to lance the figurative boil and share our findings on the pus that oozes out with our listeners. We also discuss options for dealing with it if you live in these places, especially for young people : stay away from excessive playing of videogames, pot-smoking or booze and immerse yourself in art, plants, science (and occasional psychedelic use in "nature" if you feel comfortable) in beautiful places. Rather than whining about the ads, join the Crime Pays Patreon where you'll have firsthand access to exclusive content, educational rantings and lectures, and early screenings of videos.www.patreon.com/crimepaysbutbotanydoesnt

Kerry Knudsen is a Lichen Biologist who originated outside of academia and worked in construction until becoming fascinated by the natural world and immersing himself in desert lichens.In this episode we talk about the modern human approach to the living world, why the study of natural sciences is becoming increasingly popular among people outside of academia, the biosphere as a living machine, self-education using the internet, and more.  A lichen is the symbiosis between a fungus and algae or cyanobacteria, many of which can go dormant for extremely long periods of time and tolerate harsh winds, drying out, being blasted with UV radiation, and slowly cooked on the rocks that they grow on. Some of them can live for thousands of years.If scrolling through the obnoxious ads is getting tiring, then join the Patreon, where you'll have early access videos and ad-free access to every podcast episode, plus photo posts, patreon-only lectures and other benefits.