[S4E8] The Spookiest Biome!

[S4E8] The Spookiest Biome!

From The Best Biome by Grassland Groupies

October 9, 2025 · 45 min · Season 4 · Episode 8

About this episode

The episode explores terrifying tales of body horror from the perspective of plants in a Halloween-themed discussion.

'Tis the season FOR TERROR! Fortunately, nature is pretty metal and has no shortage of scary phenomena to discuss. On our Halloween episode of The Best Biome, we bring you three terrible tales of body horror... from the perspective of plants! These are guaranteed to strike fear into your fiber, send a shiver through your leaves and make your chlorophyll run cold. If these give your houseplants nightmares, you can't say we didn't warn you. Primary Sources : Nicole's Sources: https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/insects-diseases/1452-aster-yellows/ https://agsci.colostate.edu/agbio/ipm-pests/aster-leafhopper-and-aster-yellows/ Rachel's Sources: Texas Plant Disease Handbook by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension ( https://plantdiseasehandbook.tamu.edu/landscaping/trees/cottonwood-and-poplar/ ) Mushroom Monday, Cracked Cap Polypore ( https://www.mushroommonday.com/post/cracked-cap-polypore-fulvifomes-robiniae ) Allan's Source: Torres-Cruz, Terry J., et al. "Insects visit Fusarium xyrophilum pseudoflowers on the host Xyris surinamensis (Xyridaceae) and carry fungal DNA on their bodies." bioRxiv (2024): 2024-03. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.05.583517 +++ More of Our Work…

People in this episode

Host: Grassland Groupies

Topics covered

  • Halloween
  • body horror
  • plants
  • scary phenomena
  • nature

Keywords

  • body horror
  • plants
  • Halloween
  • scary phenomena
  • nature

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Texas Plant Disease Handbook, Mushroom Monday, bioRxiv

Places: Texas, Colorado

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