Twitter and FaceBook are awash with all the strange behaviors this stay-at-home reality is visiting upon us. A good one, it seems to me, is the urge to reach out to people you haven’t talked to in a while. I’m soothed by stories that my best friend from high school (still one of the absolutely best people in the world) sends me of time spent with her horse, what’s blooming in Georgia, and the sumptuous meals she’s preparing.

So, I thought, why not do the podcast version of this? Reach out to former guests to find out what they’re up to. It also occurred to me that these are some very smart and insightful people who could help shed some light both on the pandemic itself and on how it might change our reality going forward.

Initially, I planned to record a few short interviews and edit them together into a single episode, but I found that I enjoyed these laid-back chats and thought you might too, so I’m putting them out as a series of short episodes instead.

First up, Socially Distanced with Doug Tallamy:

As a biologist and as someone who rears caterpillars for his research, Tallamy isn’t surprised by the pandemic. He is enjoying more time at home and on his property, though. He gives us a few tips of easy ways to garden during the pandemic. To identify insects you find, he recommends iNaturalist, Bug Guide and the Moth Photographer’s Group.

I’ve since added the second installment, socially distanced with Marcia Bjornerud, another of my favorite guests. She and I talk about the possible long-term cultural implications of the shut down and delve into a fascinating discussion about viruses, strange quasi-organisms that they are.