The Cryptonaturalist

"    The Cryptonaturalist " Podcast

The CryptoNaturalist is a scripted fiction podcast all about real love for imaginary nature. It’s about cryptids and other weird and wild topics. Featuring poetry and field reports to make our world a richer, stranger place. New episodes 1st/15th.


Copyright:
Jarod K. Anderson

A new cryptid discovered in a Waffle House parking lot.

A fateful trip to the hidden island of Lower Nantucket brings us face-to-face with the legendary Teacup Whale (and other assorted wonders of the deep).

A visit to Oregon’s Sky Lake Wilderness brings us a glimpse of a rare bird that fishes from its perch in the vast abyss of outer space.

We pass the long miles with a story of a rare and dangerous cryptid that lurks in the dark, lonely wilds. Not all visitors are friendly and a light in the darkness isn’t always a sign of hope. My old friend Russell Van Atta learned these hard lessons in the dark woods not far from Parkersburg, West Virginia.

Today we meet a tiny spider that defies the laws of physics in a place that is, at best, semi-real. We also hear a transmission from another Cryptonaturalist in the field and read some flash fiction by Jamie Lackey.

What's in your basement? Find out on this episode featuring podcasting legend Justin McElroy.

On this episode we visit a special amphibian perfectly adapted to life in parking lots.

Special thanks to Cal Cleary for playing the Kroger employee.

John Muir life and times: https://www.nps.gov/jomu/learn/historyculture/people.htm

A good sample of John Muir’s essays: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/john-muir/


This week the show takes a half-remembered expedition to a strange forest that manipulates minds, shares secrets, and consumes memories.

If you stop to check, it turns out that not all barns are barns.

This week we explore safety, discover a very unusual snake, and receive an important update about squirrels.

When you find the dirt road with the unnamed creature, obey the rules, respect the emptiness, and make peace with the fact that not everything is there for your convenience.

What creature swims through the ocean of the sky? What could graze within the storm? I know the answer. Listen and you will too.

This week we visit home territory and visit a special grove of sassafras trees.

We’re all made of star stuff, some of us more literally than others.

Today we visit an elusive cryptid that hides in plain sight and borrows human voices.

The CryptoNaturalist is missing, but Cassandra is on the case.

The Cryptonaturalist is lost and then found in the usual place, a twisted scientist’s volcano lair.

A strange visitor joins the CryptoNaturalist around the campfire for a pleasant, if one-sided, conversation.

There’s a wilderness inside every library. This episode visits one of the nocturnal residents after closing time.

Beneath our feet, the under hawks glide in search of shadows to pluck from the surface of the world.

The patchwork islands of greenery nestled on the edges of roadways hold secrets worth our attention.

You can’t always believe your ears and you shouldn’t trust cute, furry faces peering up from the sea.

Today we learn about the small, migratory songbird that’s bigger than all existence.

You are a cryptid worthy of study, a creature of the marshland night, a fascinating animal who is about to make a new friend.

This is a bonus episode from the CryptoNaturalist Patreon page. Subscribing to our Patreon page supports the show and unlocks more bonus content. Visit www.patreon.com/cryptonaturalist for details.

I don’t want to alarm you, but today’s creature is a lot closer to you than it is to me.

Cats are cats, even when they’re also trees or crustaceans.

This episode was co-written by Alice Pow. You can find Alice on twitter @AlicePow8. Special thanks to Matt Young for playing Skipper McCloud. You probably know Matt as Usidore the Blue from (one of my favorite podcasts) Hello from the Magic Tavern. The premiere of Magic Tavern season three that starts on July 22nd.

Hidden Lore poetry by Aspen Hougen. Aspen Hougen is a poet and anti-racist educator. She lives in Montana's Gallatin Valley with her wife and son. Find her on Twitter @anagyo_yo.


If you crawl into a burrow to meet its owner, it’s good to keep an open mind and a close eye on all your body parts.

When a landscape chooses a rhyme scheme, we must join in the poetry.

This episode is written as a series of Shakespearean sonnets.

Hidden lore by Leslie J. Anderson


There’s a cemetery that has never had a proper gate, but we’ll explore it all the same.

The CryptoNaturalist has been nominated for the 2019 Audio Verse awards in the categories of: Spoken Word – Program; Spoken Word – Writing; and Spoken Word – Performance. Visit https://audioverseawards.net/ before October, 31st to vote.


Owls know about you. The least you can do is know about them.

Special thanks to Hank Green. Hank Green is the CEO of Complexly, a production company that creates educational content, including Crash Course and SciShow, prompting The Washington Post to name him "one of America's most popular science teachers." Hank co-hosts Dear Hank and John, an advice podcast, and Delete This, a review of his Twitter feed. Find out more about Hank’s many delightful projects at HankGreen.com.


There are many voices in the woods. The more you listen, the more you’ll here.

Special thanks to Ella Watts for voicing Juniper Grey. Ella Watts is a podcast producer for BBC Studios, and executive producer for the science fiction drama podcast The Orphans, a terrifying adventure about robots, clones and friendship. You can find Ella on Twitter @GejWatts , or follow her podcast @OrphansAudio. Find out more about The Orphans at orphanspod.com

Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom off of his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.


Some of my favorite trees are actually fifty-foot insects.

Special thanks to Jesse Thorn. Jesse Thorn is the host and producer of Bullseye and Jordan, Jesse, Go!, and the co-host and producer of Judge John Hodgman. He's also the founder and proprietor of the Maximum Fun podcast network. I must say, that if it wasn’t for the Maximum Fun network, I’m not sure that I ever would have taken an interest in podcasts or started this show. So, thank you, Jesse.

Hidden Lore poetry by Terry Maggert.

Terry Maggert is an Author. He’s left-handed. He likes dragons, coffee, waffles, running, and giraffes. Not necessarily in that order. With 32 novels and a dozen short stories, he’s certainly got something to thrill, anger, or leave you wondering why he didn't become a professional baker. He doesn’t sleep, but you probably guessed that already. Find his work on Amazon and Audible. Follow him on Twitter @TerryMaggert.

Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.


Special thanks to Jo Firestone for today’s field report. Jo Firestone is a Brooklyn-based comedian who can be seen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Joe Pera Talks With You, High Maintenance, Shrill, The Chris Gethard Show, and others. She can be heard on Maximum Fun’s Dr. Gameshow, a podcast she co-hosts with Manolo Moreno. Her album, "The Hits" is available on Comedy Central Records, and if you like puns, check out Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers. She is very willing work with animals please consider her for animals.

Hidden Lore poetry by Luísa Black. Luísa Black is an anarcho-swampist and amateur ecologist methodically inspecting mosses in the coastal wetlands of southeastern Virginia. Her work has been published in Rabble Lit and under several prestigious overpasses. Her loyalties lie with the lichens.

Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.


The CryptoNaturalist gets philosophical about meaning, life, magic, and you.

The quiet folk are there. Sort of. Let’s not call too much attention to them.

The train in the pines is a great getaway provided you can get there and then get away.

Hidden lore poetry by Annie McAndrew. Annie is a writer of speculative fiction from the edge of the Texas Hill Country. She can be found exploring the local creek trails and other odd, fantastical worlds.


A simple old tale about a RV, a cosmic bat, and a low Earth orbit mosquito.

There are many places to hide strange nature. Mountaintop snows. Undersea trenches. In your pocket. Thanks to The Pine Hill Haints for permission to play their song. You should get to know them. Visit thepinehillhaints.com to learn more.

Hidden lore poetry by Hal Y. Zhang. Hal Y. Zhang is a lapsed physicist who splits her time between ghosts of her once-green plants and the Internet, where she writes at halyzhang.com. Her language-and-loss chapbook AMNESIA was published by Newfound, and her women-with-sharp-things collection Goddess Bandit of the Thousand Arms is forthcoming from Aqueduct Press.


The forest. The fire. The guitar in the wind. The covered bridge that has no business being there.

Background guitar music was “Three Ravens” by Axletree. Downloaded from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Axletree.

Thanks to Meredith Smith for this episode’s hidden lore poetry. Meredith is a flash fiction writer and micropoet in Seattle, WA. She is an alumna of the Hugo House and student of writers who are students of Raymond Carver. She lives in a brick building by the lake with her tiny human. Learn more about her work and her re-released zine Movement at meredithsmith.com.


A jellyfish is part ghost part flower and part trap. Is it any surprise that some defy explanation?  

The thing about an unexplainable RV is that it’s unexplainable, but let’s give it a shot anyway.

Thanks to Fara Tucker for this week’s hidden lore poetry. Fara Tucker is a writer, poet, storyteller, teacher, photographer, former therapist, and current therapy client. She is currently wading through liminal space, which is occasionally good for producing poetry, and consistently good for producing anxiety. You can find her on IG @faratucker where she shares reflections on this beautiful and devastating life in poetry and prose. Her blog and links to published work can be found at faratucker.com.

Check out Field Guide to the Haunted Forest by Jarod K. Anderson wherever books are sold. If you’d like a signed bookplate for your copy, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

 Jarod Anderson

PO Box 837

Delaware, OH 43015


Welcome to the Cassandra Logs. In this episode, Cassandra visits with a dragon.

An island that swims. A gift of a moment. Hummingbirds that rattle the landscape like thunder.

Cassandra recalls an old friend and a nameless fish.

 The CryptoNaturalist is written by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson. Cassandra is voiced by Leslie J. Anderson. The CryptoNaturalist is voiced by Jarod K. Anderson.

 Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

 Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.

  You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.

 Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.


Thoughts about loving ourselves in an imperfect world in a strange tavern on a dark hill.

Humans once believed that doorways were a separate place  – neither one room nor the other, but their own distinct world.

 Broadly speaking, people don’t believe that anymore, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

 

Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.  

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.


In this episode, The CryptoNaturalist shares a homemade winter tradition and ponders the importance of making meaning, ritual, and gratitude.

The Brambleberry Scrambler is just on the edge of being real, which is a perfectly lovely place to call home.

Hidden Lore poetry by Katelyn Allred. Katelyn is a writer and student currently working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Her work has been featured in The Merrimack Review, and you can find her on Instagram @katelynallredwrites.

Special thanks to Matthew Zahnzinger for playing Professor Taylor Hoyt. Matthew is a stage actor in the Greater Boston area, a devotee of Peter Cushing, a board gamer and a collector of walking sticks. He’s a regular cast member on The Penumbra Podcast and he was a guest performer on the debut season of Second Star to the Left. Reach out to him for voice acting opportunities via his Twitter handle, @MatthewofBoston.


There’s a strange, watchful feeling that lingers in waiting rooms. That feeling is courtesy of a strange, watchful creature.

All trees talk. Some trees walk.

Special thanks to Ellen Weatherford for voicing today’s field report! Ellen is a co-host on the Just the Zoo of Us podcast, a family-friendly show that researches, rates, and reviews wildlife, along with hosting a wonderful variety of expert guests.


The Shadow Fly drinks from your shadow, which, in turn, drinks from you.

Thanks to Hannah Ringler for this episodes hidden lore poem. Hannah Ringler is a poet, parent, and gardener from North Carolina. She is the coordinator for the North Carolina Poetry Society's Poetry in Plain Sight program, which is a community outreach program across North Carolina to bring North Carolina poets and readers together.

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help the show by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.


Rumor has it the mecha-shrew is extinct, but not all rumors are trustworthy.

 

Thanks to Emily Benson for this episode’s hidden lore poem, “On the Question of the Happiness of Clams.”

Emily Benson lives in Western New York with her husband and two sons. Previous publications include Deep Wild Journal, Gastropoda, Literary Mama, Moist Poetry Journal, Paddler Press, and The Dillydoun Review. Her work can be found at www.emilybensonpoet.com.

 

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  

 

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.

 

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.

 

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.

 

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.

 

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.

 

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.


The Uneasiness waits and watches somewhere beyond dark windows.

Thanks to Tim Murphy for his hidden lore poem “Wildness Unafraid.” Tim Murphy (he/him) is a disabled, bisexual poet who lives in Portland, Oregon. His writing explores disability and our complex, tenuous relationship to the more-than-human world. Tim's poetry appears in Wordgathering, Remington Review, Writers Resist, The Long COVID Reader, and more. “Wildness Unafraid” originally appeared in Writers Resist. You can find him on Instagram and Twitter (@brokenwingpoet).

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.


The mirror falls, like all water, links us to many other versions of ourself.

Thanks to Cat Stone for lending her voice to this episode.

Hidden lore poetry by Matt Dennison. Matt is the author of Kind Surgery, from Urtica Press (Fr.) and Waiting for Better, from Main Street Rag Press. His poetry has appeared in Verse Daily, Rattle, Bayou Magazine, Redivider and Cider Press Review, among others. His fiction has appeared in ShortStory Substack, THEMA, GUD, The Blue Crow (Aus), Prole (UK), The Wondrous Real, and is forthcoming in Story Unlikely.

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.


The Feather Fountain is as beautiful as it is deadly and it’s plenty of both.

Thanks to Cecil Baldwin for voicing the Stairway Keeper. Cecil has long been one of my favorite voices in podcasting and you can hear him on the show that first inspired me to create audio-fiction, Welcome to Night Vale.

Thanks to Kathryn Nuernberger for today’s hidden lore poem. Kathryn is the author of THE WITCH OF EYE, essays about witches and witch trials, and RUE, poems about plants historically used for birth control. ADVANCED POETRY, a textbook on reading and writing poetry co-authored with Maya Jewell Zeller was just released in January. She is currently writing a collection of essays about symbiotic mutualism, mutual aid, and ways of being together in an age of climate crises. Find her online at: kathrynnuernberger.com

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.


There’s something playing music just down the path, but that isn’t the only worthy mystery beneath the trees. 


Today’s hidden lore was “The Bone Mother’s Daughter” by Tim Goldstone. Tim Goldstone is based on a true event. He has roamed widely and currently writes in remote rural Wales  Published internationally in numerous print and online journals and anthologies, including The Speculative Book, Altered States, Veil: Journal of Darker Musings, Selcouth Station, I Become The Beast, DarkWinter, Medusa’s Kitchen, Pyre, Toil & Trouble, Coven Poetry, Dark Fire Fiction, Red Wolf Periodical, and forthcoming in Flash - The International Short-Short Story magazine, among other venues. His prose sequence was read on stage at The Hay Festival, and his poetry presented on Digging for Wales. Scriptwriting credits for TV, radio, theatre. Loiters in twitter @muddygold

Thanks to Amanda Milstein for voicing this episode’s hidden lore. Amanda Milstein is a personal friend of the podcast, amateur voice actor and full-time nerd. You can also hear her as Vendetta Violent on the Violent Life Podcast. Find her at: amandamilstein.com/

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. 

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. 

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. 

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. 

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. 

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.



An early morning record focusing on starting the day The CryptoNaturalist way.

Thanks to Joseph Giglio for today’s hidden lore, “The Sky.” Joseph is currently an MFA student at George Mason University and originally from Buffalo, NY. He has been previously published in Corvus Review and Dead Fern Press amongst others. He is often somewhere he shouldn't be looking for birds or ghosts, but never bird ghosts. You can find him @JoeWritesWeird on Twitter.

Thanks to Ella Watts for voicing today’s hidden lore segment. Ella is a queer, disabled director, writer and producer of audio fiction in all of its many forms. She's currently Head of Production at Six to Start, the company behind audio drama and fitness app ZRX. She's also releasing an audio drama series she wrote and directed called Camlann. It's a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy inspired by folklore and Arthurian legends. Ella is an advocate for audio fiction in all of its forms, and longtime fan of The Cryptonaturalist.

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

Stay Curious. Stay Wild. Stay Weird.


What counts as a ghost is, perhaps, open to interpretation. 

Thanks to Steve Shell for voicing today’s field report. Steve is a co-creator, writer, and voice of the narrator on the Old Gods of Appalachia podcast. Old Gods is entering the homestretch of their fourth season and will be heading out on tour again this summer. 

Thanks to Emilie Lygren for today’s hidden lore poem, “Chrysalis.” Emilie Lygren is a poet and educator who has published poems in several literary journals and anthologies and developed dozens of publications focused on outdoor science education. Her first collection of poems, What We Were Born For, was selected by the Young People’s Poet Laureate as the Poetry Foundation’s monthly book pick for February 2022. Emilie lives in San Rafael, California, where she wonders about oaks and teaches poetry in local classrooms. Find her online at: emilielygren.com


Thanks to Leslie Anderson for reading today’s hidden lore. You know Leslie as the voice of Cassandra and the voice of the credits. You may not know that Leslie has a new horror novel coming this August from Quirk Books. The book is titled The Unmothers and it’s a folk horror-mystery about a journalist going to a small town to investigate a rumor about a horse giving birth to a healthy, human baby. 

The Unmothers is exquisite and haunting in equal measure. . . . Nauseatingly tense and crushingly insightful. This book represents an absolutely vital entry into the horror canon.”—Sarah Gailey, nationally best-selling author of The Echo Wife and Just Like Home


For preorder information, visit LeslieJAnderson.com 

Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information. 

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. 


For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. 


You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. 

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. 


Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. 

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com. 



Night is Earth’s shadow and many creatures call it home. The moon’s shadow is a different sort of night entirely.

Thanks to Nicolette Nuytten for today’s hidden lore, “Water Beetles.” Nicolette works at the library and spends her free time walking in the woods or reading everything she can get her grubby little hands on. She lives in Manitoba with her wife and a little grey chinchilla. You can find her at www.nicolettenuytten.com or on Twitter @LibraryNii

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.

Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information.

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.


Ebbing and flowing, teaming with life, soft to the touch. Some things are better left to themselves.

Thanks to Emily Kramer for today’s hidden lore poem “An Absence of Ants.” Emily is a poet from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with an MA in English from Ohio University. She currently works at a nonprofit for domestic violence and crime survivors. Outside of work, she loves hiking, playing cozy video games, and spending time with her two cats. Her work has appeared in Ghost City Review, Split Rock Review, and more.

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.

Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information.

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.


Contentment is both a skill and a gift we grant ourselves.

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.

Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information.

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.


Volunteering is a great reminder that many of the most important things in life don’t involve money changing hands.

Thanks to Bennett Berardi for this week’s hidden lore poem. Bennett is an arborist and honorary goblin moonlighting as a gardener-poet in Nevada County, California. He draws inspiration from forests, fields, and fairy realms as well as the works of Gary Snyder, Mary Oliver, and the vibrant community of contemporary haiku and eco poets around the world.

You can find a trove of photographic baubles, poetic odds and ends, and the word of the day on his Instagram @poem.sower

Thanks to Angela M Cowan for writing today’s Field Report. Angela is a writer, editor and hedge witch living on a small island off the West Coast of Canada. She loves strange fiction and fairy tales, and can often be found spending too much time listening to mosses and small stones. Her flash fiction has been published in Idle Ink, and poetry is forthcoming in Clarion Magazine. Follow her Substack newsletter Inksmithing for monthly-ish writing exercises, creative inspiration, occasional fiction and general witchery. When she's not wandering the woods, you can find her at www.angelamcowan.com.

Thanks to Amanda Milstein for voicing Dr. Minerva Pond. Learn more about Amanda’s work at www.AmandaMilstein.com.


Many seemingly common corvids are cryptids. There’s a world of difference between perceiving a thing and knowing the full story.

Thanks to Jamie Lackey for today’s hidden lore. Jamie Lackey lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and their cats. She has had over 200 short stories published in places like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Apex Magazine, and Escape Pod. In addition to writing, she spends her time reading, playing tabletop RPGs, and hiking.

 

Check out Jamie’s new short story collection Shadows on Glass and Other Stories - "From sentient stuffed animals to haunted terpsitones to friendly toasts, this whimsical and unsettling collection of weird little stories contains something for everyone." 

 

And check out her new novel!  Toil and Trouble: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling, which is a Pride and Prejudice retelling with witches.

 

Find out more at www.jamielackey.com.

 

Thanks to Richard Parrington for voicing today’s field report. Richard is an amateur British voice actor who fled the U.K for Ohio after it was exposed that he doesn’t like tea.

 

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. 

 

Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information.

 

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  

 

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books

 

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com

 

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com

 

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com

 

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com

 

Stay Curious. Stay Wild. Stay Weird. 


This episode is an audiobook preview for Something in the Woods Loves You, Jarod K. Anderson's new memoir coming this September from Timber Press and Hachette Books. For more information, visit JarodKAnderson.com.


Best to have a telepathic microphone when searching for cryptid dragonflies. Sometimes the simple, straightforward solutions are the best option.

Thanks to Luísa Black Ellis for this week’s hidden lore poetry. Luísa is a Brazilian-American poet and self-taught ecologist methodically inspecting mosses in traditional Nansemond and Chesepian territory. She lives a quiet and devotional life in a monastery with her husband, renowned interdisciplinary artist JJJJJerome Ellis. Her loyalties lie with the lichens. Consider supporting her work with the Tidewater Solidarity Bail Fund by visiting 757bailfund.com. 

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. 

Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information. 

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  

For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. 

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. 

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. 

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. 


Autumn is full of fun, cozy traditions, like keeping watch on the knothole man so he doesn’t reach too far into our world.

Thanks to Harrison Hamm for this episode’s hidden lore segment. 

Harrison Hamm is an LA-based poet, screenwriter, and essayist originally from rural Tennessee. Selected for fellowships with New York Stage & Film Filmmakers Workshop, Diverso's The Minority Report, and Roadmap Writers, he has also received research grants for interdisciplinary academic, creative, and pedagogic pursuits at his alma mater Loyola Marymount University. Writing can be found published/forthcoming in The Missouri Review's "Poem of the Week," West Trade Review's "Ecobloomspaces" anthology, Pacific Coast Poetry's "Poetry Goes to the Movies" anthology, Fatal Flaw Literary, Broken Antler, Hominum Journal, Susurrus & more at harrisonhamm.com.

Thanks to Rhys Lawton for voicing this episode’s hidden lore. 

Rhys Lawton is an award winning performer, writer and director based in London. With over a decade of performance experience, and skills that include puppeteering, improvisational role play, interactive performance, and voice acting, Rhys can bring any character to life. Most recently he has been heard as Press Secretary Carson in the Silt Verses and Gryffudd in The Amelia Project. He has one cat at present.

The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. 


To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  


For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books


You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com


This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com


Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com


Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com


Stay Curious. Stay Wild. Stay Weird. 




"Crypto" is a slippery prefix, and it's best to be careful with it. 

Thanks to Evan Dicken for writing the bulk of today’s episode. By day, Evan Dicken studies old Japanese Maps and crunches data for medical research at Ohio State University. By night, he does neither of these things. His audio fiction can be heard performed on: The NoSleep Podcast, Pseudopod, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Podcastle. He also writes media tie-in fiction for Legend of the Five Rings and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. If you've got nothing better to do, feel free to visit him at www.evandicken.com.

Thanks to Matthew Zahnzinger for voicing our CryptoNumismatist. Matthew is an amateur chef, a would-be world traveler, and still very much a stage actor in the Greater Boston area. If you're also in the area, check out TheatreUnCorked.com for info on his next performance in "The Lion in Winter" this December. He has been a regular cast member on The Penumbra Podcast, and a featured guest on Second Star to the Left. Reach out to him for voice acting inquiries at zahnzinger.m@gmail.com.

The theme for the CryptoNumismatist is the Song “Homeward,” by Scott Buckley. CC licensed: https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/

To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  


For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books


You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com

This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com

Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com


Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.


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