Field Notes: Walking Sticks (Patreon)

While we film cool critters from all over the world, our budget doesn't always allow us to travel abroad. But sometimes we can find them right in our own backyard! 

For our upcoming episode on Indian walking sticks, we just had to drive to the nearby campus of the University of California, Berkeley, to film them in their habitat. While originally from southern India, they've resettled here – most likely hitching a ride in shipping containers –  and adapted to the cooler climate and local vegetation. 

Producer Jenny Oh collaborated with undergraduate researcher Edward Ramirez; he's been studying walking sticks' genetics at UC Berkeley and was an invaluable resource for this episode. He showed Jenny and Josh Cassidy, one of our fellow producers and cinematographer, where to find them on campus when they appeared at night. The evening is their preferred time to munch on ivy and blackberry leaves; it's safer for them to dine out as they can hide more easily from predators. 

You can learn more when this episode premieres on Tuesday, March 24. Our Patreon supporters will get an early look this Friday, March 20!