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The Story of Fig Trees Is the Story of Us
A quick tour of what makes fig trees so important, as a preview of what kinds of stories I will be sharing at Planet Ficus
May 1, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
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11
Planet Ficus Monthly Roundup #8
Snakebite remedies. Aphrodisiac figs. A giant bonsai. Pests in a changing climate. A Brazilian treehouse. A golden Buddha. Edison's fig trees.
Jan 5
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Mike Shanahan
3
2
True Or False? Figs Contain Dead Wasps
The answer may surprise you.
Dec 17, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
7
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Most Popular
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India's Mother of Trees Leaves A Living Legacy
Nov 15, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
22
5
9
Stone-making Fig Trees Offer Surprising Climate Solution
Jul 6, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
13
17
5
How Respect for Spirits in Strangler Figs Benefits People and Biodiversity in Borneo
Oct 18, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
16
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India's Sacred Fig Trees Are Crucial For Biodiversity Conservation
May 21, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
11
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7
The Fight for Fig Trees on India's Death-Trap Lane
Nov 22, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
7
7
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An Ancient Fig Tree Inspired Hundreds of Interconnected Artworks
Jun 5, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
9
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Latest
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Discussions
The Magic Of Tropical Forests And The Fig Trees That Live In Them
I’m sharing an interview I did a while back with Michael Metivier of Chelsea Green Publishing (CGP) — which published my book: Gods, Wasps and…
Dec 16, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
7
2
Planet Ficus Monthly Roundup #7
Nature's first responders. Help for hornbills. India's fig tree defenders. A contentious tree in a Kenya.
Dec 4, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
6
4
3
How Strangler Figs Drew One Man Into the Rainforest Canopy and Changed His Life Forever
In 2016, Tim Laman won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award for an image that feels almost impossible: an orangutan scaling the pillar root of a…
Dec 2, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
7
3
5
The Fight for Fig Trees on India's Death-Trap Lane
Lives end suddenly and often on National Highway 163 in the Indian state of Telangana.
Nov 22, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
7
7
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India's Mother of Trees Leaves A Living Legacy
In her 114 years, Saalumarada Thimmakka planted thousands of trees, loving them as if they were her children
Nov 15, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
22
5
9
Planet Ficus Monthly Roundup #6
Sacred bats in India. Lightbulb leaves. Fig tree rituals in Africa. Forest restoration and protection in Borneo. An adept tree climber. And more.
Nov 5, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
6
4
How Respect for Spirits in Strangler Figs Benefits People and Biodiversity in Borneo
Deep in a Bornean rainforest, the antu grasi lurks among the aerial roots of a large strangler fig.
Oct 18, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
16
6
7
Planet Ficus Monthly Roundup #5
Pre-human fig-eaters. Boozing chimps. Typhoon victims. Sacred fig trees in Kenya. Fig-wasps that cheat. A Vietnamese bonsai village. Krishna’s figs …
Oct 2, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
4
3
How Fig Wasp Genetics Rewrote the Story of a Lost World
The island of Grande Terre has been described as a land that time forgot — a remote place with strange species that have evolved in isolation since the…
Sep 16, 2025
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Mike Shanahan
7
3
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Planet Ficus
Astounding stories of how fig trees shaped humanity and the world about us.
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