In 2021, the WPLN newsroom investigated systemic wrongdoing and responded with care to the biggest local news events. But what follows is a list of the stories that uplifted us. We hope they’ll do the same for you.
Nashville’s Massive Roost Of Purple Martins Is Inspiring New Research This Year
Local bird researchers have ramped up their efforts to learn from one of the area’s most amazing showcases of the natural world, as more than 100,000 purple martins fly in to roost each night in the trees surrounding the Nashville Symphony this month.
How An Attentive Nashville Birdwatcher Spotted A Species Not Seen Here In 60 Years
A green-tailed towhee — not seen in Tennessee since 1957 — has been drawing birdwatchers to a backyard in East Nashville all week.
Tennessee Trees Have Toppled. Will Wary Residents Be Willing To Replant?
Groups are mobilizing to “re-leaf” the region. But they’re finding that it’s not just the pandemic that’s complicating efforts, but also the hesitations of a community that fears the destructive threat of falling trees.
There’s Otherworldly, Bright Red Water In East Nashville. A Botanist Explains.
Something has turned the water bright red this year in one of the wetlands within Shelby Bottoms in East Nashville. It has caused photos and discussions to pop up across social media.
Curious Nashville: Piranhas, Pink Elephants And Other Wild Animal Mysteries Explained
Fans of Curious Nashville have asked us several wonderful and weird questions about animals, and we’ve answered a few. But until now, that reporting hasn’t appeared in our podcast — and some of the facts and quirky details had to be trimmed out of the stories when they aired on the radio.
A Survivor Of Capture, Circus Life, And A Sunken Ship, Tennessee’s Oldest Elephant Turns 70
The oldest elephant in Tennessee turns 70 this week — a life that has far surpassed expectations and that is being celebrated by The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald.
The Dirt On Armadillos, Middle Tennessee’s Newest Animal Neighbors
Listen Tim White works for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. That puts him on the front line of any change in the state’s fauna, including the arrival of armadillos.
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