Could anything feel more like summer than fireflies? Listen in to learn how fireflies work, what makes synchronous fireflies so special, and where you can see them at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Did you know some fireflies are different colors? Some flash at different times, some make shapes while they flash! Are fireflies even a fly?

🎒Scout mission included! Tune in to find out our fun mission thats great for trips or backyard family time.

Can you guess the mystery sound? It's not what you might think 😉

Visit nationalparkscouts.com for coloring pages, word searches, and bingo cards!

This ad is for National Park Supply Co, a family run company that makes shirts, hats and stickers for national parks. They use super soft bella canvas shirts and print on demand so nothing is wasted! Visit http://nationalparkssupplyco.com to order your next shirt.

https://nationalparkscouts.com/

Amazing music from Sheb3ar

Find National Park Scouts on Instagram

Why are the Great Smoky Mountains National Park so smoky? And why is it the most visited park? Find out whats up with all that smoke, why this park has so many plants and animals, and five reasons this park is the most visited in the national park system.

Need an idea of some fun places to visit that are great for kids and families? In the episode, I mention Laurel Falls, Kuwohi Dome, the Appalachian Trail & Newfound Gap, Cades Cove, and Cataloochee Valley.

Can you decode our mystery sound?

🎒Scout mission included - great for families to do together!

As always, visit our website http://nationalparkscouts.com for coloring pages, word finds, and bingo cards.

This ad is for National Park Supply Co, a family run company that makes shirts, hats and stickers for national parks. They use super soft bella canvas shirts and print on demand so nothing is wasted! Visit http://nationalparkssupplyco.com to order your next shirt.

https://nationalparkscouts.com/

Amazing music from Sheb3ar

Find National Park Scouts on Instagram

What would you do if there were only twenty-two left in the entire world?

The California condor is the largest flying land bird in North America. It has a super important job in nature that keeps the landscape healthy. Once this enormous bird owned the skies from British Columbia to Baja California, and then it almost disappeared forever. In this episode, we find out how the condor population crashed, why scientists made the risky decision to capture every last wild condor, and why Pinnacles National Park is their perfect home.

🎒 Scout Mission included! Great for family time outdoors, hikes, roadtrips and of course, visits to Pinnacles National Park.

Complete your mission and tell us about it. Have a grown-up help you share your findings at nationalparkscouts.com. We might share your report on a future episode!

Can you guess this episode's Mystery Sound?

National Park Scouts, where curious kids discover America's wildest places.

This ad is for National Park Supply Co, a family run company that makes shirts, hats and stickers for national parks. They use super soft bella canvas shirts and print on demand so nothing is wasted! Visit http://nationalparkssupplyco.com to order your next shirt.

https://nationalparkscouts.com/

Amazing music from Sheb3ar

Find National Park Scouts on Instagram

What if the most important animals in a national park were so small you didn't even notice them?

Pinnacles National Park has nearly five hundred species of bees, more per acre than almost anywhere else on Earth. In this episode, we find out why so many bees call this one small park home, what happens when thousands of ladybugs blanket a rock in red and black, and we meet two bugs that live here and almost nowhere else in the world. One of them is so small you'd never notice it, but functions as the park's water quality expert.

🎒 Scout Mission included! Great for family time outdoors, hikes, roadtrips and of course, visits to Pinnacles National Park.

Complete your mission and tell us about it. Have a grown-up help you share your findings at nationalparkscouts.com. We might share your report on a future episode!

Can you guess this episode's Mystery Sound?

National Park Scouts, where curious kids discover America's wildest places.

This ad is for National Park Supply Co, a family run company that makes shirts, hats and stickers for national parks. They use super soft bella canvas shirts and print on demand so nothing is wasted! Visit http://nationalparkssupplyco.com to order your next shirt.

https://nationalparkscouts.com/

Amazing music from Sheb3ar

Find National Park Scouts on Instagram

What if thousands of bats were living right beneath your feet and you had no idea?

Pinnacles National Park is home to at least 14 species of bats, and some of them are hiding in places you'd never expect. In this episode, we meet the Townsend's big-eared bat. This bat has ears almost as long as its entire body!

Find out why bats matter way more than most people realize. You'll learn how bats hunt using sound alone, why some moths have evolved to fight back, and what one mysterious fungus is doing to bat populations across the country.

🎒 Scout Mission included! Great for family time outdoors, hikes, roadtrips and of course, visits to Pinnacles National Park.

Complete your mission and tell us about it. Have a grown-up help you share your findings at nationalparkscouts.com. We might share your report on a future episode!

Can you guess this episode's Mystery Sound?

National Park Scouts, where curious kids discover America's wildest places.

This ad is for National Park Supply Co, a family run company that makes shirts, hats and stickers for national parks. They use super soft bella canvas shirts and print on demand so nothing is wasted! Visit http://nationalparkssupplyco.com to order your next shirt.

https://nationalparkscouts.com/

Amazing music from Sheb3ar

Find National Park Scouts on Instagram

What happens when half a volcano slides 200 miles away and leaves crazy caves behind?

Welcome to Pinnacles National Park, one of the least-visited parks in America that is hiding some big surprises. In this episode, we explore how Pinnacles was born from an ancient volcano that split in two. You'll find out why these rocks don't match anything around them, what happens when giant boulders pile up, and why scientists had to figure out where the rest of this volcano went. Plus, you'll discover what talus caves are and what makes this park one of the most surprising in the whole national park system.

🎒 Scout Mission included! Great for family time outdoors, hikes, roadtrips and of course, visits to Pinnacles National Park.

Complete your mission and tell us about it. Have a grown-up help you share your findings at nationalparkscouts.com. We might share your report on a future episode!

Can you guess this episode's Mystery Sound?

National Park Scouts, where curious kids discover America's wildest places.

This ad is for National Park Supply Co, a family run company that makes shirts, hats and stickers for national parks. They use super soft bella canvas shirts and print on demand so nothing is wasted! Visit http://nationalparkssupplyco.com to order your next shirt.

https://nationalparkscouts.com/

Amazing music from Sheb3ar

Find National Park Scouts on Instagram