On a breezy early-June morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin walk through one of the glorious wildflower meadows carpeted in oxeye daisies, yellow rattle and other species. Chris reveals the hidden wonders of bee orchids — their pink, bee-mimicking flowers, extraordinarily long life cycle involving mycorrhizal fungi, and the fact that the plants die completely after flowering once they’ve set seed.
They also enjoy a large gathering of mistle thrushes on the horse-grazed pastures near active rabbit warrens. Chris explains rabbit social hierarchy, burrowing habits, double digestion (re-eating soft pellets), and their long history in the British countryside.
Listener letters bring extra interest: brimstone moth identification, brown-tail moth caterpillars spinning colonial webs on spindle, moth trapping at High Ash, tawny owl boxes, and more.
This episode is a beautiful celebration of wildflower meadows, mysterious orchids, and the everyday dramas of rabbits and thrushes — ideal for savouring the rich tapestry of early summer at its colourful best.
Please email any questions for Chris to answer on the podcast to Chris@highashfarm.com
This podcast is brought to you by High Ash Farm. To support our efforts in creating this content, please consider making a small monthly or one-off donation. Your contributions help us with production costs, and after expenses, every penny goes towards conservation and maintaining free public access at High Ash Farm. Support us here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-12 or from the Podcast page here: Podcast | High Ash Farm
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