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On a beautiful but still dry mid-July morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin explore Woodcock Wood and a rarely visited blue clay pond — an old hand-dug clay pit that now serves as a precious watering hole in the drought-stricken north half of the farm. With the water table dropping and a hosepipe ban in force, Chris explains the pond’s history, the floating water fern (Azolla filiculoides) known locally as flamingo weed that turns bright pink, and its vital role for wildlife. Trail-cam footage reveals buzzards, tawny owls, barn owls, little owls, deer, badgers, foxes, and horses all coming to drink, while parent buzzards mew overhead from a nearby nest — one of three pairs on the farm this year.
The pair then move to a sun-drenched south-facing wildflower meadow alive with six-spot burnet moths and common blues feeding on knapweed and birdsfoot trefoil. Chris details the moths’ life cycle, their remarkable cyanide defence that once puzzled early collectors, the hairy green caterpillars that hibernate through winter, and the paper-like cocoons attached high on grass stems. Swallows sweep overhead gathering aerial plankton as the meadow pulses with summer insect life.
An early-morning interlude from Chris’s porch captures the fascinating swarming behaviour of black garden ants — first the winged males, then the larger females on a thundery morning — complete with observations on their social structure, mating flights, and colony life.
Listener letters add warmth and reflection: late-arriving house martins near King’s Lynn, the sad impact of early silage cutting on curlews, a remarkable painted lady migration witnessed from a kayak off Sicily, and Anna’s inspiring recovery story from a hip injury while enjoying butterflies and deer in the Wenning Valley.
This episode is a sun-baked celebration of drought refuges, dazzling meadow moths, and the hidden dramas of insect societies — ideal for savouring the preciousness of water, the resilience of summer wildlife, and the everyday wonders unfolding at High Ash Farm even in challenging conditions.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/19511536-episode-2-81-flamingo-pond-and-burnet-banquets.mp3?download=true
Explore Azolla filiculoides ecology
Investigate UK chalk aquifers
Refine title to highlight ants
Think Harder
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