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In this enchanting episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin ascend to the lofty heights of High Ash Farm, where June’s wild symphony reverberates across Norfolk’s landscape. On the historic gun field—once a wartime bastion with searchlights and artillery guarding Norwich from German bombers during the 1940s—a skylark soars, its trilling melody piercing the sky just yards away, a poignant echo of resilience. Nearby, pyramidal orchids rise from chalky clay, their deep purple spikes crafting nature’s pyramids, a rare bloom thriving amidst a wildflower haven shaped by centuries of human toil. In an elder wood atop an Anglo-Saxon cemetery, creamy blossoms whisper tales of ancient cremations and fires fuelled by hollow elder stems, a site of international significance where Roman chalk mining once supported early mortar works. From hedgehog hoglets foraging in daylight to debates on solar panels versus farmland, listener queries enrich this journey. With bees buzzing over sand vetch, rooks cawing from nest-laden Scots pines, and the farm’s living heritage unfolding, this episode celebrates a timeless connection under a lengthening summer sky.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/17325258-episode-2-24-skylarks-and-pyramids-june-s-high-harmony.mp3?download=true

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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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In this vibrant episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin brave a blustery June morning at High Ash Farm, where summer’s rhythm pulses through Norfolk’s countryside. By a windswept hedgerow, they marvel at field and dog roses, their delicate white and pink petals whispering tales of Roman introductions and heralding scarlet hips for autumn. A majestic red kite, mobbed by crows, glides over crimson-tinted soil, joined by buzzards relishing disc-churned invertebrates. In a young woodland, a lone common spotted orchid glows with pinkish-purple spikes, its ancient seed thriving in chalky clay through mysterious fungal bonds. Amidst pelting rain, four swallow fledglings dart through a stable, mastering flight in a whirlwind of wings. From cuckoo spit’s frothy secrets to a bee swarm’s rooftop haven, listener queries weave through vivid discoveries, celebrating June’s untamed symphony.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/17293128-episode-2-23-roses-and-red-kites-june-s-wild-waltz.mp3?download=true

You can make a donation to the podcast here:

www.highashfarm.com/podcast

Support the show

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

Send us a text

"Woodpeckers and Witches’ Brooms: Summer’s Secret Symphony"
In this captivating episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin dive into the early summer splendour of High Ash Farm, where nature hums with hidden wonders. From their bird hide, they marvel at great spotted woodpeckers—vivid parents darting to a lofty nest, feeding insatiable chicks in a slender sycamore’s embrace. Amidst the woodland’s rustle, they uncover the sticky allure of honeydew, as aphids coat sycamore leaves, fuelling swallows and swifts in their aerial dance. Venturing to a sunlit slope, the duo kneels before a dazzling display of bee orchids, their bee-mimicking petals thriving despite drought, alongside buzzing bumblebees on sainfoin. A listener’s query unveils the eerie folklore of witches’ brooms—fungus-sparked tangles in silver birch. Packed with tales of zygodactyl toes, pseudo pollination, and the relentless rhythm of June’s renewal, this episode is a joyful ode to the countryside’s unseen performers.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/17248014-episode-2-22-woodpeckers-and-witches-brooms-summer-s-secret-symphony.mp3?download=true

You can make a donation to the podcast here:

www.highashfarm.com/podcast

Support the show

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