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In the mild glow of a mid-December morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin bask in unseasonably warm skies, where a jay's loping flight heralds a day of countryside revelations. Amidst the lingering half-moon and sun-kissed fields, they explore the enigmatic European larch—a deciduous conifer that defies tradition by shedding its needles, introduced from southern Europe in the 1620s for its graceful form and later prized for its resilient, resin-rich timber. Historical whimsy unfolds with tales of the Duke of Atholl, who, besotted with the tree, fired cannonballs laden with seeds to cloak Scottish mountainsides in larch groves, yielding cones that dangle like weighted ornaments and burst forth with winged seeds for crossbills and bramblings. Recent rains have transformed the Tass Valley into a shimmering expanse, not from overflow but from the river's porous gravel bed, a legacy of 1960s dredging that now nurtures gulls on impromptu lakes. The spotlight turns to the farm's overwinter wild bird seed mixes, a bountiful mosaic of sunflowers, millet, fodder radish, mustard, barley, and native fat hen, drawing flocks of goldfinches, linnets, and skylarks alongside deer and partridges, while teasels stand sentinel for winter feasts. A little owl perches in apricity—the forgotten word for winter sun's gentle warmth—its grumpy gaze and speckled camouflage a nod to its Victorian reintroduction and nocturnal prowess. Listener tales add charm: a tree creeper's bold shoulder perch and early snowdrops defying frost, underscoring nature's shifting rhythms. This episode weaves seasonal serenity with echoes of innovation and resilience, ideal for contemplating winter's quiet enchantments.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18343234-episode-2-50-cannon-seeded-conifers-and-winter-warmth.mp3?download=true

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Please email any questions for Chris to answer on the podcast to
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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.
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Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a frosty early-December morning as they squeeze inside a 350-year-old hollow oak to stand beneath Britain’s largest wasp species’ abandoned hornet palace – a two-foot-tall paper cathedral of perfect hexagonal brood cells and ventilation chimneys, built by a single overwintering queen who turned a rotten heart into a palace of exquisite engineering.

Discover the deadly beauty of the English yew – the churchyard tree whose blood-red arils tempt birds while every other part (leaves, bark, seed) contains the lethal taxine poison. Hear the story of the 1942 Luftwaffe bomb that landed six feet from a young yew, carving “UXB” into its trunk forever, and feel the weight of the jagged shrapnel that punched through an 18-inch farmhouse wall while Chris’s pregnant mother sheltered inside.

Witness the heart-breaking reality of avian flu as isolated, wobbling rooks and piles of wood-pigeon feathers appear across the farm, and marvel at the ash trees quietly committing suicide – their roots eaten away by dieback until they simply lie down like tired giants, leaving perfect root plates and no warning.

From the phallic, corpse-scented stinkhorn seducing flies with its black slime to the promise of thousands of bee orchids already pushing through frozen soil on Arminghall Field, this is winter at High Ash Farm: death, sex, poison, hope and absolute wonder, all in one square mile of Norfolk.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18305256-episode-2-49-inside-the-hornet-cathedral-the-poisonous-yew.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:
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or from the Podcast page here:
Podcast | High Ash Farm

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Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a crisp, overcast late-November morning in Fox’s Grove as the last leaves carpet the woodland floor and light floods in for the first time since spring. Stand beside the old ash tree that still bears the carved letters “UXB” from 1942, hold the jagged 3 kg lump of bomb shrapnel that tore through the farmhouse wall while Chris’s pregnant mother sheltered inside, and feel the weight of history on a quiet Norfolk morning.

Discover the invisible killer that terrifies foresters – honey fungus – as Chris peels back bark to reveal black bootlace rhizomorphs and slices open a log to expose the exquisite “spalted” butterfly patterns that furniture-makers prize, even while the fungus rots the heartwood of living trees.

Meet the outrageous Phallus impudicus – the stinkhorn – emerging from its egg in the horse ride, growing 3 inches an hour and releasing a stench of rotting flesh that draws clouds of flies to carry away its sticky black spores in one of nature’s most shameless acts of seduction.

Then walk to Arminghall Field in stunned silence as Chris drops to his knees in December to reveal thousands – literally thousands – of bee orchid plants already up, their blue-green rosettes scattered across the hillside like emeralds on clay. Some will flower in 2026, some will wait years, but every one is living proof that nature can survive a century of ploughing, spraying and heavy iron.

A poignant, funny and utterly unforgettable wander through war memories, fungal sex-lives and the quiet defiance of orchids in winter, and the sheer privilege of watching a square mile of Norfolk wake up to another season.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18267268-episode-2-48-bombs-bootlaces-and-winter-orchids.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:
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or from the Podcast page here:
Podcast | High Ash Farm

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Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a crisp November morning venturing to Lakenham Mill on Norwich's outskirts, exploring the historic River Yare's controlled sluices, ancient mill wheels, and granaries that once ground local grains, amid discussions on recent torrential rains unleashing 220 tonnes of water per acre and innovative flood management through managed retreat and river re-wiggling. Return to High Ash Farm to witness the aftermath of storm surges transforming streams into raging torrents, while examining avian flu's grip on isolated rooks and wood pigeons within control zones, and the farm's shift to water harvesting via blocked drains and wildflower fields to recharge chalk aquifers. Delve into fungal wonders in Fox's Grove, from deadly honey fungus bootlaces killing trees to gelatinous jelly fungi like yellow brain and crystal brain wobbling on decaying branches, alongside puffballs exploding spores like green smoke. Savour listener queries on identifying roe deer antlers shed during rutting and a seaside slime mould—actually a migratory protozoa—resembling scrambled eggs, alongside reflections on nature's raw power and avian vulnerabilities. A captivating cascade through watery wonders, microbial marvels, and seasonal struggles, ideal for pondering the interplay of history, hydrology, and hidden habitats.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18230059-episode-2-47-sluice-secrets-and-jelly-jiggles.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:
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or from the Podcast page here:
Podcast | High Ash Farm

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Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a breezy mid-November morning at High Ash Farm, strolling along Boudica Way—a historic public footpath turned wide, welcoming trail—amid discussions on evolving access to the countryside, from ancient worker routes to modern stewardship schemes that transformed contentious paths into assets for health, education, and wildlife. Explore permissive walks offering panoramic views of rolling hills, self-seeded woodlands, and therapeutic spots like cancer remembrance seats, while delving into farm diversification through optional sponsor routes, free parking, and optional donations that sustain miles of mown tracks without policing. Witness herring gulls charming worms with foot-patting dances, migratory fieldfares flocking westward in cold-weather movements, and Rat's antics among horses, alongside listener insights on roe deer antlers shed during rutting battles and slime moulds—protozoa mimicking scrambled eggs—that migrate across woodland debris. A thoughtful traverse through rural rights, seasonal spectacles, and innovative income streams, perfect for appreciating the therapeutic tapestry of accessible landscapes.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18177698-episode-2-46-pathways-to-the-past-and-countryside-connections.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:
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Podcast | High Ash Farm

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Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a mild mid-November morning at High Ash Farm, where autumn's unsettled chill stirs flocks of goldfinches into a dazzling display amid teasel heads and thistle margins, their yellow wing bars flashing as they feast on seeds in a biennial bounty perfect for butterflies and overwintering cover. Venture to the ancient Roman capital of eastern Britain on the farm's edge, pondering monumental shifts in agriculture—from wartime ploughing with horses to modern self-sufficiency challenges, commodity pressures, and diversification into solar panels or public access—amid tales of Iceni tribes, Boudica's rebellion, and imported walnuts in amphorae. Spotlight a green woodpecker probing for ants on close-grazed pastures, its iridescent plumage and shocking red crown a vivid highlight, alongside erupting lapwing flocks in cold-weather migrations and deceitful wing-dragging displays. Marvel at skylark clans gathering in courtship flights over pollen and nectar fields, their hovering silhouettes a red-listed delight, while insects seek hibernation nooks and listener greetings mark the podcast's second anniversary. A reflective ramble through seasonal spectacles, historical harvests, and evolving rural realities, ideal for embracing the fleeting warmth before winter's grasp.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18150574-episode-2-45-teasel-treasures-and-skylark-symphonies.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:
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Podcast | High Ash Farm

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Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a damp November evening at High Ash Farm for a nocturnal safari, starting in the bustling farmyard where torchlight reveals smooth newts feasting on wriggling worms amid leaf litter, their amphibian lives split between aquatic springs and terrestrial nights, alongside dusky slugs grazing on fungi and leaving slimy trails up mossy walls. Venture into pitch-black fields to spotlight hares congregating in open grasslands, leverets born furred and alert, contrasting with burrowing rabbits bolting for cover, while moths flutter by, evoking night-time predators like bats with ultrasonic echoes and nightjars trawling the air. Encounter reflective-eyed little owls on short turf, elusive roe deer flashing white rumps, and bounding Chinese water deer vanishing into undergrowth, all amid discussions of historical warreners, myxomatosis impacts, and seasonal shifts in wildlife behaviour. Reflect on listener queries about hybrid horse chestnuts with empty conker cases, cover crops boosting soil health and skylarks, and speedy hedgehogs scouting hog houses for hibernation. An enchanting after-dark exploration of hidden habitats, mammalian marvels, and the intricate rhythms of countryside nightlife, ideal for uncovering the secrets that daylight conceals.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18116031-episode-2-44-nocturnal-newts-and-hare-havens.mp3?download=true

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:
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or from the Podcast page here:
Podcast | High Ash Farm

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Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a blustery, rain-lashed Thursday morning at High Ash Farm amid Storm Benjamin's gales, retreating into the vast farm workshop where gleaming tractors, mowers, sprayers, and cultivators—worth fortunes in investment—await winter storage and servicing. Delve into the challenges facing young farmers, from soaring land prices and machinery costs to the need for diversification into school visits, livery yards, and public access, all while pondering the shift from traditional ploughing to min-till methods that boost soil health. Brave the elements to explore freshly trimmed hedgerows serving as wildlife corridors for yellowhammers and sparrows, then spade up sodden earth to reveal thriving earthworm populations—juicy Lumbricus terrestris and wriggling juveniles—highlighting their role in aeration, nutrient cycling, and drought resistance. Venture into Fox's Grove amid dripping canopies to admire ancient sweet chestnut trees, measuring girths of 15 feet on 250-year-old giants, tracing their Roman origins, coppicing history, and bountiful nut crops feeding badgers, deer, and mice in an autumnal feast. Savour listener emails on transplanting horse chestnuts and the podcast's uplifting impact, alongside reflections on a lively theatre event. A thought-provoking trek through farming's modern realities, soil secrets, and woodland treasures, perfect for weathering the storms of seasonal change.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18068578-episode-2-43-stormy-sheds-and-soil-secrets.mp3?download=true

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