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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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