Trees A Crowd
Episodes
The Executive Branch: Beccy Speight (RSPB), Darren Moorcroft (Woodland Trust) and Craig Bennett (The Wildlife Trusts)
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Around a table at the Woodland Trust's headquarters in Grantham, David sits down with three of the most powerful voices in British conservation: ...
Rakan Zahawi: Giant ambitions at the Charles Darwin Foundation
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Following on from two episodes recorded on San Cristóbal Island, this episode finds David having set sail across the Galapagos archipelago for Santa ...
Prof. Carlos Mena: Trust the Locals, Trust the Science, Protect the Galápagos
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A Galápagos native – born on Isla Isabela – marine biologist and conservation geneticist Diana Pazmiño focuses her research on rays, sharks, and...
Prof. Diana Pazmiño: Rays, Research and the Real Guardians of the Galápagos
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A Galápagos native – born on Isla Isabela – marine biologist and conservation geneticist Diana Pazmiño focuses her research on rays, sharks, and...
Abraham Joffe: The Secret Trade in Polar Bears (or, “How to Save an Animal Everyone Thinks Is Already Protected!”)
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the second of two CITES-centric episodes, this episode finds David in conversation with Australian filmmaker Abraham Joffe – director of Trade...
Iris Ho: Primates, Policy, and the Power of CITES
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Recorded on the outskirts of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, this episode finds David at the 20th Conference of the Parties to CITES – the global treaty that...
Elephant in the Room: Wildlife Trust of India’s Rapid Response to Grounded Humans & Uprooted Wanderers
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Following on from the conversation with Dr Bhaskar Choudhury in the previous episode...Recorded further south, near Bandhavgarh National Park in the I...
Dr Bhaskar Choudhury: The Floodplain Guardians and the Elephants of Kaziranga
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
David travels to the floodplains of Assam to meet the Wildlife Trust of India’s Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, veterinarian and project head of the Centre fo...
"Her Deepness" Dr Sylvia Earle & Dr Tessa Hempson: Protect the Oceans Like Your Life Depends Upon It... (Because It Does!)
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Amid the energy of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, David meets legendary marine biologist, oceanographer, and explorer Dr Sylvia A. Earle — af...
More M.G. Leonard: Further Furry Tales from the Riverbank
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last Summer, MGL shared a very exciting secret with me. A year on, it is with no small amount of delight that I can now finally cease my silence! In M...
M G Leonard: Storytelling and the power of Beetles! “Elytra Literature” from Shakespeare to Starship Troopers.
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A writer concerned with wondrous beetles and beautiful birds, M G Leonard and her award-winning books, for the past decade, have been inspiring the en...
Dr Hannah Trayford & Rachel Bigsby: The State of the Badger, with the Badger Trust
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Britain and its rural communities have been obsessed with Badgers for centuries. Sometimes cast as hero, sometimes as villain, tales of their behaviou...
Matthew Oates: A Paean to the Purple Emperor. One Man’s Passion-filled Past Devoted to Great British Butterflies
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Matthew Oates is a naturalist, nature writer, and poet with a lifelong passion for butterflies. In the short sward of the Cotswolds, Matthew takes Dav...
Tim Kendall & Fiona Mathews (PART TWO): Eye spy an eco-engineer! Deep in the Forest of Dean in search of the contentious Wild Boar...
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of David Oakes' interview with Professors Fiona Mathews and Tim Kendall, the mammal-enthused trio head into the Forest of Dean in s...
Fiona Mathews & Tim Kendall: Wild Mammals are far from 'Boar-ing'
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fiona Mathews is a professor of Environmental Biology at the University of Sussex and the founding Chair of Mammal Conservation Europe; Tim Kendall is...
Rob Stoneman: Resurrecting Rainforests, Protecting Peat and Constructing Conservation Kingdoms along our Coastlines
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rob Stoneman wanted to make lots of money in the oil industry… and then he found peat! This episode is a deep dive into that blancmange-like substan...
The Horstmann Trust: Vultures in the Valleys!
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Horstmann Trust is a brand new charity primarily focused upon breeding and ultimately releasing back into the wild four species of endangered vult...
Andy & Peter Holden: A Filial History of Nest Building
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At the launch of his latest video installation at the Tate St Ives, artist Andy Holden meets with David Oakes to discuss the creativity present within...
Dr David Hetherington: Reintroducing the Lynx lynx lynx to our Cairngorms (a cat so enigmatic that they named it thrice!)
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr David Hetherington is an expert on the Eurasian Lynx and the beneficial links Lynx (Lynx lynx lynx) can manifest within our complicated British eco...
Dr Ruth Tingay: From Birds in Boxes to Rivers of Raptors; One woman’s mission for Wild Justice against Raptor Persecution
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Ruth Tingay is a conservationist and campaigner who has spent her career primarily focused upon the world’s raptor population (that’s Birds of ...
Katie Holten: The Three Questions
23 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hello, and welcome to a little festive bonus Trees A Crowd. Some of the eagle eared amongst you may have noticed that the regular “three final quest...
Katie Holten: Hedge Schools, Tree Time and the Language of our Forests
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Katie Holten is a visual artist and environmental activist who splits her time between Ireland and New York. She has exhibited at the Venice biennale ...
Paul Donald: Birds, Buddhists and Bypasses; Tales of Trafficking & Traffication with that Lark Sex Ratio Guy
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Senior Scientist at Bird Life International, previously the Principal Scientist at the RSPB, and before that at the BTO, Paul Donald is a world expert...
Samuel West: The West Wing live at the Global Bird Fair
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This bonus episode was recorded live at the Global Bird Fair, and is a conversation with the Actor, Director, RSPB Ambassador and Trainspotter-turned-...
Paul Vorster: The Secrets of Sanbona, or: “Hippos!” and How Best to Become an Impact Player in Conservation
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Located in the southwestern corner of South Africa's Little Karoo, the Sanbona Nature and Wilderness Reserve is an area of ex-farmland about the size ...
Nardstar*: Illuminating Cape Town's Evolving Streets, One Caracal at a Time
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nardstar, the creative alias of Nadia Fisher, is a captivating wall-art and mural virtuoso hailing from the vibrant cityscape of Cape Town. Through bo...
Chris Fallows: The flight and plight of the Great White Shark, as documented by Cape Town’s legendary Shark Man
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bridging the gap between wildlife naturalist and dedicated photographer, Chris Fallows was the first person to photograph the now famous breaching Gre...
Piet Beytell & Tommy Hall: Two very different perspectives united in thwarting Rhino poaching across Namibia
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two additional Rhino-related conversations: The first is with Piet Beytell, the Chief Conservation Scientist at the Namibian Government's Ministry of ...
Save the Rhino Trust Namibia: Desert days with the Black Rhinos and the Rangers who protect them from Poachers
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is about Rhinos; desert-adapted free-ranging Black Rhinoceroses and the men and women who devote their lives to protect them - to be prec...
Sophie Pavelle: Ten Remarkable British Species and the Fable of Janet who fondly found their Faeces
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sophie Pavelle spearheads the new breed of science communicators. She is a nature writer, the communications co-ordinator for the Beaver Trust and an ...
Tan Twan Eng: The Master of the Nature Metaphor with his roots deep in the Concrete Jungle
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tan Twan Eng was the first Malay writer to win a number of key literary prizes including the Man Asia Prize and the Walter Scott Prize for historical ...
Dr Brian Briggs: The Return of the Marsh Warbler and his Secret Identity hidden amongst the Reed Beds
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Brian Briggs is a man of two halves; by day he is the Nature Reserve Manager at the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust’s Llanelli reserve, but by night h...
Emma Marsh: Feathers and Feminism with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Kazakh Antelopes
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Emma Marsh sits on the Executive Board at The RSPB, and was until recently the Director of RSPB England. But, despite working for the nation’s large...
Chris Packham (Part Two): Through sand and snow with Rothko and Rimbaud... (No, that's not what Chris calls his dogs!)
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the second half of David's interview with Chris Packham, we hear how Chris originally wished to pursue a career as a wildlife cameraman, but a twis...
Chris Packham (Part One): Deep in the New Forest with the Really Wild Showman
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Packham is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable faces on British Television. He’s been a mainstay of the BBC’s Natural History programmi...
Bison Whisperers: The Return of the Native
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate one of the scarily rare “Good Environmental News Stories” of this and last year, David heads out to Kent Wildlife Trust and the Wildw...
Dr Trevor Dines (Part Two): Mapping “The Trevor Dines Effect” with North Wales’ Meadow Maker
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this, the second part of David Oakes’ interview with botanist Dr Trevor Dines, Trevor goes into detail about the sheer power of community science...
Dr Trevor Dines (Part One): Nobody ties themselves to buttercups (unless you’re born a botanist!)
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Despite being raised in the fields of England and having slept upon the Rainforest Canopies of Cameroon, Dr Trevor Dines’ heart is intertwined with ...
Sarah Gillespie: Of Moths and Mezzotints - an Artist’s Metamorphosis
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Working from her Devonshire studio and the surrounding natural habitats, artist and printmaker Sarah Gillespie, in looking carefully at our wild world...
Dan "Swampy" Hooper: The power of protest and learning to live with it (and pooing in tunnels with friends)
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1996, having spent 7 days living underground, Dan Hooper was forcibly evicted from a protest tunnel and thrust into the spotlight of the waiting me...
Leigh Morris: Sexy carrots & feral wallabies - the adventures and curiosities hidden behind Manannan’s cloak
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Midway through the Isle of Man’s Manx TT motor-racing festival lies a day (terrifyingly aptly) branded as “Mad Sunday”. David Oakes chose this b...
Dr Amy-Jane Beer: The 3 R’s of Nature Writing - Reading, Roaming and the Radial symmetry of Sea Urchin larvae
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Upon Salisbury Plain - nestled amongst exploding ordnance and dim-witted Tawny Owl fledgelings - the child that would become Dr Amy-Jane Beer found bo...
Dr Gavin Broad: Broadening horizons with Darwin's wasps and other tales of cannibalism, incest and zombies
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Gavin Broad’s love of nature was initially inspired by the birdlife of the Wirral. However, the summer lull in avian activity lead the 15-year-ol...
Lost on Lundy: The hidden treasures of a wildlife landmark; aka, “David adventures to Puffin Island!”
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since the late 1960s, Lundy Island - just off the north coast of Devon and measuring only half a mile wide at its widest point - has been owned and op...
Bonus Beatrice: Bearded Seals & Ice Flowers - further stories from the ice sheets
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A little bonus Bea that we couldn't quite squeeze into this month's main episode. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Beatrice von Preussen: All the little things that inspired an artist to travel from pole to pole
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In her Brighton studio, the artist, explorer, science communicator and self-professed 'child', Beatrice von Preussen, explores her obsession with "lit...
George Monbiot: Feeding our future with heaven-sent bacteria and home-brewed scrumpy!
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
George Monbiot is a prolific writer and journalist, known particularly for his environmental and political activism. But, this episode - not simply ab...
Norwegian Spruce: Our Viking Christmas Tree; aka ‘The Return of the Native’
24 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
BONUS EPISODE: For Christmas, David Oakes explores the cultural importance of the non-native Christmas Tree, the Norwegian Spruce (Picea abies). Altho...
Holly: Merry berries & mistle thrushes deck our true native Christmas tree
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our fifty-sixth (and final!) tree, Holly (Ilex aquifolium). Released to coincide with the Winter Solstice, aka the end of the rule of the Holly King, ...
The Viburnums: Ways fared to Guelderland via chalk paths and waterlogged fens
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth trees, the Wayfaring Tree (Viburnum lantana) and the Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus) - aka the Viburnums. It’s all a...
Elder: The people’s purple medicine chest lined with pariahs, period pop-guns & poo
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our fifty-third tree, Elder (Sambucus nigra). The “medicine chest of the common people” has probably helped keep more people healthy than any othe...
Wild Privet: Your country needs Spitfires, stick-insects and an untrimmed bush!
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our fifty-second tree, Privet or Wild Privet (Ligustrum vulgare). It's NATIONAL TREE WEEK! To celebrate; the tree our host was dreading writing an epi...
Ash: Unlocking dieback with firelight, hurley sticks & Heiðrún the Viking goat
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our fifty-first tree, Ash (Fraxinus excelsior). One of the British Isles’ most plentiful trees… for now. This week’s episode explores the Ash’...
Strawberry Tree: No, not that kind... rather, a god-sent Irish oddity with several subterranean secrets
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our fiftieth tree, the Strawberry Tree (Arbutus undo). The sole tree on our list of “native trees to the British Isles” that does not occur on the...
Dogwood: Victorian dating & rodent reanimating; the secrets of the bloody whippletree
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our forty-ninth tree, is Dogwood (Cornus sanguina) - aka, the Whipple Tree, the Bloody Rod, Prickwood… one of our most colourful native species (wit...
Brigit Strawbridge Howard: As busy as a bee, whilst remaining humble as a bumble
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you know her from her Wainwright Prize nominated “Dancing with Bees”, from her time on the BBC’s “It’s Not Easy Being Green”, or f...
The Limes: Bast-ardly BIG trees smothered in glamrock moths & decapitated bees
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our forty-sixth and forty-seventh trees are our two native Limes, (Tilia cordata) and (Tilia platyphyllos). These are trees you can hear before you ge...
Sycamore: The mucilage & mysteries stuck upon our misunderstood martyr maple
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our forty-fifth tree, Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus). Suffering from a somewhat mistaken identity (partly due to Christianity, and partly due to some ...
Field Maple: Is it a BIRD (tongue)? Is it (an experimental Second World War) PLANE (cargo drop)? No! It's the colourful corky bungs of the SAPINDACEAE!
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our forty-fourth tree, Field Maple (Acer campestre); the sole truly native member of an incredibly colourful family. Their branches have supported Rom...
Hornbeam: Hardwood for smelting Boy Scouts & yoking chariots to hunt Ben Hur!
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our forty-third tree, Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus). As hard as horn, and... well... 'beam' just means 'tree'. A beautiful leafy canopy supporting biodi...
Hazel: "Monsieur, with your mellow fruitfulness, Dormice and ancient epigenetic poetical-pescatarianism, you are really spoiling us!"
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our forty-second tree, Hazel (Corylus avellana). DORMICE! Enjoy. But, if you need more: we explore the pros and cons of modern agricultural hedge-care...
The Birches: Magic Shrooms to Witches Brooms, the A to Z of the Birch nurtured
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our fortieth and forty-first trees, the Silver Birch (Betula pendula) and Downy Birch (Betula pubescens) - with apologies to the Dwarf Birch (Betula n...
Alder: Swamp thing! You make my heart (-sized root nodules) sing / fix nitrogen with a symbiotic bacterium!
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our thirty-ninth tree, Alder (Alnus glutinosa). A tree designed for water; as strong as steel when submerged, alder timber has been keeping Venice fro...
Sweet Chestnut: Legendarily tasty, but as prickly and trustworthy as a Borgia
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our thirty-eighth tree, the Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa). A mighty tree, but actually a non-native archeophyte; one whose fruit has both fattened ...
The Oaks: From two tiny acorns grow Viking Gods, Druidic ritual sacrifice, Nazis and... Mr Darcy?!
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh trees, the Oaks; Pedunculate (Quercus robur) & Sessile (Quercus petraea). Revered by Druids, Vikings, Fascists...
Peter Wohlleben: The hidden life of the ‘Green Sheep’ who wanted to become an Ent
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Wohlleben is a German forester, an international best-selling author and (unfortunately for our host) a rival dendro-podcaster! Here Peter talks...
Beech: Never judge a ‘buche’ by its leaf-cover - (Buchen sollst du suchen-ish!)
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our thirty-fifth tree, Beech (Fagus sylvatica). Without the Beech, we would not have literature (ish). The tree has been so useful to human/British ki...
Wych Elm: Which wonky wych is the survivor; our world's first wood woman?
24 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our thirty-fourth tree, Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra). Following on from a rather dour episode on the fate of many of our nation’s fine Elm trees, David O...
English Elms: Dreams in Crystal Palaces, but coffins by Cathedrals
17 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our thirty-second and thirty-third trees, the English - which may or may not be called (Ulmus procera) - and Field Elm (Ulmus minor). Record...
Sea Buckthorn: Fuelling flying horses & fixing sand dunes - the tree that started it all?
10 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our 31st tree, Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides). Often derided for its rapacious spread in areas where it might not be entirely wanted, the Sea Bu...
The Buckthorns: Fire, brimstones and the invasive aliens hiding in a pig's bladder
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our twenty-ninth tree, Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), and our thirtieth tree, Alder Buckthorn (Frangula alnus) - The BUCKTHORNS of the Rh...
Rowan: All hail the Witchwood; the high-flying hero of Thor & dairy-maids!
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our twenty-eigth tree, the Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia). One of the most elegant and tasteful (not to mention tasty - to birds) trees that you can find th...
Wild Service: A checkered past spent pizzled with politicians & ancient french knights
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our twenty-seventh tree, the Wild Service Tree (Sorbus torminalis). Colourful, mysterious and increasingly rare, the Wild Service represents a midway ...
Whitebeam: The gorge-ous (geeky) sub-science behind our mighty 'Plant Elephants'
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our twenty-sixth tree, the Whitebeam (Sorbus aria). What the stately and elegant Whitebeam lacks in folklore, it makes up for with its proclivity to c...
The Hawthorns: May Fairies protect your Midland bush against any Common Haws
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth trees are the Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) & the Midland Thorn (Crataegus laevigata). Once David stops ...
Crab Apple: 'A' is for sin, cider, gravity and pip-popping Auroch-pat parties
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our twenty-third tree is the Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris) - the ‘Forest apple’. The apple is perhaps our most important fruit from a cultural per...
Wild Pears: Infanticide, scampi & Barbarossa’s bloody bearded pear conference
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our twenty-second tree, the Wild Pear (Pyrus pyraster)… or to be more precise, this is an episode exploring the three Wild Pears that you my find gr...
The Cherries: Drupes adored by birds; blossom revered by Kamikaze suicide pilots
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our twentieth and twenty-first trees, the Wild Cherry (Prunus avium) and the Bird Cherry (Prunus padus). Yes, you knew cherries are tasty, but did you...
Blackthorn: Burgeoning with Booze, Black Magic and Butcher Birds
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our nineteenth tree, Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). As one of the first trees of our Rose family (the Rosaceae), this tree - when it blossoms in early F...
Richard Nairn: One man & his 'meitheal' replanting the ancient Wild Woods of Ireland
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Nairn is an environmental scientist and naturalist with a lifetime of experience in applied ecology, conservation and learning from the wild w...
White & Grey Poplars: Twelve labours of Heracles, vs. Two non-native Poplars
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our seventeenth and eighteenth trees, the White (Populus alba) and Grey (Populus x canescens) Poplars. As our two native Poplars - the Black and the A...
Aspen: The tremulous beauty & ‘beaver-bonds’ of our immortal Quaking Poplar
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our sixteenth tree, the Aspen (Populus tremula) is a gentle giant. Beautiful long leaf stalks keep the foliage fluttering in the wind and folklore gal...
Black Poplar: Devil’s fingers & flame-breathing horses heralding the fall of a giant
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our fifteenth tree (and don’t go fearing you’ve missed a few episodes, our last episode just included a bumper crop of Willows), the Black Poplar ...
The Willows: Highly immoral, incestuous, SEX-obsessed, b*stards!
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our sixth tree… well, actually, our sixth, seventh, eighth, all the way up to our fourteenth tree; this episode is a whole riverbank full of filthy ...
Spindle: Linnaeus' favourite charcoal with splashes of Indian celebration
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our fifth tree, the Spindle (Euonymus europaeus) is a stunner. Sexy in pink! Unsurpassed in vibrancy by any of our other native trees. This week, Davi...
Box: The music, art and sensory secrets hidden within Queen Anne’s box
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our fourth tree, the Box (Buxus sempervirens) is a much maligned tree. It has been disregarded by monarchy, slandered by legendary (and hunky) herbali...
Scots Pine: Wolves, woodants and the wonder of our keystone species
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our third tree, the Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) has a rich association with English Theatre - something David knows about far too well. But, more im...
Juniper: A gin-fuelled journey to Oregon, via Holland and Georgian London
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our second tree, the Juniper (Juniperus communis), holds the secret of gin within its berries - need it offer more?! But it also possesses many other ...
Yew: From Agincourt to cancer-cure, the ancient tree of life and death
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our first tree, the Yew (Taxus baccata), has accompanied humanity since the very beginning, giving us the opportunity for longer life and a rapid deat...
Oakes on Oaks: Introducing our 56(ish) Trees
16 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In season three of Trees A Crowd, David Oakes uproots the secrets and stories beneath the native tree species of the British Isles.Each week for the n...
Dr George McGavin (Part Two): Putting the “Ooo!” into Zooology with evil cats and spider penises!
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this conversation with Dr George McGavin, we find out that he has not one, but five bugs named after him - one of which was given to hi...
Dr George McGavin (Part One): A World of Colour! The vertebrate in an invertebrate world!
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George McGavin is a zoologist, entomologist and broadcaster, and currently serves as President for the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Best known for hostin...
Doug Allan: A witness beneath the waves on World Manta Day
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Happy World Manta Day! To celebrate the wonders of our ocean’s Flappiest Friends, this special episode explores the experiences and encounters of Ma...
(More) Mark Carwardine: On the realities of anti-poaching patrols & his conservation heroes
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the final of three episodes focused on Animal Conservation, David Oakes speaks again (you’ll remember him from his Narwhal-centric episode at the...
Georgina Lamb: A Lamb leading lions, elephants, pangolins, snow leopards, rhinos and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Georgina Lamb is the Chief Executive of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. The charity was founded by her grandfather, the late great artist Sir ...
Will Travers OBE: Born free and committed to compassionate conservation
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Will Travers OBE is one of the UK’s most influential animal rights activists, founding the Born Free Foundation in 1984 with his parents, originally...
World Oyster Day: Prof. Rowan Lockwood & Dr Bryce Stewart “shell-ebrate” the mighty mollusc!
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As kismet would have it, it’s WORLD OYSTER DAY! Before we found out oysters even had their own day, we wanted to celebrate these slippery salt-water...
Prof. Kate Jones (Part Two): Bats - mixing your margaritas since 55,000,000 BC
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Bats are awesome and endlessly fascinating” - and it’s a good job too, because this is the second part of a two-part conversation all about the...
Prof. Kate Jones (Part One): What do you get if you cross David Attenborough with Harrison Ford?
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Part Indiana Jones, part David Attenborough - and a real live descendant of Charles “Origin of the Species” Darwin - Professor Kate Jones is a pro...
Dr William C. Tweed: Whale < Bear < Human < Squirrel
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this outtake from last week's full episode with the American historian and naturalist Dr William C. Tweed, we discover that the law of the jungle i...