Episode 2.61 - Brimstone Breakthrough and Violet Ventures

Send us Fan MailOn a gloriously mild first day of March at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin are stopped in their tracks before they even leave the yard by the season’s first brimstone butterfly — a dazzling male sulphur-yellow vision emerging from dense ivy on the stable wall, its ivy-shaped wings proving once again why this hero plant is the ultimate winter refuge. Just yards away, the 42 sparrow nest boxes are a riot of chatter and activity, every one occupied in a heart-warming reversal of the old “Sparrow Clubs” that once tried to eradicate them. In the south-facing edge of Cantley Hill Plantation, sweet violets have already been blooming for weeks, while the common dog violet carpets the bank in pale purple drifts, its delicate spurred flowers and honey guides a masterclass in miniature beauty. Crossing into the southern fields of Stoke Holy Cross, they find field pansies (Viola arvensis) and their close cousin the wild heartsease glowing among the overwinter seed mix, alongside groundsel’s tiny yellow stars (the “old man’s head” of folklore) and shepherd’s purse with its triangular seed pods. High above, buzzards spiral and stoop in early courtship displays against the blue sky, while skylarks pour out song and Rat the terrier digs frantically for whatever scent has caught his nose. Listener warmth arrives from North Carolina with photos of the famous white squirrels of Brevard and from a local angler thrilled by underwater footage of a River Tas brown trout. This episode captures the very first tender stirrings of spring — butterflies, violets, pansies and hopeful nesting — ideal for celebrating nature’s quiet, colourful return after winter’s long wait.https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18761657-episode-2-61-brimstone-breakthrough-and-violet-ventures.mp3?download=trueSupport the showPlease email any questions for Chris to answer on the podcast [email protected] 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-12or from the Podcast page here:Podcast | High Ash Farm